Metaphysical Reviews

The Giver — Love, Choice, and the Limits of Perfection

“If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be,” as Yogi Berra once said. If you want to understand what this means, go see The Giver.

The Giver is in the great dystopian tradition of Animal Farm and 1984, Brave New World, Atlas Shrugged, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, and so many more. (It also evoked for me memories of the Ring cycle and Lord of the Rings.) It takes place in a “perfect” society that has eliminated war, pain, suffering, differences and choice. They have created a society where everyone is equal (except those who are “more equal,” of course), and everything is the same. Your job, your clothes, and all other aspects of your existence are chosen for you. The society’s byword is sameness, in which they see safety and liberation from all the evils of human history. Even the climate is controlled.

They also control the language. For example, they have abolished killing; instead they “release” people “to Elsewhere.” By controlling the words that people use, they control the ability to hold certain thoughts, and as we know, thoughts are the cornerstone of conditions. What we focus on expands in our experience, so if you can control the expression of ideas, you can limit the focus. (In many ways, “political correctness” does this.)

A young boy named Jonas is chosen to be the Receiver of Memories, a position wherein he will be called upon to impart wisdom to the Elders, using “the Memories”, including the collected memory of humankind. He is trained for this by the older receiver of Memories. “If I’m The Receiver,” Jonas asks his teacher, “what does that make you?” The reply is, “I guess it makes me The Giver.”

The training, he is warned, will require a lot of strength, because it entails a lot of pain. The pain isn’t so much physical as the psychic and emotional pain brought on by “the Memories.” But what Jonas also discovers is the importance of love, beauty, and all those other “things that make us human.” He is determined to share what he is learning and feeling, even though that is against the rules. He also falls in love with his beautiful friend Fiona, who does not know what to make of this.

In order to reawaken the Memories (and the feelings they entail), he must cross the border of memory. By reawakening the Memories, he can reawaken the ability of the people to live life full out, restoring the joy, love, and beauty that their utopia has taken from them. As Fiona says, “I know that there is more, but I don’t know what it is.”

At one level, this is a brilliant political commentary on freedom, individual expression, and utopianism. That Jonas’s friend, Asher, is a drone pilot is not merely a literary device. But there are spiritual lessons as well.

While Jonas is in training, The Giver tells him not to trust the limited thoughts that have been given to him, but to trust what is inside. Learning to trust our intuition is a key to spiritual advancement. It is one of the most important ways to allow ourselves live in joy, in the fullest expression of who we are and who we are supposed to be.

The Chief Elder at one point says that “when people are free to choose, they choose wrong.” And it is true that sometimes people make choices that do not serve themselves or others. But one person’s wrong choice is another person’s right one. More importantly, if people cannot choose wrongly, then they are not free to choose rightly, and it is the choices we make that define our lives.

In such a perfectly-ordered society, there is no room for beauty or love or any of “the things that make us human.” And yet, these things are central to our humanity. They are central to living the most elevated, human, passionate life that we can. Jonas’s struggle is to restore those things, for himself and for the society.

It is also a society with no diversity. Sameness precludes living your individual purpose and calling, which is essential to the joyful life.

It is that passionate life that enables us to reach for the greater, the richer, the deeper. And that is at the very core of our humanity, as expressions of the Divine.

This is a movie well worth seeing. It’s exciting, stimulating, touching, and very powerful

-Tim Phares, RScP

Fortuosity: Finding Opportunity

Sometimes castles fall to the ground

But that’s where four-leaf clovers are found.

— Richard B. Sherman and Robert M. Sherman, “Fortuosity” (from The Happiest Millionaire)

Have you ever seen something in your life crash? Have you invested a lot of energy in something, only to see it fall apart? Most of us have had that experience. When that happens, where are you looking? Are you looking at the ruins or are you looking at what else is around you?

Recently, Suzanne and I heard this song on a radio program we enjoy. There is a great video of it (the opening scene of the movie The Happiest Millionaire) on You Tube, with Tommy Steele singing this song. It’s snappy, fun, and right on point. As Richard and Robert Sherman (who composed it) noted, when castles fall to the ground, you find four-leaf clovers. Four-leaf clovers are considered good-luck charms. This is “fortuosity” – which the Sherman brothers (Walt Disney’s favorite songwriters) define as “fortuitious little happy happenstances.” They go on to tell us,

“‘Round the corner, under a tree,

Good fortune’s waiting. Just wait and see.”

Where in the wreckage is your four-leaf clover? Where is your good-luck charm in the chaos that sometimes envelops life? Can you see it?

I am sure many of us know someone like a neighbor of ours, who is convinced that “They” (whoever “They” are) are never going to let “people like her” get anywhere in life. People like this seem to scrape by. They never seem to have enough. They can see only the wreckage. If they would look, they would see the clover. But they never look.

How often do you focus on what is going wrong instead of the blessings in your life? Remember, one of the fundamental principles of the Universe is that what you focus on expands and what you do not diminishes.

Instead of focusing on the wreckage, find your four-leaf clover. Pick it up. Let it be the sign of a new and exciting beginning. You are not here to suffer, you are here to thrive. And remember that “every bit of life is lit by fortuosity.”

-Tim Phares, RScP

The Hundred Foot Journey – Home is Where the Heart Is

It’s been said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Apparently, a journey of 100 feet is a little more difficult.

Suzanne and I saw The Hundred-Foot Journey, a new movie from Oprah Winfrey and Disney. It concerns the Kadam family, who are in the restaurant business in Mumbai, India. After an election, their restaurant is burned and the mother is killed. They relocate, first to London, then to a village in France,, where they open a restaurant called Maison Mumbai. On their arrival in France, they are fed and put up for a night by a young woman named Marguerite.

Across the street is a very well-established restaurant called Le Seule Pleurer, run by Madame Mallory. The place is so well established that one of the government ministers eats there. She does not want competition, especially from foreigners. She begins to take measures to make business difficult for Maison Mumbai, and Papa Kadam retaliates. The mayor warns Madame Mallory that there are elements in town who are virulently against foreigners and she might not want to be associated with them.

The two restaurants compete for business and they barely speak with each other. Meanwhile, Hassan Kadam, who is the main chef at Maison Mumbai, begins to develop a relationship with Marguerite, who turns out to be a sous-chef at Le Seule Pleurer. Eventually, events cause Madame Mallory to offer Hassan a chance to be a chef at her restaurant. (Her restaurant is rated one star and she wants to upgrade to two stars.) Meanwhile, the relationship between Madame Mallory and Papa Kadam grows friendly.

Eventually, Hassan’s reputation is so great that he is hired by a restaurant in Paris. However, he finds himself pining for the village, his family, and Marguerite, so he returns home. This is a reminder of the vital importance of home and family.

This is a lovely movie with a couple of lessons. One is seeing the larger picture. For all the differences between Madame Mallory and her friends and the Kadams (and they remain), they manage to see their oneness as fellow human beings and to learn to support each other rather than warring with each other. And they learn forgiveness. They move beyond their mutual attempts to destroy each other, beyond their competition, to establish a bond that erases any hostility that may have existed.

This is a well-done movie worth seeing. You’ll leave feeling very good.

-Tim Phares, RScP

Maleficent — Knocking Down Walls With the Power of Love

This past Friday Suzanne and I went to see Maleficent. It’s the backstory of Sleeping Beauty, featuring Angelina Jolie as the title character, who first appears by name in the classic Disney version of Sleeping Beauty.

I will try not to reveal too much plot or any spoilers, but there are a couple of metaphysical lessons in this movie.

We first meet Maleficent as a young girl, a fairy who is a leader of the fairy kingdom. Across the moors is a kingdom of humans and the two barely get along. One day, a young man named Stefan comes into the kingdom and he and Maleficent become fast friends and fall in love. On her sixteenth birthday, he gives Maleficent the gift of “true love’s kiss” — but sadly, it does not last. His ambition to be king causes him to betray her.

The King wants Maleficent killed. Whoever can do it will be his successor. Stefan cuts off her wings and brings them to the King. He is anointed successor.

The years pass, and King Stefan and his queen have a child, a princess they name Aurora. (Aurora means “light”. It is also the name of the goddess of the dawn.) From here, much of the familiar story of Sleeping Beauty kicks in, but with additional wrinkles.

Seeking revenge, Maleficent lays a curse on Princess Aurora — that on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger and go into “a sleep like death” that can only be broken by “true love’s kiss.” Stefan entrusts Aurora to the care of three pixies until the day after her sixteenth birthday.

Maleficent saves a bird named Diaval and turns him into a human. He switches back and forth at various times to be Maleficent’s wings. She also constructs a wall of thorns to keep the humans from Stefan’s kingdom from ever again setting foot in the moors. (The moors are also protected by some very strange looking creatures that made me think that some who failed auditions to be orcs and ents in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies found jobs at Disney.)

Every day Maleficent watches Aurora, to the point that when Aurora finally meets her, she identifies Maleficent as her fairy godmother. By this time, Maleficent has developed a real love for Aurora and is trying to find a way to undo her curse. Unfortunately, when she spoke it, she decreed that no power on Earth could break it. (It takes a power greater than that of humans and fairies.)

Eventually, Maleficent tears down her own wall and heads for the castle to try to save Aurora, but she is too late and Aurora is in the deep death-like sleep decreed by the curse. A prince from another kingdom arrives and he kisses her, but that doesn’t do the job. Eventually, however, the right kiss arrives and she awakes.

Meanwhile, Stefan is trying to kill Maleficent. There is a great battle, Maleficent turns Diaval into a dragon, but they’re trapped. However, Aurora has been poking around the castle and comes on the display case where Maleficent’s wings are stored. She breaks it, the wings fly in, the day is saved.

What do we draw from this story?

First, the power of love. It takes true love to awaken Aurora and it takes true love to end Maleficent’s desire for revenge. (She also realizes that Aurora may be the way to peace between the two kingdoms.) Their love for each other saves them both. The movie is a testament to the power of love to overcome the hatreds of the world. Love overcomes revenge and causes Maleficent to release it.

Second, we see that only you can tear down your walls. No one can do it for you. And as long as those walls stand, you cannot let anyone in. That cuts you off from the world. Breaking down those walls is essential for love to flourish.

All in all, a lovely afternoon well spent.

Million Dollar Arm — Doing the Impossible: Don’t Force It, Allow It

Those who know me know that I am a very big baseball fan. I love the game and I have written on the metaphysics of baseball. You can read my thoughts on the subject here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/tim-phares/make-every-day-opening-day/10150521263905177

So it’s no surprise that today Suzanne and I went to see Million Dollar Arm. The movie is based on a true story. A sports agent named J. B. Bernstein has left the agency he worked for and gone out on his own. He is having trouble finding clients, and his agency is in desperate straits. His co-worker, Aash, relaxes by enjoying cricket matches from back home in India.

As he is watching TV one night, Bernstein keeps flipping back and forth between a cricket match and Susan Boyle performing on Britain’s Got Talent. (The rise of Susan Boyle is a very improbable story.) He hatches a wild idea: what if you could find a couple of cricket “bowlers” (the equivalent of the pitcher) who could get a tryout as pitchers in Major League Baseball? What if you held a reality-show competition to find them?

Bernstein finds a backer for his “Million Dollar Arm” contest and goes off to India in pursuit of this impossible dream. Eventually, Aash sends him a scout named Ray Pointevint to help him evaluate the talent, such as it is.

At first the results are disappointing, but eventually J.B. and Ray find 16 young pitchers for the competition, which is a TV phenomenon. The two winners get a sum of money and a chance to come to America to try out for Major League Baseball. Their names are Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel.

Rinku and Dinesh come to Los Angeles, where Bernstein lives, and he begins setting up a tryout. They begin training with former big-league pitcher Tom House, who is coaching at USC. House tells Bernstein that it is “highly improbable” that they will ever get signed, or even be ready for their tryout when Bernstein’s deal with his backer says they’re supposed to be. But he agrees to coach them.

The tryout is attended by ESPN and several other media outlets. It does not go well. It’s evident “the boys” are trying too hard, forcing the issue, and they are pitching wildly. No one wants to sign them. Bernstein, who is banking on these young men, is very disappointed. He begins to call in some chips to get them a second tryout. He tells them to have fun. An associate from India (who also served as their translator while they learned English) gives them a rousing speech. The second tryout goes much better. (I won’t give away the ending.)

There are a couple of metaphysical points in this movie:

Even when it seems all is lost, even when it seems impossible, you need a dream and you need to pursue it. The pursuit itself will make you a better person and sometimes the impossible happens. (One thing I remember from my Army days is, “The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer.”)

The other point is illustrated in the difference between the two tryouts. In the first one, Dinesh and Rinku are nervous and overwhelmed by the media presence, and they try to make it happen. It doesn’t. In the second one, they’re having much more fun. They’re no longer making it happen; they’re letting it happen. They have gotten out of their own way.

Find your dream, however impossible it seems, then get out the way and allow it to happen. To quote the movie’s tagline, “Sometimes to win, you have to change the game.”

-Tim Phares, RScP

La Cenerentola – Forgiveness and the Power of Our Word

Suzanne and I are fans of the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD. It’s a remarkable thing – live, high-definition transmissions of operas from the Met, as they are happening, to movie theaters throughout the country and in 54 countries worldwide. You’re sitting in your local movie house watching a world-class performance, and the mere act of doing so binds you by a simultaneous experience to people around the world.

A few years ago, we enjoyed a brilliant performance of La Cenerentola as part of the Met Live in HD series. La Cenerentola is Gioachino Rossini and librettist Jacopo Feretti’s telling of the Cinderella story. I am happy to note that another live performance of this opera will be shown as part of the Met Live in HD series on May 10, 2014. (Cinderella seems popular these days. The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of Cinderella – originally written for TV in 1957 – is currently enjoying a successful run on Broadway.)

The metaphysics in this opera amazed me. We open with Cinderella working and singing a song about a king who had to choose a wife and had three choices. He chooses the poor girl, the lowest of the three. (Of course, this turns out to be her own story.) She sings this at the opening and again near the beginning of the second act. Is anyone noticing Cinderella’s affirmation here? She’s affirming the choice of the poor servant girl by the Prince, which ultimately is just what happens to her. This is the power of our word.

Towards the end, Rossini and Feretti turn it into a story of forgiveness. When the sisters and the stepfather (a Baron) are moaning and whining about the Prince’s choice of Cinderella over either of the sisters to be his wife, he threatens to hurt them for insulting her and for other things. She intervenes, saying that, if he truly loves her, he will show mercy toward her family. She has a lovely aria about all that has happened to her and how it has, in that moment, disappeared from her life and she says that “My revenge will be…my revenge is…to forgive them.” Wow, the power of love, release, and forgiveness. And she triumphantly becomes a Princess. Her kindness and forgiveness show her worthiness to marry the Prince (and step into the riches of the Kingdom).

For those intrigued, you can find out more at http://www.metopera.org/hdlive If you can spare the time to go see it, you might enjoy the gorgeous music and you will find it a wonderful (and beautiful) metaphysical experience.

Tim Phares, RScP

Cosmos

“We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself.” — Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Suzanne and I watched the first episode of Cosmos together. I don’t know who wrote it, but there was a LOT of New Thought in the script — and they think it’s just science.

The host, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the astrophysicist and director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York (one of my very favorite places growing up), went through the long history of the cosmos, from the Big Bang to the present day. It’s amazing how small a part of that time we’ve been around.

Some years ago, I read a book entitled The Self-Aware Universe: How Consciousness Creates the Material World by Dr. Amit Goswami, one of the scientists featured in What the Bleep Do We Know? Dr. Goswami sys something similar to the Tyson quote from tonight’s episode that I cited above: “The Universe is self-aware through us.”

We are the eyes, ears, and senses of the Infinite. It deliberately, consciously, intentionally chose to express as you and me, as each of us, as that which came before, as that which comes after. So what kind of awareness are you expressing?

At this week’s service at Celebration Center, we were given the suggestion to “surrender your idea of who you think you are to the possibility of who you really are.” So who are you really? Dr. Tyson, Dr. Goswami, and others give us a suggestion of who we really are.

We know that our awareness defines our Universe. Our awareness does not define THE Universe — it’s way too big for that — but it defines ours. How are you defining your Universe? Step back and check it out.

Cosmos runs Sunday nights at 9 PM Eastern on Fox and Monday nights at 10 Eastern on National Geographic.

-Tim Phares, RScP

Mr. Peabody and Sherman

This evening, Suzanne and I went to see Mr. Peabody and Sherman. As long-time fans of these characters when they used to appear on “Rocky and Friends”, we were anticipating a very enjoyable and funny experience and we were not disappointed. It is quite true to the Peabody and Sherman that we remember, right down to the witty puns (something I particularly enjoyed.)

For those of you who do not remember Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Mr. Peabody is a genius dog who has invented many things, including a time machine he calls the Wayback Machine, and Sherman is his adopted son. It’s a very funny role reversal. The movie is full of the kind of fractured history and humor for which Sherman and Peabody are deservedly famous – or, at least they were. If, like me, you’re a fan (my inner child relates to Sherman in a number of ways), you will find the movie familiar, fun, and a very good time. The children there seemed to enjoy it too.

There are a couple of moments in the movie that humorously teach our philosophy. Without giving away too much plot, there is one scene where Peabody, Sherman, and Sherman’s new friend Penny are in the Renaissance visiting Leonardo DaVinci (you’ll have to see the movie to see why they made that visit.) While DaVinci and Mr. Peabody are doing some work, Sherman and Penny are exploring. They come upon DaVinci’s flying machine. They figure out how to fly it and are happily flying all around town without incident. They fly by where Peabody and DaVinci are working and Mr. Peabody asks Sherman what he is doing.

“Flying,” Sherman says happily.

“But you can’t fly,” says Mr. Peabody.

“I can’t?” Sherman asks, sounding puzzled. At that point, he crashes the flying machine.

There is another point toward the end of the movie where the situation has gotten ridiculously, humorously, hopelessly out of hand. In the presence of what Mr. Peabody proclaims “the greatest collection of geniuses ever”, it is Sherman who comes up with the pivotal idea that saves the day. As Peabody tells him, “you are a genius.”

These two moments carry important lessons. First, as Henry Ford once said (no, he’s not in the movie), “If you think you can or if you think you can’t, you’re right.” As long as Sherman thinks he can fly DaVinci’s machine, he files it fairly effortlessly. As soon as Peabody reminds him that he can’t fly, suddenly he can’t. He crashes. Do you think you can or do you think you can’t? Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t fly – especially if you’re flying at the time.

And Sherman really is a genius. He simply listens to his intuition, states his idea in its brilliant simplicity (which Peabody then turns into a compilation and calculation), and they execute it, thus solving their problem and returning things to proper order. Sherman is a genius partly because he has grown up with Peabody, but he is also a genius because he follows his own brilliant idea. Are you willing to follow your genius, no matter how ridiculously simple it may appear?

All in all, an enjoyable evening at the movies. And as Mr. Peabody always says, “no doubt about it – every dog should have a boy.” Especially one like Sherman.

Pippin – Taking the Best Life Offers

OH, IT’S TIME TO START LIVIN’

TIME TO TAKE A LITTLE OF THE WORLD WE’RE GIVEN

TIME TO TAKE TIME, CAUSE SPRING WILL TURN TO FALL

IN JUST NO TIME AT ALL — Stephen Schwartz, Pippin

A while ago, Suzanne and I saw a production of Pippin. The show deals with the life of Pippin, son of Charlemagne. It has interesting observations on power and life, and “No Time at All”, the song from which the above is taken, as well as “Corner of the Sky” (a song our choir did in concert a few years ago), expresses a metaphysical view.

These lyrics make the point that we should always be living life and doing it in the now. We should be soaking it in, appreciating the gifts of Spirit, and fully throwing ourselves with joy into the living of every moment.

A few months ago at the Tony Awards, Broadway’s salute to the best of theatre this year, we were thrilled to see that Pippin was awarded Best Revival of a Musical. (Also, Andrea Martin won for Best Featured Actress.) Every nominated show got to put on one number or one scene (for a “straight play”). All the performances and speeches exemplified excellence. Seeing such excellence on display is an inspiration. The revival is currently enjoying a successful Broadway run.

In its original incarnation back in he 1970s, Pippin changed the way Broadway shows advertised. Before Pippin, it was essentially, “We have a show. Channels 2, 4, and 7 like it. The Times, Post and Daily News like it. It’s at this theatre. Come see us.” Instead of that, we got “Here’s 60 seconds of Pippin” (and it was Ben Vereen dancing, I think from the opening song “Magic to Do”). Then they told us the theatre. The show had a nice long run, so everyone started to do it that way. This was reaching out to find a new way of doing things.

At our Center years ago, we used to have stickers that read, “I am committed to excellence.” By committing yourself to excellence, on stage or in whatever endeavor you undertake, you uplift every activity in your life. In so doing, you uplift those around you as well. Commit yourself to excellence in all your endeavors today and you will reveal the magnificence of your world. And when it’s revealed, accept it with gusto.

As Pippin’s grandmother, Berthe, who sings the words above, tells us:

Here is a secret I never have told.
Maybe you’ll understand why.
I believe if I refuse to grow old
I can stay young till I die.

A great observation. (I’ve long said that I intend to die young – at a VERY advanced age.) By keeping our youthful outlook on life, the outlook of possibility, we keep ourselves in position to grab what the world gives us, to find our corner of the sky. Are you ready to take a little of the world you’re given? Or maybe a lot? The only limit is the size of your container. So fill it to the rim with the most excellent things you can find.

Tim Phares, RScP

Let Go: Finish the Job – Saving Mr. Banks

Recently Suzanne and I saw Saving Mr. Banks. It’s the story of how Walt Disney finally persuaded P.L. Travers to sell him the rights to Mary Poppins, which, of course, became the iconic movie musical (and multiple Oscar winner) that we all know.

The movie is worth seeing just for entertainment. Tom Hanks is excellent as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson is magnificent as P.L. Travers. The two actors who play the Sherman brothers, the composers of the movie’s score, are very good as well.

The movie shows the clash of visions between the Disney view of the world (which the Sherman brothers seem to share) and the Travers view of the world. Travers’s view is much darker than Disney’s, yet they discover what they have in common. That discovery is what finally cements the deal and makes Mary Poppins, the movie, work.

As time goes on, Disney realizes how personal the story is to Travers. He realizes how central it is to her life and why she is so protective of it. And we find out that Walt Disney can relate to her experience from his own.

I don’t wish to spoil the plot, but at one point, Travers leaves Los Angeles to fly back to London, not having signed the contract for the movie rights (which Disney has been trying to get for 20 years to keep a promise to his daughters.) She arrives at her house and Disney shows up.

Knowing that Mr. Banks is based on Travers’ father, Disney tells her a story of growing up in Missouri with his father and brother that resonates well with Travers’ own life (which we see in flashbacks throughout the movie.) Then he says something key — that making Mary Poppins is a way for Travers to forgive.

“I do not need to forgive my father,” she says. Disney tells her that it’s not her father she needs to forgive, but herself. He pitches her on the idea that making the movie — with his optimistic, sunnier worldview — is a way to forgive and let go. “Finish the job,” he implores her.

The movie ends with Travers at the premiere, crying at the movie. It’s a moment of release, although Travers can’t quite acknowledge it.

So who is your Mr. Banks? Whoever it is, it’s time to stop carrying Mr. Banks around with you. It’s time to finish the job by forgiving yourself and your Mr. Banks for whatever you believe may need it. Do not let your “Mr. Banks experience” define you. Let it go. Finish the job. As A Course in Miracles says, “It is the privilege of the forgiven to forgive.”

This movie reminds us that whatever our experience, it’s just experience and it’s never too late to have it be a good experience. To quote Rev. Noel McInnis, “It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.” Writing the books helped P.L. Travers reframe her childhood and Disney’s take finished the job. Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down in a most delightful way.

This is a movie experience you’ll learn from and one you’ll enjoy.

Tim Phares, RScP

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