Saturday, March 20, 2010

What I think about "The Blind Side" movie

“What’s the buzz?” I thought. I flipped the box and read “based on the extraordinary true story.” I was skeptical. I always believe that Hollywood’s true story has different definition than the rest-of-the-world’s true story.
So, with a sniff of cynicism, I watched the movie alone in one clear afternoon. No other people, no distraction. Uninterrupted.

I ended up watching the movie 3 times.

This movie talked about many things. Love, hard work and commitment. Also chance, trust, and open mindedness.
Not everyone could do what Leigh Ann did. Not everyone could do what Michael Oher did.

What would you do when a chance presents itself in front of you? Would you grab it? Or would you ignore it?
Grabbing it is like accepting a box of present. The Blind Side told a story about what happened next after you intercepted a chance. After you accepted the gift. Chance needs a lot of work, commitment, and sacrifices. Anyone who thinks that a chance itself will work its magic without any hard work, is fooling himself/herself. Taking the chance without the will to work on it is like accepting the gift and storing your unwrapped present in the storage.
It’s a give and take situation. The family gave the boy a chance. The boy took that chance, and then together they worked on it to bring it to the next level. They walked through obstacles, they chased miracles, and they came out understanding each other better.



The thing that strikes me the most about this extraordinary true story is NOT about love conquers all (we all know it’s true). NOT about you got to work hard to be successful (true and true). NOT about you have to be helpful to others who are less fortunate (it’s so cliche, yet most of the times it’s easily forgotten).
It’s about open mindedness. Be an open minded person. With that, we open our heart. When we open our heart and our mind, we become less judgmental. We are more tolerant towards differences (race, skin color, religion, or social-economic status). We are (more) willing to listen to the other side of the story. Other people’s stories.
The salad ladies and some of the teachers in this movie’s characters were judgmental. They were missing out a lot.

I admire what the family in the story has accomplished. I know that I couldn't do what they do yet.. but I will try my best to be an open-minded person. It’s not easy, believe me. I couldn't even keep my mind open before watching this movie, remember?

An open mind is more than enough to start the day.

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