Life of Pi

I watched Life of Pi a few months ago.  It was an interesting film and special effects were quite nicely done.  The reason for this post is not because I want to write a detailed review of the film.  It's more because it left me kind of disturbed.

The two key takeaways that I left the film with were:

• The meaning of life is whatever you choose to give it.  In the movie, the main character tells 2 versions of the same story and ask people which one they prefer.  Since there is no way to verify what actually happened, they are free to pick the version that appeals more to them.  In some sense, that is the case with life as well.  Two people, presented with the same circumstances, will interpret things completely differently based on their value system.
• At a basic level humans are not very different from animals.  Throw out civilization, and the need to survive can turn us into cannibals.  Through civilization, we have learnt how live with one another, created laws and rules for socially acceptable living, and, in many societies, by providing access to basic needs, have eliminated the need for a bare, ruthless existence where we kill and consume one another.  Yet, where it is socially acceptable, like for example in the world of business and politics, we see this kind of behavior (in a figurative sense) all the time.

Anyway, that was just my interpretation of the film.  I've talked about it with several friends and colleagues and many of them say based on what they've heard to be the message of the film, they'd rather not see it.