Monday 20 January 2014

Playing it safe

Posted by speedygeoff on Monday, January 20, 2014 with
Song of the week is "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire. One of my favourite groups, Arcade Fire can be heard performing this in the brilliant movie "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".



Surprisingly the track is not on the CD of the soundtrack. The song can be heard in the movie as Walter chooses to change his life from the safe, predictable to the risky, adventurous. It was like this: when I decided to buy a new car two months ago I chose the blue car; and Jenny preferred the red car. I had forgotten that red stood for a life of reality and excitement, while blue meant a life of humdrum certainty! I had forgotten this until the point of choice in Walter Mitty. If I had seen the movie before ordering the car I would have got a red one! The movies "Total Recall", then "The Matrix", and now "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", suggest that this is a decision we must make at some time in our lives; red or blue? Do we risk our safety and security by daring to change direction, or are we satisfied with our present state of comfort and mediocrity? When we come to suspect that there is a deeper reality, something better than our current reality, can we act on that? Many find it hard to act and take the necessary step of faith into the unknown and untested.
Of course, the colours red and blue are just arbitrary symbols of risk and safety respectively. Regardless, see the movie and take the red car!

From http://youtu.be/OCOfoDnCV_Y
A live version.