|
Good
morning <$firstname$>,
Concluding
my mini-series of articles about inspirational movies today,
“The
Family Man” is one of these must-see-at-all-cost.
You'll enjoy it too, I guarantee it.
It
is all about a single and very successful Manhattan businessman
who thinks he has everything, with a lifestyle that the
world envies - until his girlfriend Kate (Tea Leoni) of
13 years ago contacts him and he is confronted with his
choice not to marry her at the time.
By
some twist of events, Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) wakes
up one morning to lead an alternate life of being Kate's
husband for a few weeks, happily married with two kids,
selling tyres in the suburbs.
Why
would that happen, you might ask? Because over his obsession
with business, he has completely neglected his personal
life - and that's catching up with him now. You can't be
out of balance for long, nature will always restore it -
a Universal
Law that can not be broken.
As
human beings, sooner or later we have to experience life
from all angles consciously open to us - but we have our
priorities, and therefore choices to make. For me this film
is very relevant and believable.
What
would have happened, for example, if I had not decided in
1984 to live and work in South Africa?
At
the time, my biggest dream was to no longer live in Germany
where I was born and raised - the two years in London I
had done previously weren't enough to satisfy my curiosity
about people who live, learn and grow in cultures different
from my own.
As
difficult as our decisions seem to be at times, we should
be grateful every day that we have the freedom to choose
and that we do have the right - and obligation -
to become what we can be and want to be. This, by definition,
always includes our choice against everything we do NOT
want to be.
Fortunately,
the constitution of our country 'guarantees' that we may
pursue any dream we have, as long as we take the responsibility
for our actions - not everyone can enjoy this freedom and
comfort.
Be
that as it may, if you want 'guarantees' buy a toaster.
In my opinion it is more important to be aware that whatever
we do to others will eventually be done to us, one way or
another. That's something that I will personally guarantee,
for what it's worth.
If
we all recognised that truth, I believe there would be a
lot less suffering in the world, and more prosperity. But
we decide to the best of our knowledge, so I must assume
that right now most of us just don't know better.
One
dilemma we often face in our choices is that we have to
temporarily sacrifice something when we opt for one route
over the other. We can never really take a wrong turn though
: at the end of the day, one way is as good as the other
- may be it's a bit longer or more difficult than the alternative,
but it is always exactly what we need to experience at the
time.
Obviously,
we sometimes need to give up familiar and comfortable positions
to obtain a more comprehensive picture of our place in the
universe - and in “Family Man”, Jack Campbell
at first has a rude awakening to a life without his Ferrari
and penthouse.
But
once he discovers that the treasure of a happy life with
family and friends is worth so much more than any material
comfort, he doesn't want to go back to his previous existence.
Can
we reverse our decisions? No, but with our new perspective
we can adjust our course for the future. Be aware of your
choices before you hit dead-end.
Until
next time, all the best from :
|
