Random Musings š, Part-6
Soul Letter #24
Helloš folks, Shubham here.
I am back with another edition of Random Musings.
Moviešæ Time
Miss Americana is a documentary on Taylor Swift.
Frankly, I have never listened to her songs and was kind of hesitant when a friend recommended this. However, I am glad I saw it.
I believe early fame is tricky to deal with. Justin Bieber or Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone kid) is the perfect example of it.
Against the odds, Taylor dealt with it quite well, at least on the outside. She loved to sing and grew graciously.
But showbiz is a completely different animal to tame.
The movie has several layers.
She confesses at times she felt there was a lack of genuine friends to share her achievements with. She didnāt have anyone to talk to, a void that was primarily filled by her mom.
Then there are incidents with Kanye West that nearly destroyed her life (twice). I wonāt go into the details because it might kill your curiosity.
Being impressionable and naive, her self-esteem was solely built upon her fans. So when they turned against her, boycotted her, abused her, it messed up with her identity.
She was sexually assaulted and even though she won the case against her offender, the entire experience was traumatic.
She also talks about the unattainable beauty standards which celebrities live by, especially females. The objectification of their bodies, misogyny, words like b*tch and sl*t being used in songs :(
Thereās also a mention of how a major part of her life is controlled by her agents. She was instructed not to make any comments which might wreck her image.
And then there is the omnipresent yet inconsiderate media who never waste an opportunity to exploit celebritiesā misfortunes and insecurities.
I became a big fan of her character and how courageously she dealt with her problems.
One of the best things about her music is that she hardly uses any curse words or indecent visuals in her music videos.
She is the first female artist to win the Grammy Award for the Album of the Year thrice. Along with that, she holds numerous other accolades.
The song I have been hooked to lately is Only The Young. The backstory of it is very interesting.
The run time is around 80 minutes. Do watch it :)
Itās available on Netflix.
Bookshelf š
I recently read In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearn.
Although I didnāt have huge expectations, it turned out to be a gem.
They say reading fiction enhances your empathy. This book is the perfect example of it.
As the name suggests an unforeseen tragedy occurs which alters the lives of everyone involved in it.
Thereās a line in the book which says, āI wonder about this, about whether our humanity is determined more by circumstance than conscience, and if any of us if backed into a corner can change.ā
We all think we know ourselves inside out. There are dreadful things which we canāt even dream of doing, especially when the lives of our friends and family are at stake.
However one learns a lot about themselves in extreme conditions when survival becomes a top priority. Friendship, kindness, rationality take a back seat with our true emotions taking control.
Throughout the book, the survivors struggle to cope with the losses that are too bitter to admit. Some feel guilty for their actions because they did awful things which are hard to forgive, while some donāt, and seamlessly acclimate to their old lives.
The part I loved the most is when they accuse others of being selfish and end up questioning their own hypocrisy. Each one of them could have acted differently, but they didnāt. Everyone wanted to live, as simple as that.
In the authorās note, Suzanne tells that the story is inspired by a real story when she was caught in a blizzard. Her dad went to get help while her uncle Bob stayed back to take care of his boys, Suzanne and her brother Jeff.
Bob kept comforting his boys, rubbing their bodies to keep them warm. He did nothing like this for Suzanne and Jeff. They all were rescued alive, but Jeff had first-degree frostbite. His gloves had to be cut from his fingers :(
Years later on a skiing trip, Suzanne realized how uncaring Uncle Bob had been. The Bob whom she loved and admired was unashamed after the incident. To him, it felt like an adventure where he was a sort of hero. His kids were all fine, but Jeffās fingers were mutilated. One needs to have a conscience to feel regret.
PS: If you are looking forward to reading it, avoid the synopsis. It might ruin few things.
Facebook Down š
Recently several Facebook-owned apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook went down due to some technical reasons.
The incident made me ponder over several insights.
For many of us, these three apps sum up our entire social space. This highlights the monopoly of Facebook.
Imagine if tomorrow they decide to block or delete your account for some lame hypothetical reason. How will you handle it?
The downtime gave a timely reminder of how fragile online presence is. It can be taken from us within an instant (Funny enough :) the book discussed today is named In an Instant).
People recognized their unhealthy addiction to these apps.
Readers, please use them within limits. Build an awesome life with minimal dependence on these apps. They shouldnāt be able to control your mood, happiness, or your lives.
Develop genuine relationships, healthy routines, hobbies that keep you occupied.
Social Media should be a part of your life but not your life.
Final Words
I started reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Let's hope it doesnāt ruin the legacy of its predecessors. (Proofreader's note: It doesn't seem to be going too wellš)
After weeks we have few new subscribers. To our new readers, a big THANK YOU! for signing up. It means a lot : )
ICC Men's T20 World Cup begins next week. Super excitedš about it.
Have a great weekend.
Until next time, Houdoe! šāāļø