Simba's Dilemma

Last weekend I took a long bus ride with my rowing team and, of course, we watched movies to pass the time. One of the movies was Up, which is an incredibly sad movie. The people around me started to discuss the fact that there are many disney movies that are excruciatingly sad! We mentioned Toy Story 3, namely when all the toys line up and hold hands as they wait to be incinerated, and Up, when the wife dies and Mr. Fredrickson has such a rough time to overcome the grief. However, for me, the most depressing moment in a disney movie is when Mufasa dies in The Lion King.

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To give a little background, though I hope you've seen this movie because it's a classic, Simba was tricked by his Uncle Scar to stay in a valley for a "surprise" from his father, Mufasa. However, Scar sends a stampede of yaks (I believe) into the valley. Mufasa comes and saves the day by saving Simba from the rampage. Alas, Mufasa, while trying to escape, is murdered by his own brother, Scar. This heart-wrenching scene is almost too much for me to bear. Especially since Scar tells Simba afterwards that Simba killed his own father. I can't even grasp the trauma that would be for poor Simba. He goes on to run away and adapt a new moto: Hakuna Matata. However, this lackadaisical manner doesn't last long. His pride is in trouble and his trusted friend, Nala, with a little help from Rafiki, the baboon, show him that he can't run from his problems.

This really speaks to a greater theme in American life. There is a general idea that you can't run from your problems. It's considered cowardly. The way to face grief and/or other life problems is to stand up and face it, head on. While I didn't realize this theme at the time, I can see it now. I do believe that it would take a bit more than a tropical vacation to get over the trauma of believing that you killed your own father, the idea is still relevant. So, Simba, stand up to your grief and go save your pride!

What themes do you see now that you look back on the movies you watched as a child?

Always Looking Ahead

So over the weekend I visited Boston to watch the Head of the Charles Regatta. However, while I was staying in Boston I visited Boston College. Naturally, much of the weekend turned into a chronic conversation about what I'm looking for in college. I was starting to feel really stressed. All I really wanted to do was to relax and watch some excellent rowing.

But, when I thought about it, it seemed every moment of my life was preparing myself for the next. In middle school my teachers all ways told us that they gave us so much homework because they were preparing us for high school. Then last year my history teacher always talked about how we had to prepare ourselves AP courses Junior year. Now I'm constantly on the look out for the perfect college for me and making sure that I give myself the best chance I have to be accepted into that college. When will it be that I'm done preparing and looking for the next move?

I honestly believe that day will never come. Each moment of our lives is devoted to creating our best selves. But, for what? In this day and age it is all about being innovative and creating the next great commodity. Steve Jobs is an incredible example of this. He was beloved for his ingenuity. Apple is always making the newest phone, music device, and the next must have technologic device. It's the American way to get bigger and better each and every day. So it seems that I may never reach my dream of simply relaxing. Well, I am currently in a rocking chair watching the planes take off in the Boston airport so I'm fairly content.

Our Downfall

So the other day in math class I came to realize how lazy I am. However, Americans are supposed to be hard working and always making their own opportunities. So it made me think because I know I'm not the only one. I've talked to others in my generation of teens and they feel the same way. So why is my generation of teens so different from my parents'?

So when I sat down and thought about it for awhile I came up with a rough idea. Our parents were the hardworkers that gave America it's reputation. They had to find their own way in the world. They had to create their own opportunities and fght their way into the world. However, another part of the American Dream is to use your success to create a better life for your kids as well. And they certainly have done that. I mean, I'm going to be honest here, I can't remember a time when I actually had to create my own opportunity. I've tried out for sport teams, but that's not really making your own opportunity. Our parents have done such an incredible job of making our lives more comfortable than them, they've practically set us up for our disaster!

"We All Aspire"

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The other day I was surfing the channels on TV when I came across the commercial above. I found it interesting because I had blogged before about competition and the drive to be the best. This Samsung Galaxy S II commercial made me wonder. The narrator mentions some interesting points:
"Nobody ever set their sights on second place."
"Who aspires to be almost remembered?"
"There's a reason there are no giant foam fingers that say, 'we are number three.'"
"No one wants to tell an average joke, make an underwhelming entrance, go out with a whimper."
"Nobody ever dances in front of the mirror with a hairbrush pretending to be the tambourine player."
"And there are definitely more kids dressed as batman than robin."
And the final point that really struck me was: "We all aspire."
Quite powerful, if you ask me, but why is it so? America, I believe, is seen to be a nation of 'go-getters', but how much of that is because we were taught by our parents to 'aspire'? Or was it society that told us to be that way? There's a common phrase: "If Johnny jumped off the bridge, would you?" Now that's an exaggerated situation, but it is a legitimate question when asked about less hyperbolized situations. If everyone around you is competing to be the number one, would that make you compete to be the best?