I spent the evening watching "Big", which is one of the only Tom Hanks movies I really like. I felt oddly uplifted and inspired by the movie, its messages having affirmed in a way the walk of life I chose to live.
Among the many messages the movie portrays, we see why it's important to be like little children. Josh goes to work in a toy company, where all the adults have forgotten what it was like to be kids and as such cannot relate to them, which is their only function. They can't even have fun at the company party without Josh there. Fun being the means to happiness, Josh's penchant for clean fun helps everyone who spends time with him come to a greater degree of happiness as a result.
Aside from fun, Josh serves as a symbol for purity. He has no ulterior motives, and his innocence works like a shield and a salve on everyone who's been hurt by life's harsh realities. For those who get to know him, including especially the girl, he affirms her belief in the goodness of people, shows her that people can be decent like we want them to be, like we used to think they were when we were young.
In the end, what Josh wants most is to go back to his family. Back in his old life, he has friends about whom he cared and who accepted him and miss him. In his new world, he has a "girlfriend", but he realizes he's not ready for that. Oddly enough, the successes of his career matter very little.
Why do we have to put that away and become adults? Why can't the world be full of valiant knights who slay dragons and rescue fair damsels? Why can't it be about fun, about service, and in the end about family? The Kid chooses- let the kid in you choose the way you want the world to be. He can help actualize it if you let him.
Among the many messages the movie portrays, we see why it's important to be like little children. Josh goes to work in a toy company, where all the adults have forgotten what it was like to be kids and as such cannot relate to them, which is their only function. They can't even have fun at the company party without Josh there. Fun being the means to happiness, Josh's penchant for clean fun helps everyone who spends time with him come to a greater degree of happiness as a result.
Aside from fun, Josh serves as a symbol for purity. He has no ulterior motives, and his innocence works like a shield and a salve on everyone who's been hurt by life's harsh realities. For those who get to know him, including especially the girl, he affirms her belief in the goodness of people, shows her that people can be decent like we want them to be, like we used to think they were when we were young.
In the end, what Josh wants most is to go back to his family. Back in his old life, he has friends about whom he cared and who accepted him and miss him. In his new world, he has a "girlfriend", but he realizes he's not ready for that. Oddly enough, the successes of his career matter very little.
Why do we have to put that away and become adults? Why can't the world be full of valiant knights who slay dragons and rescue fair damsels? Why can't it be about fun, about service, and in the end about family? The Kid chooses- let the kid in you choose the way you want the world to be. He can help actualize it if you let him.
1 comment:
Good post Doug. I like it. I haven't seen the movie, but I feel the same way.
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