Happy Groundhog Day!

For most of my life, I hardly thought of Groundhog Day at all. I suppose I was lightly amused at the thought of thousands of people, the press and cameramen from around the world waiting and watching for a rodent to tell us about the weather.

All of that changed when I saw the movie Groundhog Day. (If you haven't seen it click the link for a synopsis before reading on) You can also read the post I wrote on Groundhog Day 2005.

I have long been enamored by the value of movies to help us learn - a story well told in a multi-sensory fashion.

What follows is a perspective written several years ago for a now semi-dormant project called Magical Movies. I encourage you to read this perspective and ponder the questions I pose.

....

In his unique predicament, Phil tries everything he can think of - first to find pleasure, then to escape, and finally to simply peace. He quickly realizes that his situation provides him with special abilities. He can tell the future; he can read people's minds; there are no mortal consequences to his actions. He is not omnipotent. He fails to save a homeless man, whose time to die has come, or manipulate the woman he wants into sleeping with him. But compared to normal folks in normal circumstances, he is justified in calling himself "godlike." With all this power, Phil might expect to find satisfaction easily.

And yet, for years - perhaps decades - of iterations, joy eludes him. He indulges excessive appetites, manipulates women, steals money, and finally kills himself over and over again - without ever finding what he is searching for. So, what is the secret? Ultimately, what does Phil do to achieve fulfillment?

He focuses on others.

As long as he is concentrating on his own pleasure or his own pain, he cannot move forward. As long as he sees the people and places around him only as barriers or paths to his own selfish desires, he is stuck. When he uses his unique knowledge to help others, he discovers love and a purpose to his life. All of a sudden, a kid in a tree, who never says "thank you"; a twittering group of older ladies with a flat tire; and a young, bickering couple become a sacred trust to be nurtured and protected. And, in the process of caring for them, Phil attains his peace.

When we focus only on ourselves, it can feel like there is so much that can confound our desires - other people, illness, time, work, the weather. But somehow, when we step outside our own needs and provide for others, we discover more power to affect the world, and more help in achieving our own goals than we ever expected.

So - perhaps ironically, perhaps inevitably - by concentrating on others' needs, Phil gains not only the joy of helping them, but everything that he had come to desire for himself, too. And he wakes up "tomorrow" with his love in his arms, looking out on the town he had originally dismissed with disdain and viewed as a prison. And he says to her, "It's so beautiful. Let's stay."

Some Questions to Ponder

- What do I want out of life?
- What would I do differently if I were Phil?
- What would I do if there were no consequences to my actions?
- Was Phil's situation a curse or a blessing?
- What would I have done in Phil's situation?
- What role does learning have in this story?
- What changed to allow Phil to move to the next day?
- How many times did Phil live February 2nd?
- If I had to pick one day to live over and over again, which day would I pick?
- Do I believe a groundhog can predict the coming of spring?

Have a great Groundhog Day!