Wisdom and movies…

 

Ok, so I don’t REALLY… not yet. but I have an affinity for movie quotes. and while there are those who can speak far more fluently, I thought I’d share some epiphany moments derived by movie quotes as of late… You’re welcome.

 

What REALLY got me thinking about this was the fact that the boys and I have watched NUMEROUS movies over the last few weeks… you know, dinner’s done, dishes in the dishwasher, “quality” time… and while some of the movies we watched were clearly smack dab in what I lovingly refer to as “kid movies” (and yes, those are stored in the kids rooms because to add them to my collection would be obscene) some were not… I love that my boys are mature enough to handle PG-13 movies and for the most part, we have similar tastes in movies… Ok, I’m not breaking out the Rom-Coms but you know what I mean. It’s a good feeling to be able to jointly enjoy a movie. That’s all I’m trying to say. AND… on movie nights, even though they get to pick, mommy-veto power is still in full force… On to the wisdom…

From Batman Begins: Thomas Wayne speaking to his son –

“And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”

This was repeated throughout the movie… and this weekend gave me lots of opportunities to remind my boys. “Why do we fall?” and I don’t mean just physically – we fall all the time (unless we just aren’t trying anything new…) physically, metaphorically, whatever. And the rest of the quote “so we can learn to pick OURSELVES back up”. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t ask for help… but learning to pick ourselves back up… to find our own inner strength… THAT is empowering…

And from the Batman himself –

“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”

Yes… Actions DO speak louder than anything we could say… speak louder than how we look… ACTIONS are all that matters…

Another fine family movie night pick wrought with wisdom (and a favorite of my youngest)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Annabeth Chase: [leaning in as if to kiss Percy, then swiping his sword]

“First rule of battle strategy. Don’t ever let your opponent distract you.”

Ahhh yes… Life may not always be a battlefield, but it can be said that when you have a goal, you can not let the “haters” distract you. Because after all, aren’t they the opponents?

Chiron: “Keep moving! Keep moving! Don’t lose interest! One foot in front of the other and the next thing you know, you’re running!”

Yep – that’s all it takes. You have a goal – one that may seem impossible to some… and yet, you just keep on moving – keep putting one foot in front of the other and before you know it, you are running…

And a recent family outing to the Hunger Games brought forth this gem from Peeta Mellark:

“I just keep wishing I could think of a way to show them that they don’t own me. If I’m gonna die, I wanna still be me. “

Yes… because after all, we are all in circumstances that seem controlling… we may feel as if we are just cogs in a big giant machine. but what we ALWAYS have control over is HOW we react. How we respond. and HOW we can stay true to ourselves. That one little line afforded me the opportunity to have a real, honest, deep discussion with my boys on the way home.

We talked about what Peeta meant by that line and the youngest decided he meant that “The capitol could take away a lot of things but couldn’t force them to act different.”

True son… very true. So in looking at your circumstances… how we react to them is what REALLY defines us… and lucky for us, we have complete control over it.

Do you have any favorite movie lessons with your family? I can’t wait to hear about them!

 

 

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