A Window Wide Open

Introduction

“A Window Wide Open” draws the portrait of La Pyay Win, a young mother who lives at a garbage dump on the outskirts of the Bagan - Myanmar. She, her husband and their 3 kids were trying their best to survive, reselling whatever recyclable waste they could find on the site. After the catastrophic coup d'état that took place on February 1st 2021, and all the tragedy that unfolded since, so many families were reduced to even more extreme conditions. Unfortunately, La, subsequently to the shooting of this short film, Pyay Win lost her young husband and she's now alone taking care of her 3 kids.

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Foreword

In Bagan, random experiences that will shake you to your innermost core would happen on a daily basis. That was the inexplicable magic of that city. And each and every time, it felt as if a new window was opened into your heart, a window you had no idea even existed. Not too rarely, also, you’d come across something so heart-wrenching that it would linger in your thoughts for weeks or months.

I used to visit La Pyay Win and her family from time to time. Had she been luckier in her life, she could have pursued a successful career elsewhere. She was beautiful, clever and sharp. For the time being, her destiny was to be there, at a garbage dump, doing her best to survive with her husband and 3 kids.

Have you ever thought about what is it that truly determines our destiny? Did we choose the circumstances of our birth? Did we choose to be born into a rich and prosperous land rather than in a poor and war-torn country? Did we choose our genes, our cultural background, our education, our social status? Did we choose our own appearance, our physical and mental health, our character and inclinations, our talents and skills?

The title of this work evokes the notion that we, as conscious beings, are like a wide-open window onto reality. There are no hindrances, nothing to obstruct our vision. Everything there is to see and embrace is right here and right now, readily available. Yet, there is so much that eludes our sight. So much we can't see. So much we refuse to see.

We are so paradoxical creatures: On one hand, nothing ever seems to be enough; we’re in constant demand for more. We want more possessions, more power and influence, more pleasure, more security etc. On the other hand, we’re often ridiculously overwhelmed by what is here and now. Most of the time, we can't even bear it. So we focus on the good part only, the comfortable part. We don’t want it all. And so we constantly miss the truth.

Living so much in our minds, and so little from our hearts, we tend to see the world through the continuous filtering of our judgments. In that world, things, people and situations must be whether accepted or rejected, rewarded or punished, praised or shamed, empower or diminished, loved or ignored. In the world of judgments, there's no place for wholeness and completeness. No place for acceptance. No place for peace.

Imagine to leave behind for a moment all the judgments, all the empty comparisons. Imagine to give up the pride, the envy, the arrogance, the competition, just for a moment, to have a look at what is here for you now, with you. How sweet to meet and appreciate someone else, not because of their title or what they've seemingly accomplished in their life, but just because they are Life, here, with you.

IMF - January 2024