We are each responsible for our own happiness. Not only is it a complete lack of maturity to blame others when you are not happy, but is also the denial of the essence of humanity. How easy it is to look at another person and feel happiness is found anywhere but where you currently are.
I can say all this because I have been that immature and not so great human who raged at the world and blamed others for my own unhappiness.
Stress of course is the biggest culprit. So, too, are unreal expectations of life.
The exceptional lesson from It's a Wonderful Life is that in the simplest of things lies the key to inner happiness. As George struggles to make do on a meager income while his friend Sam Wainright travels Europe in luxury, we see that being one small ripple is the greatest gift you can give.
As Harry Bailey raises a toast to George at the end and says "to my brother George, the richest man in town", we know that wealth is seen in the impact of our true happy selves and those we impact. I cry every time I see Mr. Gower degraded and thrown into the snow knowing that George truly saved Mr. Gower's life when George was only a kid.
I cannot wait to watch this movie later. I need its lesson to remind me that the small ripple I create now does have a much larger impact than I can ever imagine.
What a truly Wonderful Life!!
o o o how quickly and arrogantly I forget this valuable lesson.
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