Watching the film “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (2014), I was a bit disappointed to find no moral at the end — or was there a moral?
Mitty is an average guy who has a boring life, a boring job, and a bad habit of daydreaming about imaginary adventures (that constantly get him into trouble). But when he goes on the hunt for a mysterious photographer, Mitty begins a real-life adventure. In addition, it is interesting to note that when he travels in the wilderness of Greenland and the Himalayan Mountains, his daydreaming episodes begin to decrease.
Not everyone can travel and explore the world in search of adventure (it costs a great deal of money, and in reality, it can also be boring). I believe that the moral of the movie is not to live a life of adventure, but that the answer to a humdrum life is to try to find meaning in the things you do.
I think that there are five ways you can make life more meaningful:
- Find ways to make your religion more meaningful (if you have one).
- Choose entertainment that has meaning.
- Concentrate on your relationships — love and friendship.
- Try to find work that means a lot to you (or if you can’t, then try a hobby that does).
- Spread the word. Find a cause that you most believe in and share this knowledge with the world (this can be political action or maybe writing a book, article, or song).
There is a lot of repetition in life and yes, it is sometimes tedious, but this should not be the focus of your life. To develop a meaningful life takes much thought, effort and patience, but when you do it, it will be worthwhile.
If you think about it, doing the same thing often on the job is not unusual; that is how the world works. Just as the sun rises and sets each day, and electricity hums constantly, it is often the same for people and the things they do. So the next time you are stuck doing an unexciting project, look on the bright side — unlike the routines of nature and science, people can take breaks to smell the roses.
Michael Silverman is a member of New England Yachad.
This article is from the 2015 issue of Belong Magazine. If you would like to receive a hard copy please email belong@ou.org.