What I Learned From the Movie - March of the Penguins
I would like to recommend a movie I saw recently called, March
of the Penguins, produced by Warner Independent Pictures and
National Geographic Feature Films.
This movie was a surprise to me, not at all what I was
expecting. I was hoping it would be more like Polar Express and
I would leave the theatre feeling uplifted and that feeling
would stay with me for days. This was a different kind of film.
It was beautiful and stunning and I was deeply touched but I
couldn't help but feel the anguish and pain that these grace
filled beings suffer every year when they endure the 70 mile -
20 day march to their breeding grounds and the experiences that
follow, to give life to the enchanting baby penguins. There were
scenes in this film that are burned in my memory forever.
I saw this movie with a friend who was feeling a little down and
thinking his life was difficult. After watching this
documentary, both of our lives seemed like a piece of cake. I
highly recommend this movie. It will make you laugh and it will
make you cry. I have been haunted by it ever since. This amazing
story has caused me to think deeply about so many things. It has
uncovered places deep inside me that cry out for healing and it
has reminded me of what is really important in life.
The story, beautifully narrated by Morgan Freeman, opens with
the words..."In the harshest place on earth, LOVE finds a way.
This is the incredible true story of a family's journey to bring
life into the world."
And incredible is an understatement. As I watched these tuxedo
clad beings leap out of their ocean home to begin their journey,
walking upright in single file, I understood the power of clear
focus, keeping your mind on the goal and moving forward with
fierce determination in a way I had not comprehended it before.
I understood too about never giving up. And as they progressed
along their perilous journey in the dark and cold and the
scenery changed from previous years, and they needed to find
their way, I knew the importance of following my own instincts
and connecting to my own inner guidance. I appreciated how
important it is sometimes to just keep going, even if it means
you may have to crawl on your belly for awhile.
After the long, cold and arduous trek to their mating ground, I
sat raptured as each penguin attempted to choose a partner,
someone especially for them, from a sea of what only appeared to
be identical partners, wondering just how and why they made
their choice. And then I witnessed what had to be the most
tender, delicate, intricate, courtship dance on the planet,
intimate, affectionate and stunningly beautiful. Totally
enthralled with this ritual, there were moments here where I
didn't know where these beautiful beings ended and I began.
Each female, lucky enough to have found a mate, laid a single
egg and that egg was very carefully transferred to her male
partner, to guard and hatch, while the now very weak female
begins her journey back the same 70 miles to obtain nourishment
again on the ocean floor.
As I later viewed the fathers gently hovering over their new
born offspring, the baby chick cradled on top of their feet, I
felt their deep love and parental bonding and I experienced the
sacredness and importance of sustaining life at all costs. And
as I witnessed thousands of penguins huddled together braced
against the elements, I realized the importance of sticking
together for a common goal and the comfort that a sense of
community can bring. Each one took turns on the outside and
inside of the circle in order to share the warmer and cooler
spots and I saw first hand what integrity and a sense of fair
play can mean to the interconnectedness of all living things.
Now desperately needing nourishment of their own, and elated at
the safe return of the females, I witnessed each father, with
great sadness, getting ready to leave his baby chick and
listening for the chick's song, so that he would recognize him
or her, upon his return and I remembered that we are all born
with our own unique song in our heart and when we sing that song
with love, our true nature is instantly recognizable and our
extraordinary life purpose fulfilled.
And later when I listened to one mother penguin cry out in pain
over the loss of her chick to the bitter cold, I ached too for
my own lost family and understood her grief. As the weather
warmed and I saw another mother push her little one out to mix
and mingle with the other young penguins, I was transported back
to my first day at school when my own mother did the exact same
thing to me.
Near the end of the movie I watched in shock as the parents
finally walked away and left their young ones behind. In that
moment, I felt a strong sense of betrayal, abandonment and fear
as my own need to cling to things long after they are over
surfaced once again. I was reminded of the importance of letting
go and moving on, taking that next step or leap of faith into a
brave new world, as these little ones eventually did with their
first courageous leap into the sea, their new home for the next
four years, until they too would make this remarkable journey.
Until this film, I was not aware of what is involved in the life
of a Emperor Penguin as I am unaware of so many other amazing
things that happen on our planet. What if, in the media, instead
of focusing on the comings and goings of Hollywood's hottest
celebrities, we strive to learn more about the nature of the
universe and the wonders of our planet instead. How our lives
would be so changed for the better I suspect, if we each did
that. I applaud everyone who was involved in bringing this
beautiful story to life and I thank you for a job well done.