Honest days

(Master Hayao Miyazaki)

“The job of animators and artists is to soothe the spirits of those who are disheartened and exhausted of dealing with a sharp edge of reality” (Miyazaki, Hayao)

To animate means to breathe into, to bring to life says, Master Hayao Miyazaki.

Presently, the universal mood of Earth is contrasted. On one hand, you have shared suffering, morose vibes and a gradually increasing pandemic that threatens to eliminate human species. On the other, you have flourishing plants, animals and an abundance of green foliage. It seems to me like a perfect Miyazaki plot where the Earth has announced it’s separation from mankind and has abandoned the species to counter and tackle the problems at hand on its own.

This is where movies like My Neighbor Totoro, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo amidst other beautiful Ghibli creations come into effect. They offer a healing aura that elevates and nourishes the distraught and conflicted mind. Passage of time offers storytelling as a recourse where imagination can be used to provide a delicious story. Thus, hugely inspired by Master Miyazaki’s spirit and his ineffable spirit to bring forth the magical into real I conjured up my imagination maybe whispered and managed to craft a small narrative compiled from the dreams that I’ve been having!

“An old fish with aging silver scale tries to swim upstream against a massive tide that flows and blows white water at a rapid speed. A fresh shrub with ripe green leaves and caterpillars look at the fish with modest oeuvre. The imagery is daunting combined with a pink sun sinking beside a soft spider web that dangles near a dry branch. The fish is trying hard with whatever energy it has left inside its somber flesh and the soft melody hums by little bluebirds seem to offer some comfort in spiritual terms at least. This is further expanded by an aerial view of the forest where these beautiful creatures reside and live, covered by beautiful indigo skies and mild mountains that have a few bamboo huts.”

In such times of uncertainty and indelible fear, one needs a grip of reality, a reality that breathes life and offers sweet things like honey. Things might not be very sweet currently but they don’t have to be. The colors of life have not faded and are not leaving us anytime soon rather this the moment to recall the colors that once were and remind each other that humans are not so bad and we too have a color that is part of this earth. Stay healthy and don’t forget to breathe.

Flowers outside a house