Friday, April 29, 2011
For Beauty
Sitting here in front of my laptop, I've had "Variations On The Kanon By Joh" played by George Winston streamed from my iTunes more than a dozen times.After a very long yet meaningless day at work, this seems to be the only consolation to one's soul a. A day when one is "borrowed" to serve as another person's "tool" and "convenience" only for the sake of advancing the latter's personal reputation, professional title, earthly vanity and glory.
In the film, Shawshank Redemption, Andy once gains access to the prisoner governor's office, fishes through a pile of records, picks one, and plays it to the whole prison through the broadcasting system.
The record he picks is Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro".
Outside, the prisoners - one by one - stopped their labor work, dropped their tools, looked up to the sunny blue sky and listened intently to the music floating in air. It is like time had transfixed itself, and so are the prisoners.
Then, Morgan Freeman's firm, steady voice narrates in the background:
"I have no idea to this day, what those two Italian ladies were singing about.
Truth is - I don't wanna know. Some things are best left unsaid.
I'd like to think they're saying about something so beautiful it cannot be expressed in words. And it makes your heart ache because of it.
I tell you those voices soared, higher and farer than anybody in a grey place dares to dream.
It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made these walls dissolve away.
And for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free."
Tonight - I feel for Andy and all the prisoners at Shawshank. And tonight, I've come to understand much more about what BEAUTY is - as well as the HOPE that is born within - why it should never be given up by anybody or taken away from anybody, at any place.
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In this daily battle against this invisible yet omnipotent enemy called "INJUSTICE", more times than ever, I truly wonder if I am the one and only biggest fool of it all, still believing that "INJUSTICE" needs to be fought against, "INJUSTICE" should not be tolerated, and "INJUSTICE" may be and will be conquered, someday.
But perhaps the best weaponry against "INJUSTICE" is not just determination, persistence, a dying hatred against this powerful enemy, or refusal to make compromises with it.
But BEAUTY.
As well as the belief in BEAUTY because it brews hope, comfort, and another day of possible strength to go on.
梅ちゃん at 2:07:00 AM