Soul and Humans 12/25/20

This year we did not have a normal Christmas. For most people around the world, it was not normal for any of their religious or secular celebrations. It was not a normal year from any perspective. Nevertheless, there were connections with loved ones and gifts to be appreciated. Among those for me were the animated movie Soul and the book Humans (of the World).

Soul

On Christmas Day 2020, Pixar released their animated movie Soul. It was a much-needed upbeat movie with a simple heart-warming message: appreciate the gift of life. Its characters alternate between the recognizable human figures on earth and the imaginative visualizations of human spirit, moving between this earth life we are living in and the spirit life. It brings back into our lives (in contrast to the news media frenzy) human values and basic human truths. With its colors, rhythm, and imaginative imagery and characterization, it succeeds in presenting concepts about our spiritual experiences in a comprehensible manner. These are concepts which would otherwise be challenging to express simply and clearly in the written word. It opens up for the viewer a broader perspective on who we are as humans and why we are here. And it brings hope to this 2020 vortex-weary world.

Humans (of the World)

During my Christmas Day zoom with my daughter and her partner, we were opening our presents to each other, enjoying each other’s company in spite of distance. I could tell my present was a book (I’m a confessed bookaholic), but I wondered why it was a hardcover and why so big and heavy. I was happily surprised to see Brandon Stanton’s new Humans (of the World), which I wasn’t aware had been published. It is filled with beautiful photographs of people from all over the world. It is filled with their words. It is filled with their intimate sharing, in some cases, of the challenges, pain, and joy in their lives. It is shared for all of us and reminds us that we are all human, we are all connected. These are our brothers and sisters, they are the full spectrum of human experience and human behavior, and they are each speaking the truth of their own experience, their own spirit.

While the media and politicians have muddied the waters and made a mockery of truth, the words spoken by these people have the ring of truth. We recognize their stories as coming from the common ground of being human and experiencing, struggling through, and even loving this earth journey.

Each time I sit down to look at it, I tell myself that I’ll just read a few pages. But I can’t stop. They touch my heart. Their faces and words expand my perception and awareness of humanity and human life.