Soul

Zhang Sanjian 2022-02-04 12:00

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I remember the first time I watched this film, I was in Chongqing. Amidst my busy work schedule, I brought along a friend to watch this movie. At first, he was baffled by my choice of an animated film, thinking that after a tiring day of work, he would surely fall asleep in the cinema…

But when we walked out of the theater, he said that for the 101 minutes of the film, he was completely focused, and his soul was profoundly moved!

Perhaps many people think that animated films are meant for children, but I disagree. Often, in animated films, we can see different spiritual worlds, such as Chinese films like “Ne Zha” and “Big Fish & Begonia,” foreign films like “Big Hero 6” and “Up,” and in my opinion, films that can rival “Soul” like “Coco.”

“Coco” teaches us that true death for humans is not the cessation of the physical body but being forgotten by people. Just like many great individuals, even though they are no longer in this world, their spiritual ideas are forever remembered and learned by future generations.

We’ll get back to “Soul.” I don’t know if any of you have the same feeling as me, but some foreign novels are difficult for me to “digest” because I often can’t remember the names of the main characters. The complexity of character names leads to a kind of confusion in my understanding of the story, ultimately causing me to abandon the book. So, I decided to give this protagonist a simple code name, let’s call him “Glasses Guy.”

Glasses Guy is a music teacher at a school. Influenced by his father, he fell in love with playing the piano and jazz music.

On the day the film begins, it can be said that it was the happiest day of Glasses Guy’s life. He became a full-time teacher at the school, received an invitation from his graduating students, and got the opportunity to perform in a quartet with his idol, a great saxophonist.

As fate would have it, on the happiest day of his life, tragedy struck, and he passed away!

At this point, the film takes us to another world. This world consists of three parts: one is called the Great Before, which is the place where souls embark on their journey before being born. Another is called the Great Beyond, which is where souls are created. The mentor in the film uses a more modern term, which is “The You Seminar.” Lastly, there’s a space between life and death, known as the “Zone.”

At the You Seminar, Glasses Guy’s soul encounters 22, who has been unable to find her spark for thousands of years and thus cannot obtain an Earth pass to be reborn.

In this world, a soul must develop its own personality and interests, and most importantly, find its spark in order to receive an Earth pass and be reborn. 22, who has been mentored by some of history’s greatest figures such as Gandhi, Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Copernicus, and the last Queen of France, Marie, finds herself under the unlikely guidance of Glasses Guy.

…

When 22 discovers that Glasses Guy is just an ordinary, lonely, and seemingly unremarkable individual, she becomes intensely curious about him. She can understand why successful people have a special connection to Earth, being respected by others and remembered by history. However, 22 can’t fathom why someone like Glasses Guy, who seems to have a dull and lonely life, would still be so determined to return to Earth. So, with the help of the Moonwind, 22 enters Glasses Guy’s body, and Glasses Guy is transformed into a cat.

I have to mention, foreigners really love pizza as a food. It’s probably similar to how we Chinese love hotpot. What I don’t understand is ‘durian pizza.

22

Help Others

At the You Seminar, 22 cannot feel hungry and therefore cannot enjoy the pleasures of delicious food. She doesn’t experience pain, and as a result, she cannot appreciate the happiness that comes after overcoming hardships. Being a soul, she cannot sense the length and depth of life, and thus, she cannot grasp the meaning of life or empathize with the emotional solace firefighters experience after saving lives.

After coming to Earth, 22 helps a child who is learning to play the trombone regain confidence. Even though she initially says she doesn’t want to learn, once she plays the trombone again, she becomes completely immersed in it. This shows that true passion for music comes from following one’s inner desires, doesn’t it?

Life’s Choices

During the conversation with the barber, 22 learned that the barber’s initial aspiration was to become a veterinarian. However, due to the lower cost of barber training compared to veterinary training, the barber chose to pursue a career as a barber when his daughter fell ill.

In youth, we often have many wishes and aspirations for the future, but fate’s arrangements can catch us by surprise. This is similar to the concept of “going alone with fate” that I mentioned in my previous article. It’s the uncertainty of the future that enriches life. Life’s sweetness and bitterness all need to be tasted. Finding happiness in these ups and downs of life is what makes a wise person.

Every job has its own charm, and the barber has found the “chair magic.” Just by sitting in this magical chair, people tend to share their interests and hobbies in a short haircut time. It’s as if this chair is the switch that opens the conversation box, and people unconsciously open up. During this time, helping others find the right hairstyle, even without a scalpel, can still “save” many people in its own way.

These past two days, I saw a message from a fan and it included a quote from a book. It was something like “Life has windows of xx, windows of xx, windows of xx…, etc.” (I’m sorry, I forgot the exact wording ?).  Sanjian hopes that you can find “windows of the soul” here. This way, Sanjian’s sense of happiness will keep rising. Sanjian never imagined that I would become a blog author. The more I think about it, the more unbelievable it seems. Isn’t this a gift from destiny?

Family bonds

22 also saw how Glasses Guy resolved misunderstandings with his mother through communication. Having the support of parents is such a blessing. Every parent hopes that their children will have a stable life and job when they grow up, rather than wandering aimlessly without a fixed abode.

We see in the film the motherly love depicted by ‘慈母手中线，游子身上衣 (A mother’s hand sews the clothes onto her traveling son).’ Family love is the most inseparable in the world, it runs thicker than blood, and it’s engraved in our very DNA. Even if there’s a generation gap between oneself and parents, as vast as the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, communication and understanding are the best ways to build bridges in that great canyon.

22 saw a maple leaf falling from the sky, and perhaps in that moment, she found her own spark, her purpose in life.

She collected pizza crusts, half a bagel, a lollipop, and a spool of thread that the mother had used. These small details reflected 22’s attachment and love for the world. All of this was the trace left by 22 in her journey.

22 handed her Earth pass to Glasses Guy, and Glasses Guy finally got the opportunity to perform as he had wished. He took the stage and delivered a perfect performance.

He succeeded, finally succeeded. He thought this day would be extraordinary, unlike any other…

At this moment, the saxophonist shared a story with him, the story of two fish:

Little Fish: I really want to find something called the “ocean.”

Old Fish: The ocean? You are in the ocean right now.

Little Fish: This? This is just water. What I want to find is the ocean.

He remembered 22 and questioned whether achieving his so-called success by any means necessary was the right path. Could he truly find peace by building his happiness on the suffering of others? 22 had given him the opportunity for rebirth, but what was 22’s spark? Why hadn’t he ever paid attention to it before?

Was it the collection of pizza crusts, half a bagel, a lollipop, and a used spool of thread?

After experiencing success, the Glasses Guy realized he shouldn’t be so selfish. 22 had finally found her spark, and she deserved the chance to experience all the wonders of the world on Earth, but she had been cruelly denied that opportunity.

Glasses Guy returned to the You Seminar through the lost souls, saved 22, and returned the Earth pass to her. But 22 was afraid to go to Earth, and Glasses Guy reached out and held her hands.

“I will go with you.”

“You know you can’t do it.”

“I know, but I will do my best.”

While saving others, have you also held onto your own potentially lost soul?

If you were given a chance to be reborn, what would you do?

I’m gonna live every minute of it.

Suddenly reminded of a quote from “Ranking of Kings,” “If a creature never ages, never dies, and never gets sick, then the first thing it loses is its heart. We all have to die someday, which makes us understand sorrow, and in turn, gives birth to humanity, doesn’t it? But those who obtain eternal life no longer need these things; they are no longer human.”

The movie has ended, and perhaps now you can understand why superheroes like Thor, Superman, Optimus Prime, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Nebula, Venom, and others have such a deep love for Earth, right?

Haha, because Earth has pizza, right? ?

Sitting in front of the computer, I suddenly entered a ‘self-forgetful state,’ and when I came to my senses, I found my body shivering from the cold.～～@#¥%……&*。

If one day Sanjian is no more, please don’t forget me. Remember all the beautiful, happy, joyful, and blissful memories. What about the sad ones?

Well, let’s treat the sad things like a “fart,” they’ll go away with a “poof”… I’m here to play guitar for you all again, “Having dreams is not difficult, follow me to venture. Being alone is not difficult, with music as your companion.”