3 Life Lessons From Movies/TV shows

“art often imitates life and life often imitates art as we have seen with the recent Covid-19 pandemic … and the movie Contagion…”

Movies and TV shows are everywhere. Their story lines are part of our lives and culture and with streaming sites and YouTube, we can easily access them. They give us a glimpse of what life might look like in different parts of the world and in various careers.

So much research and imagination go into making these entertainment delight as experts are often consulted and work with writers which makes you wonder where facts end, and fiction begins.

Nevertheless, this doesn’t stop us from learning all we can, as art often imitates life and life often imitates art, as we have seen with the recent Covid-19 pandemic and its similarities with the virus in the movie Contagion or the corona virus mentioned in an old episode of Law & Order (S14E03).

That been said, movie and TV show story lines have so much to teach us. Growing up as a child, after hearing a story, we are often asked “What is the moral of the story?” This has stuck with me unconsciously and here are some morals of some of the stories I’ve seen so far:

• You can do almost anything you set your mind to do

‘Legally Blonde’ is one that comes to mind when I hear the statement ‘never judge a book by its cover’. The story shows that no matter what you look like or what you are perceived to be, your destiny is in your hands.

• Fear is dangerous

The ‘Star Wars’ franchise is a favourite of many and many others haven’t seen any of the movies. For the sake of those who haven’t seen any, there is a little green Jedi Master named Yoda, who dishes out lots of wise words in his scenes.

One of which was: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering”.

Our definition of the “dark side” and suffering may be subjective and different for each person. But for everyone, fear keeps us from reaching our true potential. It makes us unable to take control of situations we could otherwise manage properly.

• Friends are everything

No pun intended. Being self-reliant is a quality worth developing. However, two of my personal favourite shows ‘Friends’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother’ show the importance of good quality friendship.

True friends who would stand by you no matter the season. Who would laugh when you laugh, comfort you when you cry and call you out when you misbehave. Nothing beats friends who become family.

These movies and TV shows teach a lot more than what is listed here.

Please feel free to add anything else you may have learnt while relaxed with a bowl of popcorn and a drink.