Wisdom and Courage and Love, Oh My

When I was a young child, I loved to take the annual trip down the yellow brick road. At that time, one of my favorite movies, The Wizard of Oz, was shown on network TV and according to my memory, came around about once a year. It was quite the event at my house and was always the talk of the elementary school whenever it came on. At a time when the only channels available were 2, 4, 7, and 9 (thanks to our Canadian friends); I'm thinking it was watched by the majority of households in my community, and often as an entire family. Imagine that.

Of course in today's world of instant access, this movie and nearly every other favorite can be available at the click of a button for downloading, or if you really want to be old school, pop in the DVD. However, in the 1960s it was a rare treat, and one to be savored and appreciated. For that reason, we recognized its great value and found ourselves immersed in the annual story line and the plight of the central characters. If you weren't home to watch it, you knew you had missed it and it would be another year before the next opportunity would come back around. Because of its rarity, the Wizard of Oz holds a special place for me and I assume, many other children of the sixties. Its lessons hold a similar place and I can't help but wonder if they are somewhat lost or at least obscured in this age of instant access and gratification.

Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion were like old friends and it was always so good to see them and follow their heroic quest for a home, a brain, a heart, and a bit of courage. I remember thinking how scary their journey was and how there must certainly be an easier way to get to Oz. But every year they walked the yellow brick road, faced danger, and ultimately outsmarted and outmaneuvered a very wicked witch.  Ironically, they discovered that everything they wanted, and were willing to risk all for, was already within them and was accessible at any time. However, these treasured gifts could only become visible in the course of what promised to be a difficult and at times, seeming impossible journey. No fast forward. No rewind.

There were also no shortcuts, no easy buttons, or no magic wands. They didn't even have a car. Except for a short lift from some flying monkeys, they walked the entire way -- step by step, situation by situation, decision by decision -- and they did it as a team. Once each individual decision was made, they were committed to working together, supporting one another, and using their unique gifts and abilities when the situation called for it. Much like an annual showing of the beloved classic itself, it was old school -- and it was effective, and it was good.

The speed of today's technology and the quick access to information is intended to empower us and make us better in so many areas of our lives-- and in many ways it does. However, is it possible it also has made us a bit lazier, a bit less appreciative, and a bit more distracted? Are some of the simpler lessons and key principles getting by us because we are tempted to look at them as quaint, nostalgic, or even antiquated? Let's look at our current level of critical thinking. Do you think its level is higher or lower than in the past? In some cases, I wonder if we are even losing the burning desire to think for ourselves and have just found it easier to blindly accept and believe what shows up on our TVs, computers, and mobile devices.

The lesson of the Wizard of Oz is normally summarized in what is probably its most famous line: "There's no place like home." It speaks to the gratitude we should express for what we already have, and it is a great lesson. However, I believe there is an equally great lesson to be learned about how the attributes of wisdom, love, and courage are really acquired. Although each of these great qualities may already be inside of us, it is the step by step journey that gives opportunity for each to be practiced and perfected. Because perfection can never really be obtained, the journey also never ends. No one can take it for us and again, there are no shortcuts, easy buttons, or magic wands to do the work for us. No fast forward and no rewind -- just life in real time and moment by moment -- and lived in the company of those we love and trust.

Much like the rarity and novelty of a movie that only comes around once a year, life with all its paths is to be lived and pursued as one continuous and exciting journey. There is a road that lies before each of us. There are friends and loved ones who have gifts and abilities that will complement and complete our own. My wish and desire for you is that you will find both and -- follow the yellow brick road from the place and time it starts to the place and time it ends.