F015 National Treasure
I just watched National Treasure. It was thrilling and ... affecting. It was like watching a Dan Brown story unfold before your very eyes - History, Intrigue and Suspense all displaying their magnificence. Like Robert Langdon, Nicholas Cage ("Ben") follows the clues one by one, until the treasure is found. It is amazing to watch how sophisticated machinery and highly-computerised technology can be overcome with just a speck of ingenuity. Stealing the National Declaration of Independence? Fool the FBI and their enemies? All of these are done seamlessly, flawlessly woven into a tale of colourful tapestry that is set against the rustic backdrop of history. You can't help but admire the brains Ben(Cage) has got, the sophisticated and timeless beauty & brains combination of Abigail(Diane Kruger), and the wit and humour of Riley(Justin Bartha). The baddie, Ian(Sean Bean), has always reminded me of Richard Branson and he doesn't do that bad in this film either. Another great film brought to you by the makers of Pirates of the Carribean.
Ben follows his childhood dreams of finding the treasure, but has some doubts on his own. What if the treasure doesn't really exist? What if all he believed in didn't exist at all? All that he has been pursuing for years, almost all his life. It's like your dreams. In Singapore, we're made to study hard and you know, walk up the well-trodden path and become a high-flyer in some office in the CBD. So what is the purpose of even becoming one of those lawyers in that wig and the big coat? That's all your life's work - all to become a lawyer. You spent a good 23(or that about) years to reach that top spot. It doesn't provide the reason for your existance. It doesn't explain why you are here, in this world, on earth. You just keep on doing your job for the rest of your life, until, you finally well, rest. What if all you've wanted, all you've pursued, has no value at all? Are you going to give up all that you've done for these ten-odd years? Are you going to go through it all and waste your life away like so many others before you?
If you're wondering, I spent a few hours in the library today, reading up on Biology, Philosophy, Capital Punishment, Christianity and the lives of Poets. I didn't want to leave, but I did with a sweet reluctance. In my mind I knew that I could not finish all that I wanted to, but in my heart, I had developed a yearning and passion for knowledge and information that I never wanted to leave this place, this source of literary wealth. It's the battle of logic and emotion. That inner struggle that never fails to force my head to throb, the war that never ceases. All my life, I've known what kind of career I wanted, what I wanted to do in my life. Now, when I've finally reached the crossroads, I feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness and the feeling that I'm being torn apart by four horses(sorry about that, I read about it as a form of execution today and the image doesn't seem to leave me as fast as I would have liked it to). It's a poignant pain that surfaces from inside, which is worse than an external pain because you weaken from within. It is the core of you, the very substance of your existance, and it's tearing apart before your very eyes. I'm not talking about the soul, but who you really are. Have you really looked into your soul, and found out who you really are? Who you want to be, what you want to be, and what you are going to do for the rest of your life?
I've always thought that science and arts complemented each other, that mu dan sui hao, hai xu lv ye fu chi(The peony may be pretty, but you still need the green leaves for it to be outstanding. Meaning that everything plays a part, essentially. I've also always thought that Sopranos were the peonies, and the Altos were the green leaves, but we'll leave that for another day.) BUT I am one and I can't do everything(yes I know the next line, but that is not the point). How many of us have looked at one person, or read a person's biographylife story and told ourselves "Look, I'm not going to be like this person. I'm going to be one of a kind." How many of us actually realised our dreams, or will realise them in the end? Why does everyone's childhood aspirations differ so greatly from what they are doing now? How many adults can look back at their lives and said, "I have no regrets. I know what I was supposed to do on Earth and I have accomplished it." It's a kind of realisation and reflection. I feel like I'm reviewing my entire 15 years before I stretch my legs and hear the "crack" of my joints before breathing my last. I feel like an old man, wanting peace and serenity in the last days of a busy, hectic life. Regrets are nothing but experiences to strengthen you, and obstacles are there for you to overcome. Like why we like sports. It's the innate, inborn nature of humans to be competitive, and we all get a kick out of the adrenaline rush. Sometimes we just want to sit back and watch life go by, and before we know it, we're too old to do anything. Life is so bittersweet.
Ben, in National Treasure, didn't give up. He endured and finally found his gold. The rest of us, will probably never give up either, in this endless pursuit of material goods and wealth, caught up in this paper chase and climbing up the corporate ladders. There is, admittedly, some kind of "treasure" in the end, but does it really matter when we all go to purgatory/judgment day? Is a man judged by the number of cars he owns, and the brand of the shirt of his back? I think yes, in this dog-eat-dog society of materialism and brand-names. So, since I was a mere babe, I've gotten my whole life mapped out in front of me. Safe, secure and foolproof. Tried and tested, 100% guaranteed. The paths in front of me are not shy of being well-trodden. It's not like one of those Disney shows like The Little Mermaid whereby I'm defiant and just want to be different. It's more like, finding myself, finding all of ourselves in this world. What I really want to do, who I really am and why I'm here. Don't we have a greater purpose here than eat, drink, sleep, work, die? And where have all the dreams gone to?
Ben follows his childhood dreams of finding the treasure, but has some doubts on his own. What if the treasure doesn't really exist? What if all he believed in didn't exist at all? All that he has been pursuing for years, almost all his life. It's like your dreams. In Singapore, we're made to study hard and you know, walk up the well-trodden path and become a high-flyer in some office in the CBD. So what is the purpose of even becoming one of those lawyers in that wig and the big coat? That's all your life's work - all to become a lawyer. You spent a good 23(or that about) years to reach that top spot. It doesn't provide the reason for your existance. It doesn't explain why you are here, in this world, on earth. You just keep on doing your job for the rest of your life, until, you finally well, rest. What if all you've wanted, all you've pursued, has no value at all? Are you going to give up all that you've done for these ten-odd years? Are you going to go through it all and waste your life away like so many others before you?
If you're wondering, I spent a few hours in the library today, reading up on Biology, Philosophy, Capital Punishment, Christianity and the lives of Poets. I didn't want to leave, but I did with a sweet reluctance. In my mind I knew that I could not finish all that I wanted to, but in my heart, I had developed a yearning and passion for knowledge and information that I never wanted to leave this place, this source of literary wealth. It's the battle of logic and emotion. That inner struggle that never fails to force my head to throb, the war that never ceases. All my life, I've known what kind of career I wanted, what I wanted to do in my life. Now, when I've finally reached the crossroads, I feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness and the feeling that I'm being torn apart by four horses(sorry about that, I read about it as a form of execution today and the image doesn't seem to leave me as fast as I would have liked it to). It's a poignant pain that surfaces from inside, which is worse than an external pain because you weaken from within. It is the core of you, the very substance of your existance, and it's tearing apart before your very eyes. I'm not talking about the soul, but who you really are. Have you really looked into your soul, and found out who you really are? Who you want to be, what you want to be, and what you are going to do for the rest of your life?
I've always thought that science and arts complemented each other, that mu dan sui hao, hai xu lv ye fu chi(The peony may be pretty, but you still need the green leaves for it to be outstanding. Meaning that everything plays a part, essentially. I've also always thought that Sopranos were the peonies, and the Altos were the green leaves, but we'll leave that for another day.) BUT I am one and I can't do everything(yes I know the next line, but that is not the point). How many of us have looked at one person, or read a person's biographylife story and told ourselves "Look, I'm not going to be like this person. I'm going to be one of a kind." How many of us actually realised our dreams, or will realise them in the end? Why does everyone's childhood aspirations differ so greatly from what they are doing now? How many adults can look back at their lives and said, "I have no regrets. I know what I was supposed to do on Earth and I have accomplished it." It's a kind of realisation and reflection. I feel like I'm reviewing my entire 15 years before I stretch my legs and hear the "crack" of my joints before breathing my last. I feel like an old man, wanting peace and serenity in the last days of a busy, hectic life. Regrets are nothing but experiences to strengthen you, and obstacles are there for you to overcome. Like why we like sports. It's the innate, inborn nature of humans to be competitive, and we all get a kick out of the adrenaline rush. Sometimes we just want to sit back and watch life go by, and before we know it, we're too old to do anything. Life is so bittersweet.
Ben, in National Treasure, didn't give up. He endured and finally found his gold. The rest of us, will probably never give up either, in this endless pursuit of material goods and wealth, caught up in this paper chase and climbing up the corporate ladders. There is, admittedly, some kind of "treasure" in the end, but does it really matter when we all go to purgatory/judgment day? Is a man judged by the number of cars he owns, and the brand of the shirt of his back? I think yes, in this dog-eat-dog society of materialism and brand-names. So, since I was a mere babe, I've gotten my whole life mapped out in front of me. Safe, secure and foolproof. Tried and tested, 100% guaranteed. The paths in front of me are not shy of being well-trodden. It's not like one of those Disney shows like The Little Mermaid whereby I'm defiant and just want to be different. It's more like, finding myself, finding all of ourselves in this world. What I really want to do, who I really am and why I'm here. Don't we have a greater purpose here than eat, drink, sleep, work, die? And where have all the dreams gone to?