I enjoy “feel good” movies in which
the guy gets the girl at the end. I
enjoy movies as being entertaining and sometimes inspiring, not though, as
educational.
But, watching a re-run of the
classic move Groundhog Day made me reflect on the question of goodness and
human nature.
The main character, Phil Connor is a
television reporter who is depicted as arrogant and selfish. This day he feels belittled by the petty
assignment in a small town and is disrespectful to his crew and the people in the
town.
What happens next is that he relives
this same day over and over again. As a result he comes to two realizations. At
first he realizes that no matter what he does there are no consequences to his
actions, because no matter what happens, he will anyway wake up and it will be
the same day again. This makes him terribly frustrated. He takes out that
frustration by becoming annoyed with everyone.
He then realizes that he can be self indulgent. He can drink and eat
without limit, and even drive off a cliff, and the next day he will be back in
the same place and same reality. This
allows him to take advantage and indulge in physical pleasure and thrills.
His second realization is that since
he knows exactly what will happen throughout this repeated day, while others do
not, he is in a position of power. This
motivates him to take advantage of people. He robs a Brinks truck and
manipulates the best looking woman in town to sex.
After this stage of manipulating
people, something remarkable happens to him. He discovers that he feels better
about himself by helping other people.
He then begins to use his knowledge advantage to do good for others. He
gives money, saves someone’s life and, caters to his TV crew and falls in love
with his woman producer.
Is such a transition possible or is
it only a fantasy for a movie?
In some way this transition from
self indulgence to manipulation and then compassion and giving, can be viewed
as a transition through stages of life. At a young age we are inclined to focus on our
personal needs, and as we age we learn to reflect on life and use our knowledge
for the good of those we care about.
But, is that a natural progression
for all people? Can we find a way to
encourage compassion and goodness at younger ages?
Is goodness and compassion part of
our nature and how can we facilitate and encourage it?
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