Ok, I realize it was just a movie, but in watching "It's a Wonderful Life" so many times over the years I have noticed some profound things that George did that I admire and wish more people could do. I'm not sure where Frank Capra got this idea, but here are the main ones:
1- George took action when action was needed. When his brother Harry fell through the ice George didn't flinch. He ran out and saved his brother while ruining his own hearing. What would most of us had done in the same situation? I'd like to think I'd do the same, especially for a close relative, and I'd certainly like others to take action if I were in peril. The golden rule again.
2- George did not judge. We all know that Violet Bick was somewhat of a loose lady. That much was implied. George never judged her but he saw right through her. Rather than judge her he slipped her some money to help her get on her feet even though he might not have agreed with her actions. His kindness could have turned her life around knowing that someone decent still cared about her. In the alternate world, Violet is a hooker. What kind of people around us are lost and looking for guidance? How can we help them without judging them?
3- George was interested in others and compassionate to their problems. He saved Mr Gower because he knew that his sone had just died. He empathized with him and watched him like a guardian angel. When Mr Gower almost made a fatal mistake, George stepped in and corrected him, saving a two lives with one conscious action. If most of us would see somebody do something really stupid, do we sit and judge, or do we try and understand where the carelessness came from? Especially in moments of crisis, few of us are able to think straight, and that is when we most need our guardian angels.
4- George kept his cool. When the banks started to fail George was calm and reassuring to his panicked customers. He singlehandedly talked them off the ledge and got them through a crisis. Here is where a big difference can really be made. In times of true crisis and chaos we need people who are strong, resiliant, and also looking at the big picture- not panicking nor taking advantage of other's weaknesses. No matter what happens in my life I look to George as a symbol of strength and wisdom in trying times.
5- George took responsibility. When Uncle Billy lost all of the money, George took ownership of the situation and immediately tried to rectify it, rather than raking poor Uncle Billy over the coals. Some would say Uncle Billy should have never been trusted with such large amounts of cash and George was stupid to let him loose with it. Others would say that George went way overboard about the money, driving himself to the brink of suicide about it. But the one thing that I admired was how he took responsiblity in so many areas of his life.
6-- George was unselfish. This is perhaps one of the most subversive messages of IAWL. George was presented as a bright, ambitious young man who wanted to see the world. Yet choice after choice, George gave up on his dream because of responsiblities to his family, his community and his job. So many of us have been brought up that being ambitious and striving for the best is the American way, yet Capra sees things differently. The whole point of the movie seems to point to the love and friendship that George picked up along the way was much more important than any of the material things that Mr Potter or Sam Wainwright could have offerred him. It is very hard to be unselfish, especially in a world that can see that as a weakness. But to find the perfect balance between unselfish acts of love and necessary acts of self preservation- that is the trick!
7- He stood up to bullies like Mr Potter. Bullies are a fact of life and they can be found in all areas. Standing up to them takes a certain amount of courage and willingness to risk harm, and George Bailey did exactly that to foil greedy plans that Potter had drummed up. Though the movie greatly exaggerates the difference between the Potter dominated world and non-Potter dominated world, it goes without saying that bullies with unchecked powers get in way over their heads and bring misery upon themselves and those around them. The Potters of this world are not quite as obvious as in a movie, but they are out there and they need to experience checks and balances lest they get an exaggerated view of their own importance.
8- George was a Socialist. Not the bad, commie, pinko kind, but the nice American, FDR version that championed the working class. Frank Capra movies are great in how they celebrate the average man and his struggles. The Bailey Building and Loan in a way was a socialist scheme, in which people loaned each other money in order to build houses. Bailey's business methods were a bit naive, but it would be nice to imagine banks that worked like BBL did, rather than the greedy bastards at Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Bear Stearns that ruined our economy. Could you imagine your banker coming to your house and giving you a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine and welcoming you? Me neither.
9- He was a great husband to Mary. Sure, we know that she wouldn't have been a librarian spinster were it not for George, but he obviously made a big difference in her life and in all those who knew her. This is how we can all make a difference- through family and friends- kind words, loving deeds and selfless acts. It is Mary who comes through for George in his darkest hour, and for very good reason.
10- He was a great parent. This is probably the number one way each of us can make a difference, and that is to touch the lives of the next generation. Long after we are gone and our possessions have been sold or distributed, the only thing left of us will be the memories and lessons learned by our children and those we reached out to who are still around. In his darkest hour, George managed to put on a brave face for Zsu Zsu, fixing her flower for her and helping her to feel better. This one act of kindness proved that he still had it in him, and those kids would grow up to feel for George the pride and love that George felt for his own father's noble causes.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Saturday, October 30, 2010
THE DAFFODIL PRINCIPLE
The Daffodil Principle
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. "I will come next Tuesday, "I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call.
Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled, "We drive in this all the time, Mom."
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears and then I'm heading straight for home!" I said, rather emphatically.
"Gee, Mom, I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car," Carolyn said with a forlorn look in her eyes.
"How far will we have to drive?"
Smiling she answered, "Just a few blocks, I'll drive ... I'm used to this."
After several minutes, I had to ask, "Where are we going? This isn't the way to the garage!" "We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way of the daffodils."
"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around."
"It's all right, Mom, I promise, you will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."
After about twenty minutes we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church I saw a hand-lettered sign ...
We got out of the car and each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. As we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped.
Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.
Five acres of the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen!
"Who planted all these?" I asked Carolyn.
"It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory.
We walked up to the house we saw a sign...
There it was ... "The Daffodil Principle"
For me that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun - one bulb at a time - to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top.
Still, this unknown, old woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of magnificent beauty, and inspiration.
The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration: Learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time, learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.
"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!
My daughter summed up the message of the day in her direct way, "Start tomorrow, Mom," she said, "It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of our yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson a celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask...
"How can I put this to use today?"
Written by Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards
Wikipedia Entry
George Bailey (It's a Wonderful Life)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008) (Find sources: George Bailey (It's a Wonderful Life) – news, books, scholar) |
Throughout the story, George is shown as a selfless person since childhood. He saves his younger brother Harry from drowning, after Harry accidentally sleds down into icy water. Rescuing Harry causes George to lose his hearing in one ear. He saves his boss, Mr. Gower, from jail time when Gower accidentally puts poison in a customer's medicine bottle. From a young age, George always wanted to go to college and to travel and see the world; however, he keeps having to postpone the fulfillment of these ambitions, time after time.
When his uncle loses $8,000 and George does not know that his rival, Mr. Potter, has it, George is on the verge of committing suicide by jumping from a bridge; however, his guardian angel, Clarence, stops him. Clarence shows George what life in his hometown, Bedford Falls, would be like if George hadn't been born. When George realizes suicide is a mistake, he goes back to the bridge and utters his famous line, "I want to live again." He soon returns to his world, and the citizens of Bedford Falls come to greet him and donate money to replace the missing $8,000.
Monday, October 25, 2010
WELCOME
If you are reading this, someone has noticed you for your good deeds and character and nominated you for the George Bailey Prize. This prize, named after the hero of It’s A Wonderful Life goes to those demonstrate through their words and deeds that they are here to make a positive difference in this cold, crazy and confusing world that we live in.
This Blog is a feedback loop for all recipients of the Bailey prize. Feel free to share your stories, inspiring quotes, philosophies and anything else you like in the comments section. Thank you for sharing!!
This Blog is a feedback loop for all recipients of the Bailey prize. Feel free to share your stories, inspiring quotes, philosophies and anything else you like in the comments section. Thank you for sharing!!
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