**Spoilers Of Dune: Ahead – Maybe !**
I was watching the movie “Dune” yesterday, and it made me wonder about God, religion, and the lives lost on our small planet—Earth. What a brilliant movie!
The movie depicted lives lived in a world of chaos and war. While the plot had underlying symbolism related to religion, gender politics, and classism, what struck me most were the decisions made by the central characters.
The idea that faith and the ability to control others are significant assets to power, and that the lives lost—whether soldiers, law-abiding citizens, or simple faction leaders—didn’t contribute much to the storyline, resonated with me.
They were pawns of an emperor fighting for power, and the majority of the believers sought out a “new leader” to end their ultimate suffering, who ended up also using them.
The movie made me wonder how the most powerful leaders are mere humans and even a good soldier could only go so far—and often unnoticed. I also contemplated whether I could call the lead characters heroes or if they were all antagonists. Such an internal dilemma!
Can anyone simply follow mere faith just because someone tells them to? – This was another thought I had.
And if the lead characters ever slept at night or had regrets post a setback or a decision they contributed to. Or if the women of the story had a peaceful evening after the war or if they were still plotting. So many questions!
For me, even when I was a child, there was always this tug of war where regrets and questions somehow blended with my peace of mind.
Questions like, what would happen once I grew up and what would happen if I died. Like any other child, my world revolved around me.
Regrets like, a good chocolate that was gone, followed with guilt that I didn’t savor it slowly enough, or that I should have saved it for another time—so many regrets.
Now, in the grand scheme of things (in my 30s), trying to make sense of anything without feeling regret and sadness is hard—and even movie characters keep me up at night for all the wrong reasons.
Then, you meet some people who are ardent devotees of God, who believe in life after death (and they have so many answers and theories !). My mother, for example, visits a temple she is fond of because she believes she must pray and that her life is a way of atoning for sins she must endure. Being born a Hindu, it is easy to believe that if I mess up in this life, I have six more to go. Or that endurance is one way the creator tests our faith. There are so many theories for so many scenarios. But does it really matter?
Believer or not , every possible future of an individual would lead to one or many bad decisions, most of which could be dealt with repercussions, and maybe some with joy at someone else’s expense. And a conscious person would end up regretting their choices.
In this liberal age, where the world has created so many playgrounds to play in, we come across “living gods” , heroes and leaders who win with their creations or ideas or politics —it’s also hard to compete or follow. Leaders are leaders for a reason – they take risks! But would they have remorse ?
If a less privileged soul and the greatest mind met like literal stars in the sky after their time on Earth ended, would they have the same sorrows?
Maybe not. Struggles are not the same for everyone. Those who are less privileged can’t take a day off even if they are depressed and would stay sad without money. And strong innovators, business men or a politician can’t just work like any other regular person and enjoy family time because they know their true purpose – and would be sad once they hit the old age.
They both have struggled in their own ways- and sadness and guilt could accompany them even as they continue existing as stars in the sky.
But what about the regular Joe—the 9-to-5 guy – who have a stable job and a family ? For him, yesterday, today, and tomorrow would have been the same. Maybe he would regret not traveling enough or not prioritizing retirement or health enough!
Or maybe he would complete his gratitude journal , now that he has so much peace and calm as a star.
I should stop thinking about films after I watch them.