Kishore C.S. (November 2001)

"The world is a stage and we are all actors in it" - William Shakespeare.

Many of the spiritual books I read send out the same message. Life we are living on this earth is a dream. But we tend to believe this is a real life. This is Maya of God. We are limited by our five senses and we cannot believe things that cannot be directly perceived by these senses.

A few weeks back I happened to turn on TV and watched a movie called "The Truman Show" starring Jim Carrey. In this movie Truman (Jim Carrey) lives in a place with his wife and mother and friends. He has lived in the same place from his birth for 30 years. He gets a desire to cross the sea and explore other countries. He plans to leave the city and go to Fiji islands. When he tries to leave the place he gradually encounters strange circumstances which prevent him from going out of his city.

Finally he realizes that he has been an actor of the show "The Truman Show". From his birth, he has been living in life size studio including the city and sea. Everyone in the city he is living is an actor and they are not real. He is the only person who is person living naturally without realizing that he is the main character in this show. All the cameras are hidden from him and his life is being telecast live on TV 24 hours a day. The director who had designed the show receives lot of appreciation for such a brilliant show. Everyone of his city has been actors: his neighbors, his friends, his office and even his mother and wife are actors. He also realizes that one time when he wanted to cross the seas, they created a storm to create a fear in him about seas and his father is "killed", which was all dramatized.

At the end of movies, he comes to know of the truth and manages to escape the camera. End of movie he comes out of the studio to live his real life. Though the movie looks a little ridiculous, this movie made me think.

We are all actors in this world which is being directed by God. If we think in this manner, we will realize the necessity to play our role in a detached manner. If we start taking things in a little less seriously, we will be able to play our role in this great drama of life. When I get too emotional or too upset, I recollect this simple idea and I can regain control on my emotions.

Summary

I am not sure whether this essay makes sense to everyone. But this movie has taught me a philosophical lesson in my life and I wanted to share the same. If you don't really understand what I tried to convey, try watching the movie when you get a chance.