2012 review

Last night I watched 2012, with a mixture of emotions. Today I feel unsure about a whole lot of things, mainly my own life.

Films like this tend to get you reflecting on where you are at yourself. Does your life have meaning? Are you on the treadmill? Are you joyful, satisfied, full of love or searching for something elusive?

One thing’s for sure, the idea that when the end is nigh we realise the most important things to us (and no it’s not the car, the house, or that diamond ring), came across very clearly in 2012.

Everyone calls their long lost loved ones, makes amends, says ‘I love you’, holds one another, asks for forgiveness and ensures their loved ones are safe.

That’s it. That’s what struck me most powerfully about this film. Yes, it’s far fetched, the stunt scenes are a little OTT, but for me, watching a film is all about evoking emotions.

Not one person grabbed their handbag, their blackberry, their laptop, their iPOD or their designer shoes; they grabbed and held onto one another.

Films like this, where the earth is on danger of being destroyed due to our thoughtless lifestyle, usually leave me wanting to shake people awake, change things, shout loudly and inspire people to take action to be part of the solution, rather than the problem.[amazon-product align=”right” small=”1″]B002T1HIDK[/amazon-product]

This film, however, left me with a different feeling. It bought me to a place I have been to before but not yet taken action on. It left me wanting more meaning, to squeeze every last drop of happiness out of each moment, to hold my daughter and my husband extra tight instead of getting around to it ‘in a minute’.

It left me wanting to shut the lid on my laptop more often, give away a lot of my stuff, get out in the garden, sing with the birds and paddle in the stream more.

It left me wanting to laugh, be emotionally present for my child more, tell my husband I love him more, give the rabbit a stroke more often and spend more time watching the sunset.

In short, it made me want to take a good, long hard look at my values to ensure that, if I ever found myself in the same position as some of these people did, there would be NO NEED to call long lost loved ones, make amends, say ‘I love you’, hold someone or ask for forgiveness because those would be a part of my every waking moment.

What about you? Have you ever read a book, watched a film or had an experience that has made you look at your life in a new way?