Quarantine's got me watching a lot of movies. Luckily, I watched 'Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot' starring Joaquin Phoenix. It's based on the true story of American cartoonist, John Callahan who becomes a quadriplegic at the age of 21, following a car accident.
The movie revolves around his life after the accident. Before the accident he was an an alcoholic, a trend that continues for some years after his accident as well.
The accident brings his life to a screeching halt (pun intended), forcing him to address his childhood issues; he was rejected by his birth mother, grew up in a foster home where he felt he never belonged, and was allegedly molested at the age of 8.
All this led him to start drinking at the tender age of 12 so he could 'hide the pain of the abuse'.
During one of his Alcoholics Anynymous type meetings, the meeting coordinator asks him to narrate 'his story' instead of ranting and complaining. It's a watershed moment for Callahan because he is compelled to admit that he is an alcoholic; that on that fateful night, he made a concsious choice to sit in a car driven by a drunk man because he himself was drunk. That epiphany transforms Callahan's life.
I asked myself, 'what if he had decided not to sit in that car on that night'. Almost immediately, I heard a response in my head: he would have decided to sit in that car on another night.
It's not unnatural, I later realised, to feel bad for the man who could have avoided the split-second but irreversible decision that's beyond regret. At the same time, I understand that that's only one way of looking at it.
When I was in college, I had a professor who is an IIT (the Havard and Oxford for aspirant engineers in India) drop out. He traded a bright future for drugs. I learned that this experience turned him, a former atheist, into a believer with a strong faith.
He went on to mend his ways, pursued a degree in a regular college and took up a regular job. I remember learning about his story and feeling a sense of loss for him as I did for Callahan. In fact, on more than one occasion, he nonchalantly described himself as a non-achiever, which was unsettling.
Today, I know better. If wasn't for their mistakes, my professor and Callahan would have continued in their ways. The former would have continued his substance abuse, which could have ended up far worse. The latter would never have turned to art and become a celebrity cartoonist.
It was the series of events and realisations post their respective mishaps that enabled them to live their lives fruitfully.
Photo: A popular cartoon by John Callahan
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot is available to watch on Amazon Prime.
