If you haven't seen the 2005 release of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" I highly recommend it. Now it's true that I am a sci-fi lover and I’m biased, but this movie is actually really fun. Sam Rockwell and Mos Def are awesome in it. Why do I think this movie is enlightened? For one, the character of Ford Prefect (Mos Def) really lives in the moment. He is an experienced galactic hitchhiker, having traveled all over the universe. He is curious, kind, and always up for an adventure. He doesn't really get upset, he deals with what is happening in the moment, often up to the point of his near demise. He really is a very enlightened character in my eyes. Ford Prefect carries a book around called "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" which is a manual to getting around the universe. Inscribed on the guide are the words "Don't Panic". At the beginning of the movie, just before the Earth is about to be destroyed, Ford Prefect grabs his friend Arthur Dent to have a couple pints of beer in the last 10 minutes of the Earth’s existence. He's telling people at the bar to drink up and enjoy because the Earth is about to be destroyed. (Actually this moment in the movie reminds me much of the Kane's article "How Sweet It Is", which is a piece about enjoying your life up until the last moment). No one believes him of course, until the aliens announce over a loudspeaker that the planet will be demolished because of the construction of the new intergalactic bypass that is being built. It's totally zany, see the movie and it will all make sense.
Another scene that I found hysterical was on the planet Vogon, where the group of travelers is attempting to rescue their friend from being put to death. Once they step onto the planet, these random spatulas come up from the ground and hit the travelers in the face. At first, they have no idea why and they keep getting whacked in the face. They soon learn that each time they think an idea or thought, the spatula comes up and smacks them in the face. Whack! Don't think! Whack! Whack! Whack! They just keep getting whacked, especially Artur Dent, as he thinks more than anyone else in the group. Artur is always lost in his thoughts and a step behind, often too timid to take action. Though his reserved nature does change throughout the movie, since he really doesn’t have a choice but to change on the wild galactic adventure he's been whisked away on. Hey, come to think of it, I've got a "transformational spatula" for you. Well not really a spatula it’s more like a gentle reminder. Each time you notice yourself drifting off into the oblivion of your thoughts just say to yourself "I'm back." And if you really do this, you might find yourself saying it quite often. It’s just a little nudge back into the moment to go along with the noticing of what’s happening. It’s really quite cool. I learned this from my friend Josh from a superb acting class he teaches, and it's an excellent tool to add to the skill set of being present.
One last thing…anything goes in the Hitchhiker universe. Really illustrating that point is the wonderful “Infinite Improbability Drive”. It's a one-of-a-kind drive on a spaceship where the most improbable of possibilities in the universe actually occur. Totally wacky stuff happens. I'll let you find out what that is by watching the movie, I've said too much already. I'd also like to think of the Infinite Improbability Drive renamed as the "Ultimate Possibility Drive". Where all of a sudden, things that your thought weren't possible are happening all around you.
So are you engaging in your life, paying attention to what's happening around you and going for it? Is your "Ultimate Possibility Drive" engaged, or are you listening to your thoughts and fueling your "Why I Can't or I Could Never Do That Engine"? The choice is yours!
As always, feel free to post comments on this entry or any others here on Bright-Eyed Life that you’ve enjoyed.
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