How Pixar’s ‘Soul’ Sparks A Newfound Zest For Life
“It’s about that one big life-changing thing” is what they often say. They could not have been more wrong, and those of us who realise it soon enough are truly the lucky ones.
We’re running, galloping, chasing after something ‘big’, that golden ticket that will finally make everything worth it. We spend years, often decades. And when, IF we do achieve it, does it all finally make sense? Do we stop there? Do we set another goal that we spend another decade striving to achieve? Who knows. The tragic truth is, we’re living for the future.
In comes Pixar’s ‘Soul’ — a heartfelt animated film that released in 2020, almost as an antidote to the horror that the year was. The protagonist is a music teacher who dreams of becoming a famous jazz musician and lives each day manifesting that very dream. I won’t go into the details of the plot, but in a nutshell, he learns how to truly revel in moments that might otherwise seem insignificant — biting into his favourite pizza, watching the leaves rustle in the wind, looking at his mum as if for the first time...you get the gist.
“Why do we stay in prison, when the door is so wide open?” said Rumi, the Persian poet. Why do we live for the future, when the present is so precious. It’s not the golden ticket that will bring happiness, there IS no ultimate happiness; it’s ongoing, always around the block, it’s the moments of today that we have the power to turn to gold.
Frankly, I haven’t entirely gotten there yet. It takes time to adopt that perspective, considering, growing up we’ve been wired to strive to achieve great things which will “bring success/happiness”. Don’t get me wrong, we must strive for greatness by all means, but I’ve learnt to not forget about the ‘goodness’ along the way.
The Purpose of “Purpose”
“Find your purpose”; but who can have one true purpose? They say happiness comes with finding purpose — but if the true purpose of “finding purpose” is to attain happiness, why wait to find it? Why not create purpose along the way and feel happiness ever so often? Why not walk out the door and enjoy life, without feeling the pressure to accomplish something? You get my purpose of saying this?
Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary
The people we see everyday, the routes we take, the work we do, the playlist we listen to, the food we eat; ordinary, right? I’m constantly looking out for that new thing, that “extraordinary” experience.
As we become more educated and mature, we stop feeling marvelled by moments and people.
But to wonder is to feel alive. And to have a childlike curiosity is to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.
We Are Not Our Insecurities and Anxieties
One of the most important issues the film also addresses is the power of human anxiety, how the emotion can completely engulf you and change you, and turn you into a “lost soul”. A lot of this has to do with the constant thought that we’re not good enough and that we might never find our “purpose” or feel accomplished. In reality, we’re all “lost” at some point in our lives but what matters is finding ourselves back — cue in the “wonder and curiosity” and the “finding happiness in everyday things”.
What Do We Know, What Have We Learnt?
Well, for one, you definitely have to watch this film if you haven’t yet (even if you’re not big on animated films). Two, we may or may not find our “purpose”, either way, we find extraordinary moments from time to time. And three, we don’t let our anxieties define us, we find our way back to ourselves.
You have escaped the cage, your wings are stretched out.
Now, fly.
~ Rumi
