Over the weekend, my parents, sister and I watched a movie called "3 Idiots" (Netflix). It was almost 3 hours long, so we planned to watch it over a few parts. However, it was so good, we could not stop. Ended up watching till about 2am...!
Note: Those who don't have NetFlix, can search YouTube. I found this link (see above) which is full movie with both English and Chinese sub-titles. It technically infringes copyright, but still remains despite being uploaded since Nov 2016 and has more than a million views... IDK?
I felt that the movie was entertaining and funny. Yet, it also had many touching scenes and taught me many life lessons. Example, it illustrated how stressful it is for top-tier university students and how blindly studying for grades was not meaningful. Instead youngsters should follow their passion and dreams.
"Pursue excellence, and success will follow, pants down..." - Rancho (2009).
The most meaningful part for me was that family is the most important. When we are facing a lot of stress / pressure, always remember that family is by your side.
The next day, we continued to talk about the show over breakfast. So, Mum suggested we all write how we feel about the movie. I immediately offered to blog about it and put their comments into the post. Below are some of the reflections each of them gave me.
From Shin Rei... "I learnt that if you do something that earns a lot of money, but you don't like (doing it), you won't be happy everyday. But if you do something that you are really passionate about, although you will earn a little less, you will be happy everyday. Also, I learned that if you don't do well in your studies, it does not mean that your life is a failure".
From Mum... "The movie 3 idiots reflects upon the issues linked to a highly competitive education environment in Singapore. Even from 2009, much of it still remains relevant today.
Following one's passion is easier said than done... especially our highly competitive education environment... To be able to stay sane in such an environment is an achievement already. It requires striking a balance between expectation and success".
From Dad... "Experienced so many different feelings while watching this movie. Recalled my University days a student, bromance with close buddies, perspectives as a child (when farhan told his dad that he wanted to pursue his passion for photography), then also as a parent (suicide scene).
The most powerful moment for me was when Rancho helped explain why Raju wasn't able to perform because he was held back by too much fear (see pic below). He teaches us that in the darkest of time, we need to always have hope in our hearts... put our hands to our heart and remind ourselves that 'Aal izz well'...".
Conclusion
It struck me that while we all watched the same movie at the same time, each of us took away a different lesson. IRL, how often do we our own assumptions on things - without first seeking to understand the other person's perspective?
Food for thought.
PS+ all teachers, parents & their children should watch this movie. It's really that good.
Howie Chia
25 Aug 2019
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