Thursday, October 8, 2009

Into Thin Air/ Butterflies Are Free

It's been a long time, but right now I have been affected by the two titles.
"Into Thin Air" is a biographical account of Jon Krakauer's expedition to climb Mt. Everest for "Inside" magazine. The story is riveting. The expedition is a disaster with nineteen people dead at the end. It is such a comment on Man's hubris. (the money involved, the flirting with death, the extreme test of human endurance.)
But it gives an insight into human progress. Football, as played in the USA, is
another symbol of testing and pushing the limits. (To me, a most violent sport, but it is a team effort, and so is mountain climbing, especially to the top of Everest.)I can see why my nephews want their sons to get involved in the sport, something I could never understand when I was younger. It has always been painful for me to watch a football game, even though I have had only daughters and no direct encounter with the game. But I must admit I always enjoyed the excitement and the victories.
Now, "Butterflies Are Free" is another wholly different aspect of courage and daring to live. A young man who has been blind from birth is trying to live independently. His mother has been running guard for him all his life. It's his struggle to be his own man and to be free. Goldie Hawn is in the movie, the girl next door, who helps him live and discovers herself at the same time. His mother's struggle to let him go that is most touching. You know, there is still much to learn at age 88.

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