Love is all you need

I saw a movie a little over a year ago that just blew me away. This movie tells a story of an older generation giving up their country, because the cost of living was too great there and they had no other choice. It also involves the dreams of a young man wanting to start a hotel and his dreams of sharing his world and happiness with those that were in the last quarter of their lives. The collision of cultures was hilariously heartwarming and the love of life in one's Golden years gives one hope that the world has not forsaken the treasures of old age. 

Today I went to see the sequel of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and I have never been a huge fan of badly made sequels and this movie is definitely not a badly made sequel, as a matter of fact, it is probably one of the best I have seen lately. This time the movie is not a clash of cultures, but a clash of generations, one generation trying to leave a legacy of knowledge to the younger generation and the younger generation trying it's best to start a life of its own. Too many times movies are made with nothing but special-effects artists writing the story without any regard for the deeper story of the human experience. I know the stories that I have read may sound like they are about one thing or another but when you pull them down to their basics, they are always about the human condition and our striving for happiness. Almost every story written is about the one thing that we as humans need more than anything else - love. If you want to boil down anything in this world to its basic properties it will contain love. I believe that our Creator put in us the need for love and companionship for a reason. I believe that stories like this hold our interest not because they're about another land or time or witchcraft or fighter pilots or no matter what the story really is all about, its underlying message is that we are human and we love and need to be loved. I am and always have been a romantic.

There are myriad loves in this world to be had and we start with the first one, the love of our mother and as we grow we find love from every corner of our life, from friends and relatives, in the people that we choose to share life with, to the one that we have chosen to be that special one to grow old with. Growing old with grace, dignity and love is what this movie and its sequel were all about. So if you haven't seen The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel you need to and, once you have, you definitely need to see the sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I give it my personal recommendation. Thank you my friends for listening.