I appreciate the movie Groundhog Day, because it puts a possible wonder or wish of ours into play so that one can see the consequences of what would happen if such an event were to occur. I personally, have had past memories that have crept into my mind torturing me, until I deeply wish I had the opportunity to somehow correct that mistake or moment that panned out. I visualize how I could have prevented or altered the situation and make up a whole different outcome. “If only I could change this...” is the phrase that runs through my mind. But it does not last long because I don’t want to spend so much time wishing to change what I can no longer possibly change. This movie shows you the countless possibilities one would be faced with given the opportunity to relive a day over and over again. I think that for everyone there could exist a day or a fond memory that has one wanting to “relive it again”. But I believe that even if we were granted our favorite day to live a thousand times over, we would still encounter similar feelings to Phil. We could tire of it, become bitter of the same old-same old, and yearn for that escape route. It displays the dangers of being able to know every moment of your day and having the knowledge of what is to come. “If only I could have been better prepared for the day I just had.” The uncertainty with which we are faced with, is both a blessing and a curse. We cannot brace for impact nor feel a full comfort or security with the day ahead, yet we are gifted with the possibility of receiving the best news and overwhelmingly joyful surprises. We cannot have a purposely predetermined set life filled with dullness or repetition unless we got ourselves into that situation. Groundhog day was an opportunity for me to be able to witness ramifications of such a wish and how in my case, it isn’t necessary nor something I would enjoy. Because in the end, we have the privilege of being able to live out a variation of days in a number of ways in 365 days a year.
To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school…it is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically. – Henry David Thoreau
Dina, as usual I am intrigued with your reflection on the movie. I am in complete agreement with you in that reliving a day time and time again will cause you to turn bitter and overall unhappy. I too am thankful for the 365 days of the year rather than a single day that lasts an eternity.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. The bitterness of repeating the same day again and again. However, I think we can somehow find something interesting and make our day different and we just need to accept the situation and try to find the meaning of each day. Just like you, I am thankful that we have the privilege to have 365 days and everyday is different.
ReplyDeleteRegretting is a norm for everyone. However,as you point out, what makes a happy day the favorite day is that we only get to live it once.It is the uniqueness that makes it memorable. If we get to live it again and again, it becomes our daily routine; and we seldom take pleasure from daily routines.
ReplyDeleteI really like you point of various uncertainties in our lives and we always dream of live again. I always have the same feeling too. But I later realize that no matter how I want to relive that moment, I may make the same decision over and over again. Now, I appreciate to all moments in my life because they are part of my life. I learn, I smile, I cry, I understand.
ReplyDeleteI love this take on the movie. If we were given the same good day over and over it would become boring and we would wish for more or not appreciate the good because we wouldn't know what it was like to not have that, the happiness. In this sense, is heaven in the traditional sense even possible?
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