I just saw the movie “Now you see me -part 2.” Again.
The Movie really came together for me in the end… when Mark Rafalo , who plays Dylan , the central character and Morgan Freeman who plays Thaddeus Bradley, Dylan’s fathers partner, after a cat and mouse chase – meet in the end..
The whole movie starting from Part 1 is about Dylan avenging his fathers death, when a final act of escaping the Iron chest goes wrong, and Dylan believes that Thaddeus is responsible for it since the two were rivals. Dylan spends 30 years of his life planning a revenge act and putting Thaddeus behind bars for life. And ironically never realising the was behinds bars, on the other side himself for all those years!!
And in the end, after being setup by Thaddeus in the same chest that his father could not escape, this time with a little help, Dylan manages to set himself free, and not just from the Iron chest.
“The Only way out is through” – Thaddeus says with the characteristic smile on his face and Care and Patience writ in large bold letters across his face. Care enough to let Dylan believe he was the bad guy and keep carving his own path. And Patient enough to know – Love and Truth will win in the end.
The perplexed Dylan, is told that the only reason the truth was not revealed to him was that while he thought that he was after revenge – he really was wanting redemption. He just didn’t know it. It was easier to hold hate than love.
There is a thin line between Revenge and Redemption.
Revenge is an act of getting even, is born out of resentment and hate , is punitive and does not free anyone.
Redemption is an act of letting go, is born out of compassion and love, is forgiving and frees everyone
Redeeming himself as a son who “couldn’t save his father” and redemption on behalf of his magician father who couldn’t free himself from the iron chest ”. Redemption paved path for Freedom.
While Dylan thought all he wanted was to cage Thaddeus, what he was really after was to free himself. Something, that Thaddeus saw and provided an opportunity for, even at his own cost. A movement from Self hating to self loving.
I reflected on my own life and relationship with the Revenge and Redemption…why else would I be seeing this movie?
I had a troubled relationship with my dad growing up. Only after my son was born did I begin to see, my dad also as a somebody else. To be honest, seeing my dad’s and sons relationship helped me see my dad more.
Three years ago I was participating in a theatre based workshop called Mahabharata Immersion. And on day 2 as I was waiting for the day to begin, a co-participant walked up to me as I sat doodling, and enthusiastically asked me If I was an Artist – my reaction was a Snapping NO. I was just as surprised at the sharpness of my tone as the girl. I mumbled an apology. But was completely taken aback. What was my reaction about?? I had no answer. It was unwarranted.
I struggled and stayed with this for the next three days, feeling the discomfort in the pit of my stomach. Hoping praying for some ‘seeing’- Also to be honest, dreading what might be revealed to me about me. The games we play with ourselves are exhausting.
And then one afternoon in the middle of some other process it hit me.
My dad sketched beautiful pencil drawings. In my anger at him while growing up I decided I am not going to be like him. Years later of course we mended things. And everything was forgiven and forgotten- or so I naively thought.
And so the realisation that hit like a ton of bricks was, I had refused all my life accepting the label of an Artist – as a Revenge. Because he was one.
I did not see this coming – I felt deep sense of shame hurt and grief.
The workshop was in a place in the South of India called kottagiri, very close to the Isha Foundation where they have a giant Shiva statue. I decided to go there and pray. I left the place with a clear commitment for Redemption. I had to have an ‘action plan’ – Praying was great but I also needed Practices. Good intention were not enough.
Which meant three things:
- Choose to forgive myself (letting the hurt child in me know it was ok)
- Commit to stopping – Ways in which I was being a “Not-artist”, blaming, wanting to be self-righteous and suffering for the past which I cannot change.
- Create a new me. (Announce this identify – not hide anymore)
Realisations like these at 50 thousand feet above ground and near the amazing Shiva statue can be grand, but very soon can also be conveniently forgotten. Till the next ton of bricks.
I had to be ahead of my own sneaky system.
So to make sure, I would not slid back, my hack. I changed my Profile on LinkedIn and finally, with much trepidation put Artist and CEO together. And promised myself anytime anyone asked, as I knew they would – I would tell this story. And I do. I had to create opportunities to – To tell my Artist and Dad story -THAT was the redemption. We repeat the revenge story so many times unconsciously – a redemption story also needs opportunities to be told, consciously.
Redemption is not a onetime act – It is a Process
I wonder what would we do with all the time and energy once we let go of the ‘revenge’ and hurts. How much time we spend in creating and recreating old scenarios and so many “What-if’s”. It’s almost as if that is the magnate that holds our life script together – and if we forgive everything we have built so far, which had such charge, will vanish like magic in thin air – And then we would be left with love and that can be scary. We would have to meet others parts in this new space. Which have no practice in being in this world.
But, we can learn and grow out of our comfort blanket. And it can be exiting and scary both. Just like when we put food in our mouth the first time or sat next to strangers or were in a new place all by ourselves.
Growing old is easy, does not take choice, All it needs is we make sure not to die.
Growing up is not, it takes making difficult choices, and it does require for us to die – many times
“Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts.
The first part is called “The Pledge”. The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course… it probably isn’t.
The second act is called “The Turn”. The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you’re looking for the secret… but you won’t find it, because of course you’re not really looking. You don’t really want to know. You want to be fooled.
But you wouldn’t clap yet. Because making something disappear isn’t enough; you have to bring it back. That’s why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call “The Prestige”.”
― Christopher Priest, The Prestige
Making something disappear is not enough, that is where revenge lies.
Making it come back, the third Act, Redemption -that is where Prestige lies.
And what if the greatest illusion was, that the Revenge was Redemption after-all, just covered up in guilt and shame.
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