Connection: Starting Over and Sunshine Cleaning

I was extremely bored last night. It was a three day weekend, and I had just eaten my weight celebrating the end of the dreaded Yom Kippur. I was sitting upstairs at my computer, trying to think of something to do. Naturally, I went to the free movie website and randomly typed in something. The result was Sunshine Cleaning, a movie that I've been wanting to see for quite a while actually. It's about two sisters; one a single mother with a dead-end job, the other an unemlployed, lost and depressed young woman. Together they decide that enough is enough, and they start their own company. It's a very moving story, with a touch of comedy, considering their line of work is cleaning up bloody and hazardous crime scenes. Nevertheless, they help people get through that difficult time in their life. In the end of the movie, both sisters have a better outlook on life and what they should do with it.

This movie made me think about the "start fresh" topic we've been discussing on and off for a couple of weeks. It started with The Kite Runner, when Amir claims America was a place to bury the past, but to also look towards a brighter future. As cowardly as it sounds, I believe this is a good way to heal a broken soul, depending on which way the soul was broken. Yet, there are hardships along the way, for every story that has a theme like these two do. The person has to adjust to a new life, and try not to think about the extreme change they just made to better themselves. They also have to try harder to mke things at least alright in this new, strange environment. For instance, Amir has to live with the immense guilt over what he has done, long after the move to America. Norah and Rose, the sisters in Sunshine Cleaning, deal with the hardships of a new career, a new life for themselves, and a bigger picture than the one they had before. Only God knows how hard these things can get.

It may be a last resort, but if I was completely and utterly lost, and there was nothing left for me here, I would pick up my bags, move somewhere else, and start fresh. It's very romantic/dramedy movie-like, but hey, I'm an actor. I could relate the "start-over" phenomenon to several other things, but that's the gist of it. It is also one of my favorite ways to end a story I am writing (which, again, ties this to english). Anyway, the movie was awesome, and I recommend seeing it, especially if you're in the mood to here the f-bomb dropped every five seconds.

Best of Week: Parents actually mean well!

In my opinion, the most memorable and important idea of the week was stated during the discussion of whether or not Assef was a sociopath. We were talking about the signs of a sociopath, and if he was truly evil or just mentally impaired in some sense. But many people, myself included, thought that it was, in fact, Assef's parents fault for making him the way he is. We discussed how his parent's seemed to be afraid of him, and how at Amir's party they cowered behind him. It was almost as if they were the children, as someone pointed out. This led me to think about the storied I have heard that are similar to that of Assef's. Of course, not many did the terrible things that Assef did, but they were still corrupted human beings. They steal, they murder, they abuse, and they do much more, and many of them put the blame of why they are the way they are on their parents. This is also a recurring theme on TV shows that have to do with murder and injury (Bones, Medium, Grey's Anatomy, etc..).

This newfound thought made me really appreciate the fact that, even though they're strict, my parents are good parents and really only want what's best for me. Plus, they don't back down, even if I'm in the worst mood ever. I'm pretty sure I'll appreciate them even more later. Maybe I'll even stop being disrespectful to them. Well, maybe a little less...

Carry it forward: The Kite Runner

As books go, there's either the one that's a bore, cheesy, and absolutely horrible, or an ok one that you will probably never read again, or the remarkable, compelling story that has you gripping the pages. The Kite Runner is most definitely door number three. It is chock full of the naivity of a child, the humility of grown men, and the obstacles that we take upon in not-so-everyday lives. But what really hit me was the calm, serenity of Hassan that was almost Ghandi-like. Although they seem to be best friends, Amir is really not very nice to Hassan. He always sees him as a second rate human being that deserves less affection than he does. Yet Amir means the world to Hassan. And it's not like a servant-master devotion. I believe Hassan is more devoted to Amir than any other human could be. He takes blame for several things Amir does, he doesn't shoot back an insult when it is fired at him. And, in order to serve his best friend, he had the worst posible thing done to him. And what does Amir do? Nothing. And even after that horrible incident (which Amir witnessed, and did nothing), he is still devoted to Amir, which is shown when he takes the blame for the things he "stole" from Amir's presents, knowing full well that Amir had planted them there. And I'll bet that even after Hassan and Ali, his father leave, Hassan is still loyal to Amir.

I must admit that I was confused by such an attitude from such a young person. Usually, 12 year olds are ok kids, but they have a selfish core to them. Hassan has a remarkable soul that would be a surprise in an adult. He had the respect for position, family, and honor that many people could never achieve. And, I don't think I could ever achieve his level of goodness. Hassan's tolerance and ultimate devotion serves as a great lesson for the future. He was an unbelievably nice person, and it makes me want to be more like him in the future.