Lessons from the movies II
Last night I watched the movie Click, starring Adam Sandler and Kate Beckinsale, on DVD. It is about a man who receives a magical universal remote control which enables him to flash back, stop and fast forward through time. He uses it to skip past moments in life that he finds mundane or annoying. He can mute the bark of the family dog, “pause” everything and fast forward through an argument with his wife. Sandler’s character is soon corrupted by the sheer power of the control and before long he can’t stop the remote from selecting what and when he will fast-forward with unexpected consequences, which I won’t spoil for those of you who have yet to see it.
While the movie is standard Sandler light-hearted fare, it got me thinking at a deeper level about life’s moments and how every moment is no less important than another. If I had been offered this magical clicker at various times in my life when the pain of some trauma has threatened to overwhelm me, I would have been very tempted to use it to fast forward over the pain. And looking back on times when I was happiest in my life, I would love the opportunity to rewind and go back to those times and places. I am sure you have felt like this too.
But think about it for a moment – isn’t our pain and suffering part of what makes us human? I know it is part of what makes me empathetic to the pain of others and willing to listen and help however I can. If I had the ability to fast forward through those times of my own pain, I would never be able to do that for others. How could I? And if I never made mistakes or experienced bad times, how would I ever learn? I love this quote from Helen Keller on character – “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved”. If we had that magical remote control, I doubt if we would ever be capable of developing that strength of character, empathy and love which the world needs.
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Marie,
In theory, this is an interesting concept, but practically speaking, we wouldn’t be the people we are, today, without having crossed those bridges. I’d like to think my hardships have made me a more thoughtful, empathetic person and for that, I am grateful. While I wouldn’t wish them on anyone else, I wouldn’t change them if I could.
XOXOXO,
Brenda
BreastCancerSisterhood.com
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Yep, I agree with Brenda too. It sure is tempting to fast forward over those rough times, but who would we be without them? My guess is self-centered, egotistical and selfish.
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Oh it sure would be tempting to control life in this way – esp for those control freaks among us.
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Wishing I had me one of those remote controls right now – going through a very rough time and would love to just fast forward right over it.
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I love that Helen Keller quote, and there was someone who knew a thing or two about suffering and character buidling!
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And here’s another thing..if we had access to a control like this, we would be taking the place of God. I know it isn’t everyone’s belief, but my personal belief is that God has ordained our lives for us and it is not up to us to fast forward over the bits we don’t care for.
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no moment is any less important than another – this is a great line to ponder on. Similarly to Mia’s quote, who are we to decide which are the important moments in our lives? The very ones causing us the most pain may be the ones we most need in our lives to teach us what we need to know.
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While it is tempting on an individual level to have this clicker in one’s possession, can you just imagine the chaos it would cause in interpersonal relationships??
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Albert Einstein once said that weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. In possession of clicker such as this I imagine weakness of attititude and character would soon follow.
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hey! i just saw this a couple of weeks ago as well. im not a fan of my pain…or suffering. and i cant say it was worth it yet. but i am glad what ive learned. that’s about as far as i can go for now. 🙂
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Marie, great post and great comments. I love to read the comments! This thought just occured for me. If we think about our individual lives which are made up of “frames” we all have our own movie. And it is ok to press that fast forward button through our “frames” that make the movie. The experiences on the frame make the movie, we can visit them if we want but we don’t have to live there. Anyway you can tell it has been another long day. Maria praying for you sweetie! As my mom use to say “this too shall pass.”
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