Lessons from "The NeverEnding Story" on life and achieving success?

One of my favorite movies growing up was The NeverEnding Story, the first one.  It's strange going back and re-watching movies at different stages of one's life, it touches you differently. (Try it out!)

As a child, the movie was simply an awesome fantastical adventure; I was enthralled by the world of Fantasia, all it's colors, sounds, sights, and endearing characters.  But re-watching it this time, now in my odd thirties, the movie has touched me deeply in a different way.

Even though it is a children's story, The NeverEnding Story offers wise lessons into finding meaning and success in life. How? It demonstrates the greatest treasure we possess as human being: the capacity for creativity, perseverance, determination, and the courage to pursue one's dreams.


Lesson 1--We must have dreams and hopes in our lives: 
The story is told through the eyes of a young boy, Bastion, who steals a mysterious book, The NeverEnding Story, from an old, dingy bookstore.  As he starts to read, the land of Fantasia comes alive and Bastion and the audience is swept into Atreyu's quest to save Fantasia from total destruction by finding a cure for the dying Childlike Empress.

But the story is truly about the human spirit overcoming adversity and persevering.  I choked up when Atreyu's faithful steed, Artax dies in the Swamp of Sadness because he lost all hope.  But the scene is telling of our own humanity, that we, as humans, must have hopes and dreams, that they are what gives us life.  When Atreyu battles Gmork in one of the last scenes, the villainous wolf describes the "Nothing" as an "emptiness that is left, it is like a despair."  And just as when we lose all hope, we too fall into an vacuous despair.

I often think about how most people choose to give up their dreams in exchange for "security", i.e., job security, housing security, physical comfort security, even the secure knowledge that your faithful TV is waiting at home for you with loving arms.  We all do it, it's our default nature to want to feel safe, to do what's familiar, it's part of our survival instincts.

In fact, it's the weirdo that gives up the warm comforts of the cave fire to go out exploring, and yeah, then gets eaten by a bear!... or maybe instead he builds a new empire, who can predict? And because we aren't clairvoyant, we often choose the "safe" path, but those of us who do, pay a high toll as we would never know what great things we could truly accomplish.

Now, of course I'm not telling you to drop everything and go pursue your dream to become the next big country singer (not my dream, but I heard it's popular), but also don't use your current predicament as excuses to stop you from trying either.  "If there is a will, there is a way."


Lesson 2--Self-esteem is internal, not external:
When Atreyu reaches the edges of the Southern Oracles, he witnesses the sphinxes vaporizing a knight trying to pass through. Professor Engywook explains that the sphinxes' eyes remain closed until those who hope to pass doubts their own worth, i.e., lack self-esteem.  "fancy armor doesn't help, the Sphinx can see straight into your heart."

It shows that the man who has a strong sense of self-worth need no other outward "adornments", such as fancy title, cars, clothing, house, or the newest iPhone!, instead he would be perfectly comfortable in the very skin he was born in.  (I don't mean literally.  I'm not promoting nudity!)

I believe that self-esteem is achieved internally, that it is accomplished by overcoming, instead of running from, the adversities that one confronts.  There is a great quote by JK Rowling that expresses this idea:

The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive.

Lesson 3--Achieving dreams require perseverance & courage:  At the end, when Atreyu had lost everything, his horse, his luckdragon, his hope of saving Fantasia, he nevertheless confronts Gmork in a battle to the death and cries defiantly, "I would rather die fighting!" and, of course, emerges victorious.

In the final scenes, Bastion is forced to overcome his deepest fears.  He finds the courage "to do what he dreams" and cries out the new name for the Childlike Empress that saves Fantasia.  The movie ends with Fantasia reduced to a grain of sand, but Bastion wishes and dreams it all back to life!

The human heart yearns to be heard.  It's strange, but it seems that for most of one's early life you're learning how to "fit" into society, then you spend the rest of your life trying to unlearn it all.  We're taught not to listen to our hearts, but instead to live what I call a "trophy" life, i.e., collecting titles, status, degrees, real estate, and LV handbags! (I'm not a fan, but I heard it's popular)

And trophies they are because they have no real personal meaning to us except as objects to show off to other people.  If one was ever stranded on a deserted island, would we really covet those things anymore?  Heck, I'd be happy with coconuts which would provide food, water, clothing (use your imagination), and a source of fuel for fire!

Yet, most of us go on pursuing material goods (guilty) at the expense of finding true fulfillment.  I believe as humans, we all have an inner creativity and voice that yearns to be expressed.  And this inner yearning can take on many forms, i.e., mastery of a skill, pioneering a cause, achieving a goal, marrying Ryan Gosling (hee hee, I'm a sucker for dreamy eyes).  But each and every form has one thing in common; the path to the end goal will take hard work, dedication, perseverance, and courage.  And that is where most of us give up, at the starting line!