Love Actually...

Last week, I was feeling particularly London-y and decided to spend a rainy night NOT reading (for once!) and instead, I watched Love Actually...which, I should point out for those of you who haven't seen it, is one of the greater movies of all time, in my humble (but accurate) opinion...and was reminded of how much I love the opening part. It's a big montage of pictures of random people greeting people in the airport, all huggy and happy to see each other, and it has Hugh Grant narrating in the background. This is what he says:

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the Arrivals Gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. Seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there...fathers & sons, mothers & daughters, husbands & wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends...when the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge. They were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."

I so love that part of that movie, because I so believe what he's saying. I know that I'm usually a smiley, bouncy, happy girl...some might say annoyingly so...but one of my worst fears is turning into one of those people who you see out somewhere and wonder why they look so sad. I've noticed a lot of people like that since I've been here...the ones that look like life has just worn on them to the point that they don't even smile...and it's so sad to me. I know life isn't all cotton candy and fingerpaint, but I am so incredibly tired of turning on the news only to see stories about wars and bombs and genocide and politics and bird flu. I know those things are important and that they play a big part in determining how the world works, but I guess I naively wish that every once in awhile, people could just stop for one second to realize that it's not all bad. There are good things that happen...lots of them, every single day...but everyone is so busy worrying and complaining and arguing that they miss them. I also wish people would remember that, at the end of the day, we're all just people, and we all want the same things. We all want to be happy. We all want to be healthy. We all want to be free. We all want to be loved. We all want to feel safe. We all have dreams. Regardless of nationality, or age, or gender, or race, or sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status, or political affiliation...regardless of whether or not your religion wants you to wear a veil...regardless of whether you love the President or despise him...

That's the other thing I'm tired of...I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I try to keep my mouth shut in public because I don't want anyone to hear my American accent...I do this because it honestly feels like almost everytime this happens, I get an evil look and an eye roll, and then I get asked, 'so how do you feel about Bush?' I hate this question. I hate it for several reasons, but I hate it most of all because I shouldn't have to explain myself to these people simply based on what my birth certificate says. Why does it MATTER what I think?? If I met someone from Venezuela, my first question wouldn't be, 'so, do you think Hugo Chavez is a nutball too, or is that just us?' It is totally unfair to clump 300 million people together and assume that we all share the same mindset. I'm beginning to think that a lot of this is the result of some kind of weird global inferiority complex...that because we're the biggest dog in the fight, we have some kind of target in the middle of our chest that everyone feels like hitting, although at the end of the day, they sort of want one themselves because that would mean they're calling the shots. It just seems especially silly in a country like England, where people act like they hate us, yet they sit comfortably on our coattails most of the time and cruise right along with whatever's going on, content to be the allies but at the same time relieved that they aren't 'the bad guys.' I know a lot of them don't like Tony Blair either, but then again, I don't immediately ask every Brit I meet who they voted for. I do really like this quote that I heard of his recently though. He was asked by a member of Parliament why he believes so much in America, and he said "A simple way to take measure of a county is to look at how many want in...and how many want out." I think he's on to something there. I can't help but think that, for all of our problems and weak spots, I have to appreciate the fact that I can still make up my own mind and not worry about getting blown up by a roadside bomb. Maybe that's what I'll start saying to these idiots who evidently enjoy political debates on the Underground...

I can't even believe I'm writing about this, because I rarely discuss politics with anyone, but I guess I'm just constantly beaten over the head with this stuff, and I'm over it. I'm over the insanely divided way in which our country, and the world in general, operates. I hate that everything has to be a battle, and I obviously don't know what needs to happen to fix it, but honestly...

However, I have to believe that things can be different. The eternal optimist in me believes that things can change for the better because Hugh Grant and his script writers are right. Even with all of the fighting and disease and controversay and poverty, the world is still a beautiful place full of people who laugh, and cry, and fear, and hope, and love, and dream. And you know what Eleanor Roosevelt said..."the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

I guess that's me :)