Sunday, April 29, 2007

Tic Toc Tic Toc Tic Toc

Run Lola Run demonstrates that life is only valuable when a clock is ticking. Many of us believe that our everyday actions actions result in our future. The choices we make now; what we eat, how much we exercise, how much effort we put into our school work, who and when we will marry; all compose the future. Not many of us think about this concept when we are choosing something from McDonald's menu, are partying the day before a major final, or writing our final research paper the day it is due. Our futures do not exist in the way that Run Lola Run presents them. We do not touch a burger and then pictures flash in our minds of us 20 years later calling Jenny Craig and losing 50 pounds. Nor do we constantly think that our life is inter-dependent on the interactions and actions of others. Many believe we are responsible for ourselves only and that our actions do not affect others' futures.

We do not simply bump into a person and think that their whole life will be different or that our future will change because of this seemingly insignificant interaction. But when a time limit is set, every second suddenly counts. If we oversleep for a final, have 10 minutes to get to class, and jump out of bed bump our toe and miss the bus by a second, that toe could have ruined your academic life. The toe or all the cramming the night before, but as students we are most likely to blame the toe. If we thought of life as a longer span of time with a very real time limit, no longer 20 minutes, but time in years, then every little encounter would be magnified. Every little second would count.

Our perspective of time, of life, of each other would be much different. Life would almost be a race to achieve all the things you want to do, to do it all. Unfortunately, in real-life unlike Lola, we only get one chance. If we get shot, we reminisce, and die, we don't get back up to fix and change all the small interactions. That was it, that was the given lifetime. We don't get another one. We don't get to say "I will do it next time," because time ran out.

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3 Comments:

Blogger Meegan Brooks said...

I think that your point about McDonalds and eating without thinking about the future is a good one. It's slightly different from the idea presented in Run Lola Run, because in the movie the characters had no idea that their little actions will change thir lives. Even though we may not weigh the consequences of our actions when we eat, it is still easy for us to figure out what will eventually happen if w do eat. Also, weight gain accumulates over time -- it's not like eating one burger on one day will make you destined for obesity. I think you did a good job exploring the other aspects of the idea in Lola, however, talking about how one little thing can change your life. Looking at it this way, however, makes the burger idea seem kind of unrelated, doesn't it?

4/29/2007 10:18 PM  
Blogger BrendaFregoso said...

I agree with your interpretation of our live being a product of the time limit we set for ourselves. If I were to see the bigger picture and realize that I am constantly under a time limit to do everything I can before my life runs out, I would no longer procrastinate or cram like you say. Our perception of time is a result of what we want to believe and what is more convenient to believe at the time.

4/29/2007 10:53 PM  
Blogger Nehal N said...

I think that time is important in Run Lola Run, but the more important item in this film is not how time is consistent and unchangeable. Instead it's more about how life can change and even thought of as rewindable. But you are right in the sense that each little action ultimately affect every part of our lives. Each and every one of us make critical decisions in our life where they determine our future. Ultimately, the question of fate comes into the discussion where people question whether things are meant to be or things are decided by the individual.

4/29/2007 11:29 PM  

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