I watched a movie on television, called "Paradise Road."  It was about the Japanese internment of Western women during World War 2, in Sumatra. 

I realised, soon after I started watching it, that I had been an ''Extra" in this movie, and had been one of the people in the Ballroom opening scenes.  (Not that you could see me anywhere...)  It brought a lot of memories back.  (They were great times, working in films. I loved the dressing up, the make-up, the hairdressers, the food, the fun, the people and the atmosphere. Always exciting, and different.) 

Anyway, in the story, which was a true story based on real life experiences, a woman forms a choir from her internee companions, not really singing, but using their voices as instruments. 

These scenes were really moving.  It reminded me of when I used to write poetry all over the cardboard covering my work tables when I worked in a factory many years ago. 

I had a mini revelation of how creative inspiration can help you transcend the most mundane of circumstances, as it did for me then.  In the story, the wonder of those lovely voices transformed their Japanese guards into reasonable people,  instead of savage enemies.  I know it was a film interpretation of the story, but this does happen in real life, too.  And the epilogue prior to the credits gave reason to believe it happened then. 

Beauty can be found anywhere if you really want to look and, though you can muddle through the darkest times without it, life is so much more uplifting with beauty in the heart, mind and spirit. 

We often forget to make time for such things in our lives.  But all it takes really is one person who'll guide and inspire the others to try, too.  And there you are, wonderment and refreshment and a renewed zest for living! 

One lovely sentence jumped out at me in the  dialogue of this movie.  The character of a mature woman was asked, ''You don't hate them, do you?"  (referring to the Japanese) 
and she answered, ''I just can't bring myself to hate people - the worse they behave, the sorrier I feel for them..." 

What a wonderful sentiment, and how spiritual!  To me, that gets at the heart of what it's all about.  We are all part of the same life force, after all.  It's only our bodies and our behaviour that separate us. 

If we can remember that, just for a moment, it gives us the courage to continue to persevere under the most straining of circumstances with other people.