Have you ever seen The Shawshank Redemption?
If not, you should. Sprinkled with tiny gems of wisdom, the film has a lot to say about freedom, creating your destiny, and the struggle of life.
"Salvation lies within," Warden Samuel Norton declares in one scene.
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies," reminds Andy Dufresne in another.
Throughout the movie men, faced with insurmountable obstacles, plan/conspire/pursue/resist the dream of a better life.
They speak of misfortune:
"Bad luck, I guess. It floats around. It's got to land on somebody. It was my turn, that's all. I was in the path of the tornado. I just didn't expect the storm would last as long as it has," reasons Andy.
They speak of settling:
"These walls are funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them," justifies Red.
They speak of hope:
"I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope." says Red.
They speak of struggle:
"You could argue he'd done it to curry favor with the guards. Or, maybe make a few friends among us cons. Me, I think he did it just to feel normal again, if only for a short while," analyzes Red
In the end, the whole sentiment of the movie can be summed up in six words:
"Get busy living, or get busy dying," Andy asserts in memorable moment with Red.
Good Advice, boys. Good Advice.
Altered Today: Taking Advice, Love and Appreciation for my Friend and Movies.