Child-like Dreams

My favorite part about the movie last night was in the children. When I first saw Karim yelling at them, I automatically assumed that they were doing something wrong (typical for youngsters to misbehave—especially in stories, right?). However, throughout the movie it became very clear that the children were working hard to accomplish a common goal. In a way, I agree with the father's actions when he tries to discourage them from becoming millionaires, but I also think he was way too harsh about it. Kids need to dream, and if they attempt to accomplish that dream by working hard, developing teamwork, and even possibly bringing in extra income for their poor family, why stop them?

This brings me to my least favorite aspect of the movie, which is merely the fact that the cultural differences made much of it harder to understand. I can only assume that having Karim's family provide for themselves was hard on him because of their culture. I suspect that it's much more of an issue of pride, but he may have also felt a sort of duty to provide for them.

When the children were saving/earning money to buy fish, I really wonder if they had any other motive but to become rich. If they really weren't trying to supplement their father's income, they what's the harm in stopping them? The kids were doing something to help the environment and keep their dream alive. Dreams are positive goals that give us incredible motivation in life. Children have the best ability to dream, but many people seem to lose that skill as they grow older. I believe that too many people get hit with the reality of life and try too hard to accept it rather than working hard to change it.