Why are humans so fascinated with storytelling? This is the question that I wish to address and perhaps answer below. So with the name of the Cherisher, Allah, let us proceed.
Last week on Saturday, I was so bored since my family had gone out for the day and I was on my own. I had nothing to do, all my points of action were completed and I had no errands left. In passing I picked up my brother’s VHS copy of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and watched it. I am normally a Star Trek or X-Files fan but there has always been something appealing to me about this galactic saga. Now the film is very well made, charting the development of Anakin Skywalker’s character as a young apprentice under the care and tuition of a Jedi Master, Obi-wan Kenobi. After having watched Episode I before and given the fact that Episode III, the pivotal concluding part of the Star Wars saga was out ‘in theatres everywhere’ and after having watched Episode II, out of the blue I suddenly had a yearning to watch the final Episode. The very next morning on the Sunday I grabbed my young brother and sister and took them to watch Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Far from writing a film review, though, I wish to say just as a matter of personal observation that Revenge of the Sith was exactly what George Lucas has said it would be: ‘Titanic in Space.’ It was a tragedy of epic proportions; it was dark, intense and emotional. The reason I am writing this piece is a direct result of having watched Star Wars III that Sunday reason being that the intensity of the drama deeply overwhelmed me and left me reeling for days. One of the reasons is that I had stopped watching movies for months and months and had forgotten the intense drama that some films have the ability to evoke. And so when I eventually do watch a film again, after all that time (notwithstanding Episode II), it is an emotional saga the likes of which would rival The Godfather Trilogy.
The question I was left with was: why had I been so deeply affected by this film? One of the reasons I suppose was that in the previous films we see the development, up close and personal, of Anakin from childhood all the way up to being a Jedi. So to watch him in Episode III begin turning to evil was tragic and powerful. However, in this short piece I would like to focus on some reasons that relate to the more intricate wiring of the human being or rather the soul itself in relation to the effects of watching certain movies.
God has told us in the Qur’an al-Kareem that He has given us very little knowledge about the Soul: “And they ask you (O Beloved Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)) concerning the Rooh (soul). Say (to them): “The Rooh (soul) is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Rabb (Cherisher). And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little.” (Surah XVII: v. 85) As psychologists well know the human mind and soul is something not easily delineated and at best we can only ascertain clues as to the nature of what makes man tick, who he is and the mechanisms of his behaviour. I believe, and the Owner of Knowledge knows best, the reason He has given us so little knowledge directly about it is that the intellect is just mostly incapable of comprehending our true nature, our emotions and the Soul itself. At best we can just about understand signs and clues to its reality.
Let’s now talk about one of these signs in relation to my experiences over the past week. Aristotle has talked about the mechanism of Catharsis, which is a release of emotional tension after having watched a tragic drama, an overwhelming experience. Also described as a purification of a person’s soul and emotions, I believe that in a nutshell this is what happened to me this last week. Frankly, for a long time and mistakenly I thought I could delineate the human soul and understand it totally but the fact of the matter is being human and human experiences are intense, unpredictable, many a time inexplicable and absolutely fascinating. I have realised that you need to just go with the flow. This is where Hollywood comes in.
Sometimes when you watch a movie you will have different reactions depending on what happens on screen. You have to understand that watching TV or Movies puts your conscious mind into a suspended state of disbelief. In other words, the real world becomes unreal and what the story that you are watching which is unfolding before your senses temporarily becomes reality. Therefore, if something bad happens in the story you will react and be traumatised. Similarly, when something good happens like a couple having a happy moment or the hero beating the ‘baddies’ you will react to that positively. As Shaykh Zayn Hijazi told me last week it also depends on your own personal experiences in life the reactions that are evoked from you.
Humans are, for some reason, absolutely fascinated by storytelling. Whether, it is over a campfire, reading novels (just look at the huge fiction publishing industry) and, of course, movies. In my mind, movies are the epitome of storytelling since it brings the story quite literally to life and therefore the experience is multiplied. To the same degree Shaykh Zayn Hijazi pointed out that the human fascination with storytelling is an in-built mechanism within us. This is why many of the lessons and morals in the Qur’an are laid out in the context of stories relating to the previous Prophets (peace be on them).
In conclusion, I would like to say that the fascination with watching movies is along with art, music and poetry an in-built and healthy aspect of the human experience. Of course, there is the question of interacting with halal forms of these media but for the average Muslim this should be common sense and I shouldn’t have to spell this out in terms of what to watch and what not to watch. Many of us will have fond memories of our childhood watching cartoons and growing up with certain TV dramas and movies. We were attracted by these media and still are due to, I believe, the reasons I have set out above to name a few and I wish to share this, respected Reader, with yourself since not many people seem to understand these things and appreciate them. I know Hollywood is normally always condemned for its pornography, its sometimes anti-Islamic stance (albeit not with the latest movie ‘Kingdom of Heaven’) and many other damaging influences. As they say, however, there are two sides to every coin.