Opening Minds, Hearts and Souls

This is a response to the novel, Life of Pi, by Yann Martel.

From the time an infant is born, conventions are already starting to make an influence and shape their life; parents, teachers and relatives each have their own footprint on the habits of this new miracle. Throughout the years, everyone will meet new people, go new places, and see new things -- different experiences shape different people. Entering each situation and predicament with an open mind helps people to learn about new conventions -- those who don't will never learn the true lessons of life.

Pi Patel was a Hindu -- a very important attribute about him -- and had inherited the ways of life of a Hindu. At first, he became so engrossed with the Hindu customs that he began to miss out on the experiences of life; he felt that his ways and only his ways were the right way to live. When Pi's family took a vacation to Munnar and went into a Church, he began his lifelong journey of getting to know God -- he just didn't know it yet. "First wonder goes deepest; wonder after that fits in the impression of the first." (50) Although it was a struggle to believe in the Christian faith, Pi needed that struggle in order to lead him to a better life, one in which believing in different conventions is not a problem. He had been a Hindu all his life and entering into the church was the equivalent of him entering into new territory -- one that was completely strange and unknown to him.

There are many different people in the world -- not one the same -- and all have one decision to make about conventions: whether or not to welcome others and their ways of life with open arms. Pi may be an example of the ones who are willing to accept ideas of others and ponder them with no remorse, but his parents are quite the opposite. After receiving the startling news about their son's acceptance of new religions, Mr. and Mrs. Patel aren't very welcoming of the new idea. "To me, religion is about our dignity, not our depravity." (71) Although their son had enough faith and strength within him to rise above the criticism of others, these two parents could not bring themselves to perceive their son's motives. Appreciate the effort and faith of Pi they did not, rather they were full of dismay and missed out on the most important events of his life; what could've been the most fulfilling experience of their lifetime was taken as an embarrassing incident and ignored, the worst mistake a parent can make in his or her lifetime.

Not unlike his parents, Pi could be very judgmental; to him an animal's way of life was despicable -- they ate like savages and had no feelings for one another. With every grueling second, minute, hour and day, he began to realize why exactly the Hindu religion made every piece of life sacred: animals aren't much different than humans. Each and every one of us has our own conventions, our own way of life, and it is the exact same for all animals. They, too, have been put on this world by the same God as us; they, too, have a mission in life, like us; they, too, have the freedom to chose whichever conventions make them comfortable, no different from us. If humans and animals have so many things in common, shouldn't each treat the other's conventions the same as their own: with an understanding and forgiving heart? As soon as Pi realized this, he opened his heart to these strange and unknown ways to him and took a leap of faith.

Many people are too caught up in their own worlds to even consider taking a leap of faith; for them, life consists of only one right way: their own. We all wish that we aren't these people and that they don't even exist, but there are so many that act like the Japanese businessmen who could not and would not believe Pi's story -- to them, if it didn't fit into their rules, it wasn't true. Traditions and customs vary from culture to culture, yet the most faithful ones are able to look past the differences of others and take them in; the Japanese business men were not these ones. "If you stumble at mere believability, what are you living for? Isn't love hard to believe?" (297) If those men were so low that they could not believe Pi's story, they obviously were not living a healthy life; it takes more than just conventions to believe in something, it takes inner strength, something those men seemed to lack. Without this attribute, a person cannot triumph and attain great things.

Since there are many Japanese businessmen out in the world, one must be sure to refrain from becoming one of them; this requires much strength from within and acceptance of others. Many will be challenged in school, the workplace, even home. Everyone, from the top of the business ladder to the bottom, will encounter a coworker some time in their life that does not have the same work ethic or routine as themselves, but they have to find a way to overcome that difference and bond together.

No matter where you go, what you do or who you meet, there will always be obstinate people unwilling to accept the ways of others. Pi had to face these struggles in his own life, each and every one made him a stronger person. In order to learn from each person and experience encountered in life, one must find an equal balance between their own conventions and others; never losing sight of their own, yet opening their minds and hearts to others.