The Kite Runner - and the day that happened before watching it

It was an unusual day. I have been slightly suffering from an annoying cold. It is the kind of cold that just affects my head and makes it feel pressurized. The kind of cold where I can function completely, but I have to excuse myself to blow my nose every five minutes. And it was the day after Christmas - always an odd feeling day in and of itself. Our water heater mysteriously stopped working sometime between Christmas Eve afternoon and night, so we didn't have any hot water for showers, and no heater because it is connected to our hot water heater. So, our apartment is a nice 60 degrees with hardwood floors. 

We dealt with the maintenance people all day long trying to resolve this issue, and were quite frustrated from it. It is a long and now boring story, so I'll just give the main points. We tried to contact maintenance, could not get through, were told not to worry, to enjoy our day, and it would be fixed. We were also told we would be updated. All day. No calls, no updates, we come home to a 60 degree house with out a note. Nothing. (And there is more, but again, this is not a rant blog, so I will stop here.) 

We were both tired of complaining. Tired of feeling so upset on our Friday night. Tired of regretting our move to this complex. So we decided to watch Kite Runner. As soon as we popped the movie in our entire mood was altered. 

Watching two young boys happily running around Kabul chasing kites altered our mind set. They were so happy, so care free. I immediately feel in love with their youth. The way they easily threw their arms around each other. The way Amir read to Hassan. (I also felt trepidation from the knowledge of what was to come. I read the book last year.) 

How can you feel badly about an inconvenience while knowing that a country is immersed in a struggle with tyranny? 

I hated Amir. Hated him with every fiber of my being. He was a despicable boy, as hated as Hassan is loved. And yet, even though his behavior is inexcusable, I understood where it came from while watching the movie. (And reading the book a while back.) 

This movie moved me as the book did before it. The movie was close to the book, and that is a rarity. I was moved by the children at the beginning. The boy who played Hassan was wonderful, and my heart broke during the course of his life. The odd thing was... I found myself crying less with sadness and more with this wonder - can people exist who are that good? that giving and forgiving? I don't even think he thought of it as forgiving. It was just his nature to treat the ones he loved in such a manner. It was like he knew the inside of a person so well that nothing they could do could alter that in the slightest. He just radiated goodness. And it moved me completely. I hope we can exist like that. That we can at least try to be pure in our centers. 

Maybe the reason I hated Amir so much is that it reminded me of a common human weakness. Jealously, peer pressure, need to please. It is all there in Amir, and I see it in all of us. We all have these moments, they are more muted, perhaps, in our daily lives. But they are there. 

Afghanistan is a beautiful country with beautiful people. I love seeing that on screen. There is one scene with a man who runs an orphanage that is incredibly moving. He spends his life trying to protect these poor children, and he doesn't have to. He could leave, and most people would think he is crazy not to. But he stays and protects even while certain choices tear him from the inside. 

Kite Runner is a wonderful story for the simple way that it weaves a single family's life through such a tumultuous time. It paints a picture of good and bad and blends the line between the two so that we understand how similar we all are without it pounding the idea into our heads. 

I think as a people it is important for us to understand that we are all the same. We need to reach out to each other instead of fearing our differences. It is so basic, yet so difficult for us to understand. It is as simple as listening to an old man's story in a bar. As easy as trying a new restaurant. Visiting a new city. It is as simple as patience. 

I want to try patience. Sometimes I become annoyed because people don't run through their days the same as me. And maybe if i just remember that below the daily routines that differ among our cultures we all long for our warm homes and the people who love us. We all crave our mom's cooking, and wish for peace and happiness. We need to remember that. I need to remember that every day. And I will try.