Pixar has been making me smile for years. November 6, 2007, their newest movie, Ratatouille came out on DVD. I just happened to be at Walmart on that day, so I bought it. A friend of mine and I just watched it this evening. And as a Pixar movie, I can watch it over and over again and get something new out of it every time. This time, I learned a simple recipe for life.
During the movie, a food critic apply named Anton Ego "The Grim Eater" snobbishly criticizes food from Gusteau's Restaurant. At the climax of the movie, however, Ego eats a simple peasant's dish, Ratatouille, and learns a lesson himself. As he walks away from this experience, he says,
"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so."
I heard these words this evening and they pierced my heart. Going through college, students (myself included) tend to criticize everything we can. I don't exactly know why this is, but it ruins the more correct perspective of appreciating what we have.
Application?
Recipe for Appreciation:
-realize I am just a peasant's dish
-look on the positive side
-relish the dish placed in front of me
-Thank God for every gift of His
May God bless you this lovely evening!
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3 comments:
ooh... you have Ratatouille? May I watch it with you sometime (considering that you can watch it over and over)?
I completely agree with you, Missy. Criticism is overrated, and thankfulness underappreciated. Thanks for the constructive perspective!
It does become very grating to see how "necessary" criticism is to college life. You're expected to criticize anything and everything, ruthlessly, and to find good reasons to do so (no matter how outlandish) if you want to succeed in the academic world. I guess that's one more way we as Christians can witness to others, by not giving in to this attitude.
Missy,
You are so right. We have so much to be thankful for and yet so often we look at the cup half empty instead of half full. We should be grateful for the "little things" like a simple meal.
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