“Inside Out’ – The Movie

We saw the movie Inside Out last night. It was full. Meant to be a kids’ movie, it nevertheless spoke to me of deep truths. Inside us are the many emotions and memories that shape up our personalities. The more significant ones make up our core memories which are clustered into islands of significance, like Family, Friendship, Loves, Events, etc.

Often, these emotions may break out into turbulent storms that may incite, ignite, inflame our lives. It could be euphoric joy or raging anger or paralyzing fear or seething disgust. And everything around is blown hither and yonder by the tempest. Like a storm at sea, these emotions may be like storm clouds that darken the horizon, and winds howling like mad, and waves rising up in anger, and the atmosphere cold with indifference and apathy.

And yet go beneath the surface and all the raging is gone. The waters are calm and tranquil. Go deeper, the winds and the tempest are but a whisper. Go deeper yet and all is peace and quiet. Go deeper still and there is but darkness and emptiness. In that darkness and emptiness, there shines a light and a voice that says, “Be quiet. Be still.” And the light shines on me to make me realize that joy unalloyed by sadness is to live but on the surface; that anger unalloyed by pleasure is to live in the shallows; that fear unalloyed by happiness is to allow oneself to live in the eye of the storm.

The Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said:
“Who shut within doors the sea,
when it burst forth from the womb;
when I made the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its swaddling bands?
When I set limits for it
and fastened the bar of its door,
and said: Thus far shall you come but no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stilled!”

In the depths, I decide to be joyful while owning my sadness. I choose  to enjoy the pleasures of life while accepting my anger.I am determined to be happy while facing up to my fears.

Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
~ Psalm 107

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?”
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
Mark 4:35-41