Monday, October 01, 2007

the war

has anyone been watching the war? it's a pbs documentary series about wwII made by ken burns.

it's been on for about a week now, but since we had planned on buying the dvd set, we hadn't been watching. while flipping channels last night, we got hooked and drawn in by the most recent episode. it is so personal and sensitive, gripping and terrifying. t and i were unable to tear ourselves away, and wept openly at the images, footage, and reminiscences.

after recently listening to an acquaintance bitch, whine, moan and complain about her terrible life (that is really quite blessed) and how no anti-depressants will work for her, i thought to myself... perhaps therapists should start prescribing "the war." this documentary really takes you out of yourself and your own problems and into the difficulties faced by these people in that time of world war. nothing in my life, or the lives of anyone i know at the moment, could even compare.

it made me grateful to the soldiers for securing the world in which we now live. it made me thankful for every single last person, thing and minute i have in this life. and that was only part of one episode.

kids, it's that good.

2 comments:

Heidi said...

The pain we suffer can be so personal and relative. Watching a show like that could really help put some perspective on our own sometimes trivial complaints.
I don't get PBS, yes, that's right, it won't come in with my antenna and Direct TV won't let me buy it! I will have to rent this series.

J said...

I was just listening to the radio today, and whatever it was I was listening to on NPR was saying that that generation had it right, but then they spoiled their kids and made them feel like the center of the universe, and thus they've lost perspective. Maybe as a reaction to being raised by parents who came of age during the depression?

I haven't seen any of this series yet, either, but I'm hoping to, soon.