Sem. Tim Allen S. Palomera Reflection Paper Rev. Fr.

Eldrick Pena

“GET BUSY LIVING OR GET BUSY DYING”

(SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION)

I have already watched this movie during lockdown and the quote above is what the

summary of my understanding from the film. I was amazed when the protagonist Andy was

succeeded to get out in prison and inspires me to hope for the better days because I was drained

and bored for almost two months at home. His willingness to get out from the prison is hard to

imagine especially when you spent a long time in prison and this is what they call

“Institutionalized” meaning you are now attached from the life in prison and you can’t help but

to stay.

I find myself institutionalized in the seminary because this is the time when I learned

some values in life and I experienced the community that only few has the opportunity to have it.

I am wondering how my life be when I decided to go out in the seminary for a while after 6 years

in formation and it is hard for me to imagine because I used to have schedules and have someone

to accompany. I felt the same way as Red when he got out from imprisonment, I felt the fear

inside when my life was totally different on the outside. I found hard to move on from how I

used to be in the seminary and I cannot let go easily the moment when my batchmates are going

to leave for their dreams to move. Just like the line of the psalm said, “I was hard-pressed and

was falling but no one came to help me”, I can’t help myself but to be lonely. The main character

Red in the movie had reflected my personality in the seminary. I am also known as the one who

gets things for others and I was glad to be like that but when I am not that person anymore, I

have found myself useless and no purpose in life. However, just like Red, he never gave up on

living and he was still trying to get things into order because someone like Andy Dufresne had

encouraged him to hope for goodness.

 Sem. Tim Allen S. Palomera Reflection Paper Rev. Fr. Eldrick Pena

I think that is the most wonderful thing I had to kept within my heart that even in despair,

there is hope, even in suffering, there is healing, and even on death, there comes life. Andy

Dufresne remind Red that is nothing bad to hope and no good thing ever dies. As same my

classmates and the community, they never fail me to give hope to remain in the seminary, we

help each other no matter how deep our wounds are. We might die now but choose to be lived

with everyone who cares, corrects, and loves you because there is one thing remains,

MEMORIES. People come and go; this message is what I need to prepare for this to come.

Preparing myself to move on from the moments where I would never go back. This is the saddest

reality that I am going to accept unless I want to be left behind from the past.

I was sad when the scene Brooks chose to end his life in the room for being useless on

the outside where everything changes at a glance. I really understand the way Brooks had to feel

and this is what I am afraid of, for being useless on the existing changes of the world but I am

trying to remember that all endings have new beginnings and no one knows how far it gets to be

there. I have put into my mind that I may not know what will happen but I am trying to know

what God has prepared for me.

From the end of the movie when Andy and Red have meet again after 10 years, I feel the

joy inside them because the one whom you have reminded is also the one who came back to you

in the end. And this is the hope that I am trying to hold on that in the end the chances are given

for me to take and I will spend this moment unceasingly. I thank God for leading me to be here

in the seminary and for giving me the opportunity to have a second family, a community that

never leaves me to be alone and oppressed. And I will never give up to apply the message of the

title of mine, “GET BUSY LIVING OR GET BUSY DYING” and I chose to get busy living

because what matters to me is to live without regret.