Kinda like hippies…

Their marketing is brilliant: they want us to see the lives we ‘could be having’ and ‘could have’ upon purchasing their product…

We can go to these happy places where there are no problems and everything is just fun. Distilled, pure fun… — Indie music, ‘the man’ isn’t there.– Everyone dresses in terrific fashion, and there are no ‘ugly’ people…

Shit, I wanna go there! Good job, marketing-company-that-microsoft-hired.

I mean, look at Apple– their demo devices are filled with happy families traveling all over the world, youngsters in lush ‘mountainy’ locations– a place where a bad photography and terrible lighting are nary to be seen.

I remember in college I wrote an answer to a question in a creative writing test: “What do you picture heaven to be like?” I had just finished seeing one of the these utopian commercials, (can’t remember which one) but I wrote: “Like a commercial”

I think I still believe that today.

Enjoy!

This theme is about death. More importantly, what it means to us if we live a life that’s full and complete. It symbolizes the life that we can reflect to our children. It is a summary of what an honorable person leaves behind and takes with him to the afterlife.

Being the central theme of the character Maximus, in Gladiator; this theme picks up towards the end when Maximus dies after avenging Marcus Aurelius’ death at the hands of the evil Commodus. He returns Rome to the hands of the Senate and the people;

“These were the wishes of Marcus Aurelius….”

Echoed by a beautiful voice, the lullaby of a mother’s embrace, her song as she cradles you sleep. Some of the first memories you have as a child are reprojected to you. You understand that you are safe, there is nothing to fear. The song carries your soul to a place that feels beautiful. There is no pain, the heavy anchors of this world have released you from the prison… Walk forward, feel the weightlessness… You smell the grass, vibrant, a fragrance that carries with it the satisfactions of this world. Eating, breathing, resting, you walk every step feels great, like a reintroductions of the senses… For me, it was the first time you remember something amazing… The leaves, the warm water, the ocean, the skin of a loved one. The taste of a warm brownie, freshly baked from grandma’s oven… The first lunar eclipse you saw with Dad…. The taste of chocolate milk….

Then as you walk towards the light you feel the warmth of the Universe. However you see it. You feel the full energy of the Universe, from which you are from. Understand the inner workings of this vast physical system that you’ve been a part of. A piece in the chain, of which every link is as important as the last. A brush stroke, on a canvas of beautiful art. A stitch on a piece of clothing. We are all unique, “the universes says”… We are all part of a tapestry that passess through time and space for all eternity… We are as bright as all the other lights on the christmas tree… All facing different directions to shine their light for all to see…

The warm song invites us further into this world were we are greeted by the most universal and powerful force to transcend the cosmos. Love. As cheesy and as corny as that sounds, how is it possible for us modern human beings to not understand the basic physical law of energy preservation. The universe, which is made up of pure energy, cannot be without this energy. The energy in it will never die, perpetuating for all eternity spread throughout the universe until time/space compress back upon itself and this existence repeats forever echoing in the cosmos. It is therefore by physical law, that all the particles of the world are inherently attracted to each other and cannot ever separate.

The love that humanity feels, and the reason why love feels good to us, is because it’s a poem of the universe. As we come close to those we love and they part from our lives, is simply a verse in the universal poem. Particles come together and they join towards each other and then explode, sending them back again through the journey of life. So to, are we born into this world, and at one point in our lives experience love in some form or another, and then we die, going back into the universe.

Everything in life is built around this rhythm, back and forth, light and dark, life and death. They are both sides of the same coin, and they flip for all eternity in a cycle.

This song triumphantly reminds us, that there is NOTHING to fear in regards to death. It is the great journey, the next side of the coin. Lead the life you live with honor, live your life with passion, love until every cell in your body can love no more. Dwell on these wonderful accomplishments as you grow old through life, and pass them on the next generation, the next process, the passing of your soul on to your children. And as the light of this world grows dim, and the sounds falter into the darkness; rejoice! For there is another light growing brighter; one that only you now can see. Rejoin those that went before you and are now standing here. Welcoming you in the next world, the next transformation of your matter into a new form of energy. Pass on knowing that what you do in this life, will echo in eternity.

Know that when you die, those that remain behind will also be your legacy. Your friends, your family, your children. Their souls have all been touched by yours at a certain time in your lifetime. That interaction will reverberate as they pass it on to the next person and so on. Your influence will have had a butterfly effect of whatever energy you choose to send out. (So make sure it is always something good).

That is why the stories of prophets, universal across our planet, all offer hope. They all preach love and forgiveness. The universe wants to share this poem with us, it wants us to promote it and spread it. To share the fact that we are all star stuff. We will continue on to existence forever connected and reunited in the next life. So I say, be good to your fellow neighbor in life, for it will echo on to the rest of the universe; forever.

I love this commercial, and all it’s nuances… It’s utterly amazing…(at least in my interpretation. Your mileage may vary.)

I love that a little boy is walking with his face down, almost as if he were tired of the burden of the world. You hear sirens in the background adding to the chaos as he desperately tries to find a song to ease his despair. (The soft music echoes a somber hope that the boy still may carry in his heart. The lyrics of a child’s innocence gently vocalized with grace.) He stops and encounters a dead bird; the boy’s expression, a curious calm, as if he understands –through wisdom beyond his apparent age— that death is universally common. Almost as if he were guided by a force beyond him, he instinctively reaches for his earphones and calmly places them on the bird’s chest. Then, in harmony with the flow of the cosmos, he patiently waits. You hear the music dissipate to but a whisper, then the sound of a beat; a metaphysical bump of energy, followed by the sound of human breath, so subtle but steady you can almost feel the warmth of it in your body. The bird, before stiff and cold suddenly stirs, jumps to its feet and flitters away. (The music now coming back to full splendor with a renewed sense of joy and hope lacing the vocals) The boy’s eyes gazing —knowing, look to wish the bird a confident new beginning as it realizes its miraculous return to life. Having a look that I can only interpret as the pure bliss, wonder, surprise and satisfaction in the act of creation –he gets up, and walks away fulfilled, enlightened and humble as the grateful song of the bird, echoing in the distance, embraces new LIFE.

All this from a commercial.

I feel like the writers of this commercial truly understood how to tap into that desperate need we all share…

To have new beginnings…

To sometimes feel the innocence of our childhood, when things were grand and there was a splendor to life and the future.

Or to that oftentimes desperate wish that we could go back to things unchanged, or take advantage of opportunities missed.

I feel the boy’s character epitomizes the arc of this unspoken story, buried deep in all our hearts; sometimes creeping into that part of our mind where reality and imagination come together.

It reminds us that sometimes, there are wonderful forces out there that are beyond our understanding –gifts for us to have, if we have the vision, the courage and the sense of awe, to pursue them.

That there can be joy, just around the corner –and that we should not be afraid to embrace it.

It finally proves to us that we can all have this power, and yet still hold true to ground; sometimes helping those in need, and understanding the humility, splendor and vastness of the universal power of love.