We all have been obsessed with the 1994 released romantic drama, 6 Oscars winner movie Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks. Recently an Indian adoption of Forrest Gump was got released in August 2022 starring Aamir Khan. Forrest Gump has touched many hearts and is continuing to do as many new people started knowing about the movie. But there are a few life lessons and learnings from the movie Forrest Gump, which has the potential to change life completely.
#1 Promise Is Always A Promise
Promises are not made every day but when you do, you should mean it. A person who cannot keep promises subconsciously becomes less trustworthy even though you regard them as the best friend or someone whom you know very well. But deep down you start feeling a sense of lacking trust. This is not what you intend to do but it is how we all are designed by nature.
In the movie, we saw Forrest Gump keeps his promise about starting a Shrimp company with Bubba (His military colleague). Even though Bubba died in a Vietnam war situation, after retiring from the military, Forrest started the company and named it Bubba Gump. This wasn’t enough, He shared the company’s profit with Bubba’s Family.
#2 Be Ready For The Worst
The harsh reality of life is that it doesn’t stop for anyone. We meet an amble of people in our lives. we like some of them, and we also don’t like many of them, but they all are part of the life journey. And just like how they come into your life, they will also go out of your life at some point leaving you alone.
Although Forrest was not conventionally smart, he knew one learning that life is spontaneous and we should always be ready for the worst. He lost everything he loved be it his mom, Bubba, and also Jenny (his lifelong love). But he overcame all the situations just like a real fighter and continued to live.
So the learning that we get here is nothing in life that stays forever. Although we humans like security and the word ‘forever’ is very liked among us. Instead, we should appreciate and celebrate the time of togetherness and remember in memories, live in the present moment, and not worry about the future.
#3 Turn the Pain into Power
In the entire movie, Jenny’s path always led her away from the forrest. But one day all of a sudden she comes back that turn forrest radiated with joy and happiness. Everything was going well, both were enjoying mutual support and care. Regrettably, a day arrives when all of a sudden she again leaves him. Forrest was broken and disheartened. But instead of getting drowned in the memories and agony, he decided to run.
He never thought of running for fame but for a change. Sometimes things that you do in the oven of agony can change your life entirely. Channeling the power of pain towards productivity is the best utilization as well as a difficult one.
#4 Don’t Follow Happiness, Let Happiness Follow You
Forrest Gump is mostly about Forrest and Jenny. But Lieutenant Dan who played a crucial role in the movie also offered us an important lesson. Lt. Dan was ready for his destiny from the start. To serve the nation and become a martyr was his ultimate happiness. But that didn’t happen and he hated Forrest to save his life which forced Lt. Dan to spend his entire life as handicapped.
Although he kept teasing nature to leave him alive for the entire movie, he sensed the unconditional friendship and respect that Forrest had for him. He also joins the Gump in his Bubba Gump shrimping company and manages all of its financial accounts. After spending so much time with Gump, he finally finds a feeling of inner peace and happiness again in life. For which he thanked Forrest later in the movie.
Happiness is like a butterfly in the garden, it only sits on the flower that is still. Likewise, Happiness comes to you when your mind, body, and soul are at peace.
#5 Commitment Makes You Better Than Anything Else
Throughout the movie, we see Forrest as a guy with a low IQ. He was not talented nor as normal as his fellow mates. But he had one thing that most people lack which is commitment and dedication. He gave his 100% commitment to everything he did. Be it running, playing ping pong, or catching shrimp in the ocean. He never took anything as a burden and enjoyed it. Forrest’s IQ was never a curse, he used it as a blessing.
Even being a Billionaire, he lived a simple life. That’s because his IQ kept him grounded. Gump might be lacking in intelligence but he had other qualities such as Loyalty, Courage, Simplicity, and work ethic which always benefitted him.
There is a good saying If god takes something from you, It gives you some extraordinary things back to you. Similarly, if we are not good at something we can cope with that if we are committed to it.
Conclusion
Forrest Gump is a timeless classic movie, directed by Robert Zemeckis, that has largely impacted the world’s audience. One such beautiful representation is that due to traumatic circumstances in Jenny’s childhood, she runs into the fields along with Gump and prays to the lord “Dear god make me a bird so that I can fly far far away from here”.
In the emotional climax scene, when the forrest walks away from the tree where she was buried, He finds a bunch of birds chirping around it, and when he leaves the place they all start to fly in the sky.
This representation states that She was finally free from her life suffering and traumatic childhood which haunted her whole life.
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