Some Life Lessons From A Film Part I?

Life always has lessons to teach us in the good and the bad, so does the Bible, so do movies. I am going to talk about what stuck out for me as I once again watched the Godfather trilogy, and thinking back to when I lived in Little Italy as a kid.

Lesson 1 is that family and faithful friends are important in life. I am not saying perfect because none of us is and at times all we can do is the best we can with what’s in front of us. Having that support from friends and family is important and I see that now as I am older in a way that I didn’t before. Do I have the same social and political views as all my family members? Hell no, I am a Conservative in pretty much every respect, and a number of them are not. Same with friends, but at the end of the day having a team one can count on matters a lot. Family and friends good ones are a core part of life. I hope I will always appreciate good friends and family, which can be one and the same.

Lesson 2 is that you should not rush to solve tricky situations. When we rush to solve something out of fear and frantic emotions will turn out wrong. One thing about Vito Corleone was that he was not a hot head and he didn’t jump to solve a problem if there was one that was complicated. He really took time to think things through and from all angles before coming up with a solution. My big backfires in life have been due to my not doing this and going bull in a china shop trying to solve a problem. Stepping back is a good idea when something is complex. Maybe sleep on it and ask for guidance and clarity, sometimes your dreams will give a symbolic answer.

Lesson 3, money is not the root of all evil, but love of money is. Families can be torn apart by greed, poor financial planning etc.., so making sure you don’t mix friends, family and money, especially in terms of lending and business. Good planning in finances avoids a lot of headaches later on, I know. I wish I had had better insight into the future and planned long term for my financial well being. In not doing so I put myself in a precarious position down the line that I am now trying to play catch up with. That adds to my stress, which is not good for my fibromyalgia.

Lesson 4 is that when you see a problem on the horizon don’t brush it off or ignore it, pretend you are invincible. Rather the key is to acknowledge that possibility of that problem arising and coming up with a back up plan, write it down, record it on a recorder that you safely put someplace. Then you can continue onward and be ready if and when that problem does arise, so you are no caught up unprepared and in a panic. Again I wish I had seen long term how my lack of concern about my elder years was detrimental and thought differently.

Lesson 5 is know who you have in your circles, really know who is sincere, who is not, really know the people in your circles because often the backstabbing comes not from the outside, but the inside, so knowing who is in your circles and what they are about is important, not to be paranoid, just to be on top of things. Know they self and know the others around me.

Life is full of lessons and they can found in scripture and sometimes in movies. Life works when we grow with it as we make the journey. Part 2 coming soon.

Namaste