Saturday, August 27, 2011

The Postman (In All His Glory)




1.

Monday came with the usual; lots of work waiting from the weekend. We have two days to rest but, usually, we end up helping someone. Or something else happens. As I came home from work on Monday, a friend sent me a link to watch a movie called “The Postman".

2.

The ordinary mailman becomes a hero in this movie. Imagine surviving a terrible cataclysm or epidemic in isolation. Food and nearby survivors may help keep you alive, but what is the consensus of the people? Since everything they knew is gone. including electricity and communications, they might realize what and who they take for granted. We are used to seeing the the mailman everyday, yet we might not realize the important social role that he plays.

3.

The plot is simple and it doesn’t occur to you until you experience for yourself the importance of basic necessities. That said, you might respond similarily to a simple instance of losing your internet connection as a tropical storm is brewing on the Eastern Seaboard.

You don't wish to be the man in the film, who wanders around what once was the United States of America,now mostly a wasteland after three years winter. Other nations have experienced similar effects of drastic global climate change.

4.

With none at his side but a mule--a funny mule, by the way--the wanderer finds a village and decides to  stay for a few hours, playing some part of Shakespeare for the entertainment of the people. A group of armed rebels suddenly enters the village and starts gathering the people, obliging them to join their cause (with restrictions of race and age). He tries to run away but is captured. With nothing to loose, he just accepts his destiny, waiting for the moment to escape. It happens. After surviving a free fall from a bridge he manages to get into a post office car, removing the dead postman's bag and clothes, wearing them to protect himself from the could night. 

5.

The bag will give our new postman a new livelihood, and his carrying it will take him where he never expects to go, converting him into a symbol of hope and freedom. This man with nothing to lose has nothing to fight

People need to communicate to one another. Whether through images, text, hieroglyphics or music, this transmission is fundamental to the development of any society.

 

1 comment:

  1. I like the way you think, Tito. keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete