Something to watch tonight: Thursday 7 November

My Neighbor Totoro (Miyazaki, 1988)

A couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with an old friend and the topic of New Zealand’s current disappointing political leadership came up.

I suggested that it was reminiscent of a similar government in the early 90s that did so much unnecessary economic harm in the name of ‘austerity’ that it took years for the country to recover.

“The damage we are seeing now could take a decade to fix,” I said. “Oh, Dan,” she replied. “We’re almost eighty. I don’t think we are going to be around to see it.”

After yesterday’s election result in the US, I’m starting to realise that – even as a youthful 56-year-old – the damage we are about to see done there, and to the rest of the world, will be so great it won’t be be fixed in my lifetime. It’s a sobering thought.

I’ve been thinking about the difference between extraction and investment. In an extraction economy, you chop down the tree in front of you because there’s a quid in it. Investing means planting trees that you personally won’t see mature, but they will be there for future generations.

So, while I may not be around to see the results of the seeds that I plant, I have to trust that they will grow, and I have to keep planting them. This has become a fairly tortured metaphor, sorry, especially as in real life I’m not much of a gardener.

So, what I’ll say is this. Tonight, you should watch Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro and think about your neighbours, and magic, and delight. And think about the seeds you need to plant for those still to come.

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Where to watch My Neighbor Totoro

Just about everywhere except the US and Japan: Streaming on Netflix

USA: Streaming on Max