I did a thread on it some time back, and this was my thoughts about it. (Copied and pasted):
I know it's a chick flick, and love it or hate it, as I recall it did have some thought-provoking nuggets sprinkled throughout the plot, and I am willing to set aside any rotten tomatoes I may throw at the movie, in favor of something I might learn for the most unlikely sources (The movie, not you).
Just going by memory here: In the movie, Eat, Pray, Love, Julia Roberts finds herself in an unsatisfactory marriage, travels to several countries, encounters various personalities, and customs, in search of fulfillment, meaning, and purpose. Along the way, she meets a guru (Ketut, her mentor), whose life is so radically different from her's (His being quite simple, and her's being quite messy). Anyway, she metaphorically surrenders to the big "O" of eating spaghetti in Rome, dabbles her socialite toes in the inviting world of spiritual life in India, and then of course, on to finding something akin to real love in Bali.
Anyway, along the way, she meets Richard, who is a "Get your head out of the sand" pragmatist, who nudges her closer to living in reality, and ever so slowly, she begins to put some pieces of the "lost soul" puzzle together. This is where she comes up with the "Physics Of The Quest" philosophy, which is, presumably the brain poking tool of the movie. Paraphrasing here, it is essentially being willing to let go of anything that may be holding you back, and embarking on a pilgrimage to find fulfillment, purpose, and meaning in your life, while accepting anything you encounter along the way as possible clues to what you seek.
So, does finding healing, balance, and the answers to life require a willingness to let go of the life preservers we cling to, and fearlessly journey in search of whatever is lacking in our life?
Perhaps that journey is inward?
Perhaps it's all about the journey, and the goal you start out with is not the benefit you end up with?
Is being contented a rarely opened gift that rests under the tree of our life?
Maybe finding a "Latin Lover" is a solution with lot less work. (Ha ha)
