Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Forrest Gump- Featherlitelight Existence

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdsMqRaz2WY
Forrest Gump is an interesting movie made in the nineties based on similar titled book enacted by Tom Hanks.On the surface this winner of many oscars is a story about a simpleton who goes through his life`s destiny in an eventful manner to accidentally attain celebrity status .His love jenny goes through hippie culture and rebelling with or without cause till she finds her redemption in him.
Most reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are not very charitable despite huge popularity of the movie.Many have felt its a sentimental movie which underscores that ignorance is bliss and that in order to do well its better to be an idiot like Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump.It is only naive to look at the movie so dumbly about a dumb guy.Here is why I think the movie has great life`s philosophy metaphorically captured with a strong narrative.

Forrest Gump has no predetermined concept of life.His marginally low IQ may appear to make him an idiot but he isnot.He is in a manner antithesis of Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.Bill was self sentred and finds his redemption in living in the now after a grind of frustration and hopelessness.Forrest intutively knew the right things to do in life.In a a dialogue with Jenny he said it.
Jenny: Do you ever dream, Forrest, about who you're gonna be?
Forrest: Who I'm gonna be?
Jenny: Yeah.
Forrest: Aren't I going to be me?

Dont we all forget to be just me in order to achieve fame.Thats what drove jenny to selfdestruction in counter culture lifestyle.Drugs asnd Bohemy with added anti establishment cause celebre.
Forrest is an idiot who doesnot understand racism or anti racial movement but he knows what is right when he risks his life to save the life of his friend Bubba in vietnam war situation.Bubba was Black.
Forrest is an idiot who didnot understand anti war and beieved his sole purpose in joining army was to obey his superior.But he knew when not to obey his leuitnant when it came to saving human life.
Forrest is an idiot who knew to keep faith on his momma and understand that life is a chocolate box.You never know whats inside.He lived life truly as it came.Is this not choiceless awareness.
Forrest was an idiot who knew that promise are meant to be kept and promise he did keep with his dead friend Bubba by making him equal partner posthumously in shrimp boat business.
Forrest was an idiot who knew love very well.It was not based on possession nor on jealousy.He was alright with jenny`s rejection and and not jealous of her other friends but he knew that hurting somebody is not love which jenny`s boyfriend did it to her.His famous lines goes:
Forrest: Will you marry me? I'd make a good husband, Jenny.
Jenny: You would, Forrest.
Forrest: But you won't marry me.
Jenny: You don't want to marry me.
Forrest: Why don't you love me, Jenny? I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is.

He is an idiot who very well understood the philosophy of life.
Here it goes:I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time.

Was forrest Gump an idiot or someone who lived a pure life of joy,love,compassion and recognised destiny.He lived life dying to every moment and took each day as new.There was no regret or rancour for his low IQ or the abuses he suffered from childhood.In a symbolic way when he enters the school bus other children are not willing to have him near but he found his friend in jenny.Though he suffered similar rejection at all stages of life as a local idiot he found true friends in jenny and Bubba and later on Lt Dan.
When he felt like running he ran for three years.When he was tired he slept.When he was hungry he ate.Meeting U S presidents three times in his life didnot mean a thing to him.Receiving the medal of Honour was not a matter of pride.He simply gave it away to his love jenny.

In most difficult terrain of vietnam war he finds happiness .
Here it goes:Forrest: Yes. Well, I, I don't know. Sometimes it would stop raining long enough for the stars to come out. And then it was nice. It was like just before the sun goes to bed down on the bay... There was over a million sparkles on the water. Like that mountain lake. It was so clear, Jenny. It looks like there were two skies, one on top of the other. And then in the desert, when the sun comes up... I couldn't tell where heavens stopped and the earth began. It was so beautiful.


He indeed lived life like a feather floating in air and doing his best wherever the breeze of times took him.Thats how the movie begins and ends with, a floating feather.A true featherlight existence in which there was no yesterday, no achiever but only joy of living.An epitome of virtue he was truly living liberated existence.
He was indeed J. Krishnamurti`s ideal man totally unconditioned and living with love ,passion and compassion.

1 comment:

Ruchi said...

That was such a magical movie..like a dream. With a low IQ people said he was stupid and did not know what was happening to him but I think he was the right amount of clever, knew only what he needed to know and that included joy,love and compassion.

A very well written bit.