Saw The Hurt Locker for the first time last weekend.
In addition to enjoying it and generally being immensely impressed by it, it reminded me of an another movie watching experience I had a few years ago and haven’t thought of in some time.
In the summer following my freshman year of college, I led bicycle touring trips for middle school students for a company called Overland Adventures. At one point during the down time between trips I saw a documentary called Control Room at a small theater in Williamstown, MA with a few of the other leaders. The film compared the difference between Fox News and Al Jazeera in their coverage of the US military presence in Iraq.
As we left the theater and talked about the film, I remember commenting on a scene showing footage of US soldiers knocking on a door and yelling profanities for the inhabitants to come out. I don’t remember my comment exactly, but the gist was how terrible the soldiers were being. One of the other people with me, I think his name was Greg and I think he was from Wyoming, responded that while he watched that same scene the only thing running through his head was how scared those soldiers must have been for their lives as they did their daily rounds.
Anyway, it was one of those moments in which the truth YOUR DEFAULT SETTING FOR HOW YOU PERCEIVE THE WORLD IS NOT THE ONLY WAY IN WHICH IT IS POSSIBLE TO PERCEIVE THE WORLD was very clear to me. I wish I could feel that truth as clearly as I did in that moment every morning when I woke up. And several times thereafter throughout the day. And also every time before I spoke, reacted, or thought anything ever.