inner peace

The power of documentaries

A soothing, genuine narrator tells a story behind the scene as the 'real world' story unravels before you--there are no better alternatives than actually being there. Documentaries provide the opportunity for us, as audience to take one tiny step forward and try to reach out to the characters of the story that is being told. To me, a late night documentary about some ordinary people in Taiwan doing extraordinary things warms the heart and soul for a moment. Even if the moment of inspiration does not last, the warmth that reaches the heart is real. Such a feeling cannot be replaced by fictiously constructed Hollywood film or the flashy, low budget 'idol series' otherwise known as nouveau Taiwanese soap opera.

When those readily around are incapable, not unwillingly, but simply incapable of providing such an opportunity to fill their own void or mine for that matter, it is these documentaries that lights up a little bit of hope. A timely reminder that in a way, I am a lot more fortunate materialistically than those that are subjects of these documentaries. But, in a way, they are far wealthier than I am in the aspect of heart and soul, and more profoundly, a sense of being truly alive. After watching these documentaries, there's always this urge to reach out like tem and give...give my heart freely to those out there hoping that in return, an eternal warmth can finally fill my void. Then again, that's a fantasy because the void is meant to be there, don't we all have it? Don't we all?

posted by Y @ 12/27/2003 02:18:00 AM