I watched the first part of Dune for the second time and I’ve realized how profound the quotes are in this movie. Though the movie and the story seem a typical journey of a hero but the cinematography and storyline made it a good movie to watch and more than that are some conversations that I found deep and valuable to learn and remember.
Lately and specially since I became involve more with Jung Psychology and the use archetypes in human psychology analysis, I started to analyze the movies (specially those that have a hero in any form in it) with that perception. Thanks to the books of Carol S. Pearson; “Awakening the Hero Within” I found the best Archetype categories that works best for me, for now. Therefore, lately adding all these types of books including the book “He: Understanding Masculine Psychology” by Robert A. Johnson, made me realize how a person’s life journey can be just as similar as journey of all these heroes we see in the movies.
Going back to the movie and its spectacular world which need a very creative mind to create, some of the quotes took my attentions that I have learned their concepts through different books and quotes previously. Sentences that I can write a blog for each.
Among all there were three that shook my head;
- How fear influences us
- The power of awakening, and
- Life
In the movie there are two incidences where we see Lady Jessica Atreides (played by Rebecca Ferguson); keeps telling herself while facing pain and fear the following mantra;
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
This reminded me of a saying I’ve heard first from Robert Kiyosaki, Author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” that FEAR is acronym for False Evidence Appear Real. But the phrase above made is so vivid that how fear like a ghost can weaken us. And if we just let fear pass through us with the knowledge that we can learn something blissful from it. It is surprising to know how fear can make us not to go for our dreams. Fear acts as one of the biggest obstacles in life that immobilizes us while moving towards the dream and goals we have in life. Fear, specially fear of unknown and fear of failure can stop us not to appreciate the things we could have and experience in life.
But imagine we just accept the fear as part of us, ourselves and our life that actually makes us aware and gives us the yellow light (like in the roads crossings) warning about something. Imagine being able to accept fear and befriended with it and let it teaches us what we needed to learn, while moving forward in life. This itself is an awakening insight. This helps us realize a lot of things, including ourselves. Just by letting it be makes us unstoppable.
Being able to manage our fear needs a level of awakening as said above, buy why awakening? Aren’t we awake in a daily basis and yet fear and many other emotions succumbs us in irrational thinking and actions. Awakening if happens in a person (though has many levels in it) makes one aware. And that is the awareness that can make one better and more successful in achieving and even living.
But awakening never is achieved in daydreaming and thoughts. Albert Einstein once said, “insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting different result.” Therefore, it is crucial for us to accept that, if we are not happy with a part of our life (for example we give in immediately upon fear) then we need to take actions. Or as mentioned in this movie by Dunkan Idaho (played by Jason Mamoa):
Dreams make good stories, but everything important happens when we’re awake.
It is when we accept the necessity of change that we become more aware and this alone changes our perspective and perception of life. It is when we face reality of life that we can do something good about it, in real.
We have to keep in mind without accepting this we never can change anything in our lives. Therefore, for us to learn and grow we need to realize and accept that reality of life is more challenging and unpredictable. It is us taking actions (even small) that make us progress in life and be successful. But does it mean we have to make our way to success through hardship and battles in life? This brings us to the 3rd lesson I was reminded by this movie.
The 3rd thing I was reminded by watching this movie, especially while dealing with challenges and problems, was my approach in life. I used to be called (and still some complement me by calling me with the same adjective) “Mahdi, the Problem Solver”. And still, I use my creative mind to overcome challenges in life but trying to fight life and its upcoming problems in life is truly tiresome. Andrew Matthews in his illustrated book of “Follow Your Heart” says “When you fight life, life always wins!”
In recent years I learned there are times where fighting life is just self-sabotaging and it is better to leave some stuffs to life and just wait for it to fruit the results in our favor at the right time. I’ve learned life has much more to offer than just to fight and try to solve each challenge it brings up right Infront of us. Jamis (played by Babs Olusanmokun) said it well in the movie:
“The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience. A process that cannot be understood by stopping it. We must move with the flow of the process. We must join it. We must flow with it.”
There are times I feel stuck in life and no matter how hard I’ve tried and beaten myself up to get the desire results, I saw nothing happening. In recent years I accept life as a journey and trip filled with much experiences. And to learn from some, we don’t need to solve it, but just observe it and let it tell us what we need to learn without fighting back.
I think if we be able to combine these learnings together; that to see life as an experience in which to flow in it, instead of fighting it, and accepting that fear is part of life and us, that tries to help us in our life journey and knowing that nothing good happens in dreaming alone, therefore we should take actions, is enough to bring us further forward in our life.