WHY SUFFERING? – PHILOSOPHICAL & CHRISTIAN REFLECTIONS Version 1.0 Dated: 1^st May 2003

MOVIES ON SUFFERING Movies, movies. I remember sitting for hours inside cinema (ever heard of Saturday matinee in the 60’s and 70’s where two shows are shown consecutively for the price of one; I was a junior school boy then) just to be captivated by the moving images, the larger-than-life characters, the far-away places, the by-gone era, the futuristic science-fic, the heroes, the heroines, the villains. I have done dangerous tricks at home copied straight from the movies, frightened to death by horror movies, laughed until stomach cramped and terrorized the neighborhood using tricks from the movies. And then I grew up and reality sink in. Having to earn a living become the driving force. Sporadic forays into the make-belief world of movies still happen. Movies, for better or for worse, truly has their grip on us. Like many things in life, movies have their intrinsic values (save those thrash or sinister ones) that can be put to good or bad use depending on how they are being handled. Over the years, I have come across movies that have left indelible impressions in my mind; both good and bad movies. Since we are on the subject of suffering, I want to share with you some movies worth reviewing together. Well, here they are: 1. Patch Adams Robin Williams plays an intern (doctor in training) who believes, in addition to standard medicine and diagnosis, in building personal relationships with patients with a view of enhancing healing and recovery. Laughter was a significant part of his therapy. However, when his girlfriend was killed by a young man they were trying to help, Patch went through a time of suffering and drove into the country and got mad with God. Eventually he came to terms with his girl friend’s death and returned to work reassured and energized. “Come with me and let us reason together.” (Isaiah 1:18) [Isaiah is the 23^rd Book of the Old Testament of the Bible]