The Meaning of Life in 5 Flicks

I had to start this list somewhere and what better place than The Breakfast Club?

Why does this movie make my list?

Because from the moment we begin to interact with others, we spend a great deal of time and energy trying to "fit in". We want people to like us, we want to be "popular" and so we'll wear the right clothes, drive the right car and say the right things in the hopes that our peers see us as cool.

But the truth is, we're all just as insecure as the next person, homecoming queen and valedictorian included. And its not until later in life that we (hopefully) realize that all we really needed to do was learn to be ourselves and more importantly, be "okay" with who that person turned out to be.

We all have quirks, we all have fears but who you are today is not who you will be tomorrow and what seems like the end of the world is actually just the beginning to a new chapter.

Embrace who you are and let people like you for you. If they don't, well then... its their loss... not yours.

I had a lot of my own ideas about heaven, hell and the afterlife, most of which didn't fit with traditional beliefs.

What Dreams May Come is probably the closest visual representation I've seen to date that summarizes the "big picture" the way I believe it to be.

We are really all connected. We really do create our own reality, and in more ways than one.

"Life" is so very much bigger than you think and the Universe is not just planets and stars... its energy. We're energy. And everything we do, everything we believe resonates from this life to the next.

Two teens are magically transported into an old television series akin to Leave It To Beaver, called "Pleasantville". There they find an alternate Universe, one that never changes and where everything is "pre-written" and "pre-destined".

But all that changes when the knowledge of life outside Pleasantville touches this little fictional town and as each character becomes self-aware, they change from black and white to color. This self-awareness ranges from standing up for yourself for the first time to truly grasping the meaning of "love".

If you think it sounds corny, think again. This has got to be one of the best feel-good movies ever made.

There's a scene near the end where Bud (Toby McGuire) is being tried by the City Council for "interfering" with the natural "pleasantness" of Pleasantville. He's ordered to stop and Toby says

"But you see.. that's just the point because its in you and you can't stop something that's inside you."

The message? Be true to yourself because you are so much "more" than you realize.

Don't be afraid of change. Oh, you'll certainly have your share of obstacles along the way but change is inevitable (as the City Council found out) and if you embrace it, it can be a really good thing.

The message of this movie was not that the system doesn't work, even though it doesn't.

The message of this movie was not that life can suck. Even though it can.

The message of this movie was that you will persevere. Yes. You will. No matter the odds, no matter the obstacles. You can overcome.

Or in the words of Will Smith - you got a dream, you gotta protect it... don't ever let somebody tell you "you can't" do something... you want something - go get it. Period.

Your perception is your reality. If you believe that the world is a generous and wondrous place, then generous and wondrous it will be.

If you believe that the world is filled with magic and beauty, then magic and beauty is what you will see.

You can "think" your way into a bad mood just like you can think your way into a headache. But you can get glad in the same pants you got mad in. Its all in your perspective.

Life is what you make of it. Your imagination is there for a reason. Use it and create something amazing.

We tend to fear what we don't understand and turn away from things that are different and unique.

Keep it up, and we're likely to miss something wonderful.

Your ship will never come in if you're not standing on the dock and opportunity will get tired of knocking if you never answer the door.

Not everything in this world will fit into that nice, neat box you've created. But its the things that don't fit that can turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary one-in-a-lifetime event.

Open your mind, open your heart and watch what comes your way.

You never know when you'll get a chance to change the world.

Love is all there is. Love is all you need.

Love conquers all.