The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Follow

“Life can only be understood backward,
It must be lived forward.”
~from Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Have you heard that you need to live your life in the moment right now, and forget the past? Have you ever felt as though this was hard to do? Have you been disappointed by loves lost, goals not accomplished, etc? What if you were to be born as an older person not knowing that you would have any time but right now to experience life and live it? Benjamin Button was born as an old man and then started to grow younger, in reverse from the way many of us have experienced birth and growing, growing older rather than younger. (However, I believe that we can grow younger within our hearts and therefore, it is only our physical bodies that look as though we are getting older.)

This was an interesting movie because it brought up many ideas, ones that I tend to think about often. Have you ever taken life for granted and then lost a loved one? Have you ever put something off until tomorrow and then tomorrow was too late? We have decided to come to earth so that we can manifest our dreams within our physical reality that we perceive, but in order to do that, we need to allow ourselves to be in the present moment. The universe is always guiding us in the now to the future dreams we want to create, if we are aware to notice the signs and then have the strength and courage to follow them. This movie is a unique reminder to be in the moment, as if today was our last day to live. Benjamin Button did not know that he would start to grow younger. He was born being told that he may die soon. He was never given a chance to think about the future, he had to live right now.
This movie also brings up fate, and how so many things happen that lead up to events, situations and encounters with others that change our lives in many ways. If one woman didn’t forget a jacket before she went outside and then had to take a phone call, if a truck didn’t take a little while backing up so that the taxi was delayed in leaving toward its destination, and if the taxi driver was paying attention when turning the corner, then perhaps the accident wouldn’t have happened. However, all those things have to line up for things to happen. AND THEN, when something happens, we have a choice to react to it, act to it, or create and transform from it. Reminder: don’t live your life by what if’s or drowning in pity. You can make the most of your life experience no matter what your circumstances. You have been given that power and also free will to make of your life what you choose.

One symbol that I like within this movie is the clock that was created backwards. Time was measured backwards on this clock rather than forwards, and the creator of it made it this way because his son was killed at war. He wanted to show a symbol of how he hoped that time could reverse so that his son and all the other soldiers that were wounded or killed at war could come back home to live a longer life with different experiences.

I would like to take the time here to express my own feelings regarding soldiers that are still “fighting” in a war that is still ongoing. I don’t agree with war period for whatever reason is given for waging one. I don’t’ believe in pinpointing who is right and who is wrong so I won’t go into that. However, I want to bring to your attention a truth: the soldiers that have come home already and those that will be coming home need our help. As a country that believes in supporting each other, and loving one another, we need to make sure that the resources are there. Please visit the following website to see if there is a way that you may be able to contribute, whether it be your time, money, or your thoughts.

http://www.uso.com

Trailer for Benjamin Button