"Slumdog Millionaire" and Self-Love

The question I came away with from the movie, "Slumdog Millionaire" is whether there's a difference between "fate" and "destiny." Are we locked into a future that we have no control over (fate) or is there a dream in our hearts that can be realized if we can unlock the secret of our heart (destiny). And, of course, I believe the later.

There are billions of people on this planet who suffer through life, unaware of the possibility of making their dreams come true. The main character, Jamal, begins life in this way. He's accosted by injustice, loss and sorrow. And yet, somehow, he doesn't forget what he's been through. The mystery of his past becomes meaningful over time as he uses the information he's gathered to answer the questions on the game show.

The word "mystery" comes from "my story." The mystery of Jamal's life is no different from anyone else's in the sense that there is spiritual meaning in everything we go through. Jamal, however, remains consciously aware of the circumstances he lives through, so that he can use his experience further down the line.

Self-love brings attention to myself so that I'm aware of my thoughts and feelings as I interface with the world. And it's the combination of my experiences in the world around me as well as the world within that creates meaning. Only in this way does mystery (my story) and history (His story) come together like a jigsaw puzzle. Only in this way is it possible for me to see that there are no accidents, only incidents. Everything that happens to me has the potential of being useful to me if I focus on my destiny rather than my fate.

Hope is the important difference between destiny and fate. There is no hope in fate. Hope is the inner knowledge that affirms God's participation in my life. But inspiration is 99% perspiration. I have to do the work within. I have be curious to know myself. I have to explore the mysterious connection between my head and heart.

Jamal's girfriend, Latika, came be internalized as that part of myself that I'm deeply in love with, but that I need to save from the dangers of the world. The feminine side of myself is an aspect of myself I've come to know and identify with. Latika is that part of me that I want to hold, protect and know deeply. All romantic loves are projections of the self that give us the opportunity to know ourselves through another person. The question of how many great loves I get in a lifetime is easy. I get one - myself. All the others are for practice.