I have been recovering from a cold and used some of the down time to watch movies. I stumbled onto a 2010 movie called “Timer” that revolves around the lives of people in a time when a revolutionary device imbedded in ones arm counts down the time until you meet your soul mate. Apparently the device is pretty much right on – with a 98% satisfaction rating on the matches. Intriguing idea with lots of interesting implications.

The heroine in the story’s timer is blank since her soul mate doesn’t have one – so she’s been dating men only without timers. While her sister’s timer indicates her soulmate shows up when she is 43 years old. Bummer if she wanted to have kids with him. But the part of the story I want to relate is regarding their 14 year old brother. Fourteen is the age when you can get a timer and as soon as his was installed it showed he was due to meet his soulmate within a few days.

Reminiscence of arranged marriages the strangers have a chance meeting. Of course, in this case, it is assumed that two kids that have only said, “Hi,” to each other will eventually get married, etc. Awkwardly, the girl turns out to be the daughter of the family’s Spanish only speaking housecleaner. The white folks try to be inviting and friendly, but the girl’s family are clearly unhappy with the turn of events. Later in the story the girl’s mother takes the boy’s mother aside and with some translation expresses her feelings, “It would have been better if the two kids had started seeing each other in secret. And we would have found out about it – disapproving, yelling, screaming – forcing us to accept their love and each other’s families after they were married.”

I think what struck me was that peoples natural inclinations and attitudes could be so averted by this authority given to the timer. The tradition of marrying within one’s circle or culture falls away for the higher value of true love. In the “old days” they would have forbid the romance only honoring it once they had no choice. So true love was valued then, but had to be proven. The option of exploring love was not valued over the traditions or desires of the parents.

I am always interested in what people give meaning to. For some people to forget a birthday or anniversary is a big deal. Yet, assigning meaning to such events is always made up. We make up the rules and then suffer when someone breaks them. The Timer movie got me wondering what it would take for people to give up some of the rules that really don’t serve them. Is there some authority that is 98% right that could help loosen our grips on the many arbitrary things we give meaning to?