The Cider House Rules - Movie

Toby McGuire plays the role of Homer Wells an orphan who is brought up by Dr. Larch (played by Michael Caine) a doctor who takes care of the Orphanage. Homer is a perpetual orphan returned twice by adoptive parents. Dr.Larch trains Homer to be a good obstetrician, though Homer has no former schooling or degree. While the Dickensian setting is oft repeated in movies, screen play and moving acting by some of the child actors who play orphans waiting forever to be 'the Best' and be adopted is very well done. I found the scenes with Fuzzy (a child with asthma and heart problems) and curly (a child who thinks he is the 'The Best' and should be adopted) very touching.

Charlize Theron provides the romantic angle as Candy who comes to the orphanage with her boy friend Wally to get an abortion. Homer hitches a ride with Wally and Candy when they leave as he wants be part of the real world beyond the orphanage. Homer eventually becomes the first white Apple picker and shares a barn with migrant black pickers in Wally's mother's Apple farm. In one romantic scene with Candy, Homer asks Candy what she wants him to do? she replies "Nothing" to which Homer replies - "To do nothing. It's a great idea, really. Maybe if I just wait and see long enough, then I won't have to do anything or decide anything, you know? I mean, maybe if I'm lucky enough, someone else will decide and choose and do things for me.". Some more of the memorable quotes in the movie are the Way Dr. Larch always says good night to his wards - "Goodnight you Kings of New England, Goodnight, you Lords of Maine". Does Homer make his Life 'Of use' as Dr. Larch wants him to? You must see the movie to know this and also find out what the rules of the Cider House(barn) were and how they were made, kept or meant to be changed.

The Difficulty of Being Good

I like Gurcharan Das's style of writing. Enjoyed his 'India Unbound' a couple of years ago. I believe in his earnestness and progressive attitude. In this book he draws parallels from the Mahabharata. Analyses the actions and words used by the protogonists and the underlying 'Dharma'. Here again he relates to situational Dharma and modern day significance which makes it a very interesting read.

The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Reading the book 'The Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell. Very easy to read and uplifting as he processises the occurrence of success - being at the right place at the right time and hard work (ten thousand hours of practice). Malcomn brings home the importance of practical intelligence, which is the ability of a person to know what to say, when to say it and how to say it for maximum effect. It is about knowing how to do something without necessarily knowing why you know and be able to explain it. The presence of general intelligence(IQ) does not imply the presence of practical intelligence. This kind of intelligence may come from genes or "concentrated cultivation" where parents actively attempt to foster and access a child's talents, opinions and skills. Such concerted cultivation has enormous advantages. The heavily schedules child is exposed to a constantly shifting set of experiences. She learns team work and how to cope in highly structured settings. She is taught how to interact with adults, and to speak up when she needs to. Such children learn a sense of "entitlement".

Everyone is a function of where they are from, i.e each one carries a legacy. How their parents, grand-parents were and the kind of values and ideology that they followed and passed on. 'Each of us has his or her own distinct personality. But overlaid on top of that are tendencies and assumptions and reflexes handed down to us by the history of the community we grew up in, and those differences are extraordinarily specific'. Some examples Malcolm gives are of the "Culture of Honor" from the Appalachia, where a man's reputation is at the center of his livelihood and self-worth. The lack of English communication skills in South Korean pilots causing plane clashes. The persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard by the east Asians which conditions them to put in the necessary effort to succeed at Math. The KIPP program in New York which gives disadvantaged kids a head start by making them work extra hours which they would have otherwise wasted.

To conclude as per Malcolm 'Success is not a random act. It arises out of a predictable and powerful set of circumstances and opportunities. If you can work hard enough and assert yourself, and use your mind and imagination, you can shape the world to your desires.'