[Esp./Eng.] Entre la Chispa de la Vida y el Incendio del Alma. ||
If you prefer the English version, click on the following link 👉 HERE
¡Qué maravillosa invitación nos hacen esta semana! El fuego es, quizá, el elemento que mejor define la complejidad del alma humana; pues tiene el poder de iluminar el camino más oscuro, de calentar el hogar más gélido, pero también la capacidad de reducirlo todo a cenizas si no se sabe gobernar.
Para participar en esta iniciativa semanal de @talentos, he preparado una reflexión que entrelaza la magia del cine con la realidad de nuestras propias vidas. Espero que les guste.
Entre la Chispa de la Vida y el Incendio del Alma
Desde que Prometeo robó el fuego a los dioses para entregárselo a los hombres (¿recuerdan?), la humanidad ha entendido que llevar esa llama por dentro es una bendición cargada de responsabilidad. A menudo, confundimos ese fuego con el "éxito" o con una "meta final", pero la cinematografía nos ha regalado espejos maravillosos para entender que la verdadera llama es algo mucho más sutil y, a la vez, mucho más poderoso.
En la película "Soul" (2020), Pixar nos da una lección de humildad existencial. Joe Gardner pasa toda su vida creyendo que su "chispa" es el jazz, que su fuego interno solo arde cuando está frente a un piano. Sin embargo, la gran revelación de la historia es que la verdadera chispa no es el talento ni la vocación profesional; es el deseo mismo de vivir. Es el asombro ante una hoja que cae, el sabor de una pizza caliente o la conexión con otro ser humano. Como bien dice un diálogo de la película: "Tu chispa no es tu propósito. El último recuadro se llena cuando estás listo para vivir". En la vida real, muchos permitimos que nuestro fuego se apague porque no hemos alcanzado una "meta grande", olvidando que la llama se alimenta de los pequeños momentos, de lo cotidiano.
Esa necesidad de encontrar la propia voz se siente con una fuerza electrizante en "El club de los poetas muertos" (1989). El profesor John Keating no solo enseña literatura; enseña a sus alumnos a no ser "comida para gusanos", a aprovechar el día (Carpe Diem). Ese fuego interno es la resistencia contra el conformismo. Walt Whitman, citado en el filme, lo resume perfectamente: "Que el poderoso drama continúa, y tú puedes contribuir con un verso". El fuego aquí es la pasión por la belleza y la libertad de ser uno mismo en un mundo que nos quiere moldeados y silenciosos.
Sin embargo, encender esa llama suele generar incomodidad en los demás. Lo vemos en "Billy Elliot" (2000). Billy vive en un entorno de mineros, de sudor, de huelgas y de una masculinidad rígida y asfixiante. Su fuego es el ballet, algo que para su entorno es "una llama prohibida". Billy nos enseña que el fuego interno es una fuerza física; cuando baila, dice sentir "electricidad". A veces, nuestro fuego molesta a quienes viven en la oscuridad o a quienes han dejado que sus propias llamas se extingan por miedo. La envidia o el egoísmo de otros son los baldes de agua que intentarán apagar nuestra pasión, pero como Billy, debemos entender que aferrarse a lo que enciende el alma es, literalmente, un acto de supervivencia.
No obstante, debemos ser cautos, pues el fuego no siempre es benévolo. Existe un punto donde la pasión se desvirtúa y se convierte en una obsesión ciega, desencadenando una crueldad extrema e inhumana. En "Whiplash" (2014), somos testigos de cómo el deseo de grandeza puede transformarse en un incendio forestal que lo devora todo. El profesor Terence Fletcher utiliza el abuso psicológico bajo la premisa de que "no hay dos palabras más dañinas en nuestro idioma que 'buen trabajo'". Aquí, la llama interna del joven baterista Andrew Neiman ya no busca la alegría ni la expresión, sino la validación a través del sufrimiento. Cuando el fuego interno se convierte en una búsqueda de perfección sin empatía, se vuelve una fuerza destructiva que nos desconecta de nuestra humanidad, recordándonos que un fuego sin control no ilumina, solo calcina al portador y a quienes lo rodean.
En la vida real, todos somos portadores de esta antorcha. Hay días en los que nuestra llama es apenas una brasa tímida que necesita el aire de un amigo o de una película para reavivarse. Otros días, es una llamarada que inspira a otros a encender sus propias luces. Lo importante es entender que ese fuego es nuestro tesoro más preciado.
Como bien señaló el psiquiatra Viktor Frankl en su obra El hombre en busca de sentido:
"Lo que se necesita es un cambio de actitud hacia la vida... lo que realmente importa no es lo que esperamos de la vida, sino lo que la vida espera de nosotros" (Frankl, 1946).
Ese "algo" que la vida espera es, precisamente, que mantengamos nuestra llama encendida, con la calidez suficiente para amar y la luz suficiente para no perdernos, para no encandilar. Pero siempre cuidando que no se convierta en el incendio de la ambición desmedida.
Amigas(os) lectores, los invito a mirar hacia adentro. ¿Qué está alimentando su fuego hoy? ¿Es el asombro de la vida, la pasión por el arte, la resistencia ante la adversidad o, quizás, una obsesión que necesita equilibrar? No dejen que nadie apague su chispa, pero tampoco permitan que su fuego queme la humanidad de los demás. ¡A brillar con luz propia!
𝗘𝗻𝗰𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝘀: «Fuego»
Portada de la convocatoria.
🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆
Dedicado a todos aquellos escribas que contribuyen, día a día, a hacer de nuestro planeta, un mundo mejor.
What a wonderful invitation we’ve been given this week! Fire is, perhaps, the element that best defines the complexity of the human soul; for it has the power to light up the darkest path and warm the coldest home, but also the capacity to reduce everything to ashes if it is not properly controlled.
To take part in this weekly initiative by @talentos, I’ve prepared a reflection that weaves together the magic of cinema with the reality of our own lives. I hope you enjoy it.
Between the Spark of Life and the Fire of the Soul
Ever since Prometheus stole fire from the gods to give it to mankind (remember?), humanity has understood that carrying that flame within is a blessing laden with responsibility. We often confuse that fire with ‘success’ or an ‘ultimate goal’, but cinema has given us wonderful mirrors through which to understand that the true flame is something far more subtle and, at the same time, far more powerful.
In the film ‘Soul’ (2020), Pixar teaches us a lesson in existential humility. Joe Gardner spends his whole life believing that his ‘spark’ is jazz, that his inner fire only burns when he is sitting at a piano. However, the story’s great revelation is that the true spark is neither talent nor a professional calling; it is the very desire to live. It is the wonder at a falling leaf, the taste of a hot pizza or the connection with another human being. As a line from the film so aptly puts it: “Your spark isn’t your purpose. The final box is ticked when you’re ready to live.” In real life, many of us allow our fire to go out because we haven’t achieved a ‘big goal’, forgetting that the flame is fuelled by the small moments, by the everyday.
That need to find one’s own voice is felt with electrifying force in “Dead Poets Society” (1989). Professor John Keating doesn’t just teach literature; he teaches his students not to be “food for worms”, to seize the day (Carpe Diem). That inner fire is resistance against conformism. Walt Whitman, quoted in the film, sums it up perfectly: “Let the mighty drama continue, and you may contribute a verse.” The fire here is a passion for beauty and the freedom to be oneself in a world that wants us to be moulded and silent.
However, kindling that flame often makes others feel uncomfortable. We see this in ‘Billy Elliot’ (2000). Billy lives in a world of miners, sweat, strikes and a rigid, suffocating masculinity. His fire is ballet, something that, to those around him, is ‘a forbidden flame’. Billy shows us that inner fire is a physical force; when he dances, he says he feels ‘electricity’. Sometimes, our fire bothers those who live in darkness or those who have let their own flames die out through fear. The envy or selfishness of others are the buckets of water that will try to extinguish our passion, but like Billy, we must understand that clinging to what ignites the soul is, quite literally, an act of survival.
However, we must be cautious, for fire is not always benevolent. There comes a point where passion becomes distorted and turns into a blind obsession, unleashing extreme and inhuman cruelty. In ‘Whiplash’ (2014), we witness how the desire for greatness can turn into a wildfire that consumes everything in its path. Professor Terence Fletcher employs psychological abuse under the premise that ‘there are no two more harmful words in our language than “good job”’. Here, the inner flame of the young drummer Andrew Neiman no longer seeks joy or expression, but validation through suffering. When the inner fire becomes a quest for perfection devoid of empathy, it turns into a destructive force that disconnects us from our humanity, reminding us that an uncontrolled fire does not illuminate; it merely scorches the bearer and those around them.
In real life, we are all bearers of this torch. There are days when our flame is barely a timid ember that needs the breath of a friend or a film to be rekindled. On other days, it is a blaze that inspires others to light their own lights. The important thing is to understand that this fire is our most precious treasure.
As the psychiatrist Viktor Frankl rightly pointed out in his book Man’s Search for Meaning:
“What is needed is a change of attitude towards life… what really matters is not what we expect from life, but what life expects from us” (Frankl, 1946).
That ‘something’ which life expects is, precisely, that we keep our flame alight – with enough warmth to love and enough light so as not to lose our way, yet without blinding others. But we must always take care that it does not turn into the blaze of unbridled ambition.
Dear readers, I invite you to look within. What is fuelling your fire today? Is it a sense of wonder at life, a passion for art, resilience in the face of adversity, or perhaps an obsession that you need to bring into balance? Do not let anyone extinguish your spark, but neither should you allow your fire to burn away the humanity of others. Shine with your own light!
Talent Showcase: «Inner fire. // Flame.»
Cover of the call for applications
🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆
Dedicated to all those writers who, day in, day out, help to make our planet a better place.
Portada de la convocatoria.
Dedicado a todos aquellos escribas que contribuyen, día a día, a hacer de nuestro planeta, un mundo mejor.
What a wonderful invitation we’ve been given this week! Fire is, perhaps, the element that best defines the complexity of the human soul; for it has the power to light up the darkest path and warm the coldest home, but also the capacity to reduce everything to ashes if it is not properly controlled.
To take part in this weekly initiative by @talentos, I’ve prepared a reflection that weaves together the magic of cinema with the reality of our own lives. I hope you enjoy it.
Between the Spark of Life and the Fire of the Soul
Ever since Prometheus stole fire from the gods to give it to mankind (remember?), humanity has understood that carrying that flame within is a blessing laden with responsibility. We often confuse that fire with ‘success’ or an ‘ultimate goal’, but cinema has given us wonderful mirrors through which to understand that the true flame is something far more subtle and, at the same time, far more powerful.
In the film ‘Soul’ (2020), Pixar teaches us a lesson in existential humility. Joe Gardner spends his whole life believing that his ‘spark’ is jazz, that his inner fire only burns when he is sitting at a piano. However, the story’s great revelation is that the true spark is neither talent nor a professional calling; it is the very desire to live. It is the wonder at a falling leaf, the taste of a hot pizza or the connection with another human being. As a line from the film so aptly puts it: “Your spark isn’t your purpose. The final box is ticked when you’re ready to live.” In real life, many of us allow our fire to go out because we haven’t achieved a ‘big goal’, forgetting that the flame is fuelled by the small moments, by the everyday.
That need to find one’s own voice is felt with electrifying force in “Dead Poets Society” (1989). Professor John Keating doesn’t just teach literature; he teaches his students not to be “food for worms”, to seize the day (Carpe Diem). That inner fire is resistance against conformism. Walt Whitman, quoted in the film, sums it up perfectly: “Let the mighty drama continue, and you may contribute a verse.” The fire here is a passion for beauty and the freedom to be oneself in a world that wants us to be moulded and silent.
However, kindling that flame often makes others feel uncomfortable. We see this in ‘Billy Elliot’ (2000). Billy lives in a world of miners, sweat, strikes and a rigid, suffocating masculinity. His fire is ballet, something that, to those around him, is ‘a forbidden flame’. Billy shows us that inner fire is a physical force; when he dances, he says he feels ‘electricity’. Sometimes, our fire bothers those who live in darkness or those who have let their own flames die out through fear. The envy or selfishness of others are the buckets of water that will try to extinguish our passion, but like Billy, we must understand that clinging to what ignites the soul is, quite literally, an act of survival.
However, we must be cautious, for fire is not always benevolent. There comes a point where passion becomes distorted and turns into a blind obsession, unleashing extreme and inhuman cruelty. In ‘Whiplash’ (2014), we witness how the desire for greatness can turn into a wildfire that consumes everything in its path. Professor Terence Fletcher employs psychological abuse under the premise that ‘there are no two more harmful words in our language than “good job”’. Here, the inner flame of the young drummer Andrew Neiman no longer seeks joy or expression, but validation through suffering. When the inner fire becomes a quest for perfection devoid of empathy, it turns into a destructive force that disconnects us from our humanity, reminding us that an uncontrolled fire does not illuminate; it merely scorches the bearer and those around them.
In real life, we are all bearers of this torch. There are days when our flame is barely a timid ember that needs the breath of a friend or a film to be rekindled. On other days, it is a blaze that inspires others to light their own lights. The important thing is to understand that this fire is our most precious treasure.
As the psychiatrist Viktor Frankl rightly pointed out in his book Man’s Search for Meaning:
“What is needed is a change of attitude towards life… what really matters is not what we expect from life, but what life expects from us” (Frankl, 1946).
That ‘something’ which life expects is, precisely, that we keep our flame alight – with enough warmth to love and enough light so as not to lose our way, yet without blinding others. But we must always take care that it does not turn into the blaze of unbridled ambition.
Dear readers, I invite you to look within. What is fuelling your fire today? Is it a sense of wonder at life, a passion for art, resilience in the face of adversity, or perhaps an obsession that you need to bring into balance? Do not let anyone extinguish your spark, but neither should you allow your fire to burn away the humanity of others. Shine with your own light!
Talent Showcase: «Inner fire. // Flame.»
Cover of the call for applications
🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆
Dedicated to all those writers who, day in, day out, help to make our planet a better place.
Cover of the call for applications
Dedicated to all those writers who, day in, day out, help to make our planet a better place.
Buena reseña y reflexión relacionada con el fuego 🔥 Soul y El club de los poetas muertos, las vi en la universidad, porque analizamos a profundidad sus mensajes subliminales, la colorimetría y otra serie de aspectos audiovisuales, y ahí justo comprendí, que el fuego se puede apagar, y volverse a encender en etapas o momentos.
Respecto a la última pregunta que dejas al final, hoy en día lo que alimenta mi fuego interno, es el tiempo a solas, de recién graduada, a re-descubrir lo que soy y quiero ser ❤️🧭💐 Un abrazo
Me encanta que hayas leído y analizados esas obras; es que a veces, la mayoría sola las ve por mero entretenimiento...
Hay que alimentar ese fuego y dosificarla, porque si le damos mucha llama, podemos quemar sin querer (quizá queriendo) a los demás).
Me quedo con esta frase: "No dejen que nadie apague su chispa..." Esto es fundamental para el equilibrio del ser humano, lo ideal seria también ayudar a iluminar el camino de otras personas. Mas nunca incendiar.
Me gusto tu reflexión sobe el tema de esta semana.
Saludos @amigoponc
Primero necesitamos aprender a sanar y gestionar nuestras emociones para ser luz en nuestra propia vida; solo así podremos iluminar el camino de los demás.