On What I've Learned from The Wizard of Oz... Again
My mom and I just went to see the national tour of The Wizard of Oz at the Lyric. It was wonderful. And, it made me start thinking about each of the characters again and what we could learn from them.
The Scarecrow
Oh, how I love the Scarecrow and his wish for a brain. Of course, he is one of the more intelligent characters, but doesn't realize it. At one point the Wizard says to him, "if you know enough to ask for a brain, then you already have one." And don't we all do this sometimes? I know I have. I've felt insecure when I've done something dumb (and I do that a lot) and wished "if I only had a brain." Perhaps I am more sensitive to this post traumatic brain injury... But, we all do dumb stuff every once in a while and it doesn't mean that we aren't intelligent, thoughtful, people. We are. Sometimes we just don't remember. Maybe the lesson we learn from the Scarecrow is to trust in our own abilities and believe in ourselves.
The Cowardly Lion
The Cowardly Lion is one of the characters I often use as a lesson for my kids. As I've said before, bravery isn't about being not being scared, it's about doing it anyway. And doesn't the lion do that? He's scared. I mean he's really scared. But, when it counts, when his friends need him, he faces his fear to protect his friends. He finds that courage isn't something someone can give us, but rather it actually is already there within him - he just needs the Wizard to point it out. As I tell my children, I am scared all the time. I'm not unafraid of things. I just face my fear and do it anyway. Living is about pushing our boundaries and facing our fears. So, let's take the lesson from the Lion and realize that our courage is always within us. Access it!
The Tin Man
The Tin Man is my favorite character. I had a roommate, previously, who gave me a Tin Man charm. She told me that the Tin Man was perfect for me because I had enough heart for the Tin Man and everyone else. It was such a thoughtful gift and it meant that she noticed how much I care about other people. Although I do not claim to be perfect at it, I try to help people that need help and I try to treat others with kindness and thoughtfulness. And though the Tin Man wished for a heart, didn't he actually have one of the biggest hearts in the story? Again, he just didn't recognize it. And can't we all use a little more of our heart and help someone who needs help? I recently came across this FaceBook page from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation and loved it. How great would this world be if more people did more random acts of kindness?
The Wicked Witch
The Wicked Witch was angry with Dorothy for landing on, and killing, her sister. The anger was perhaps misplaced. Dorothy did not intentionally kill the Witch's sister, but it is not hard to understand the Witch's grief turned to anger at the injustice of losing a loved one too soon. Perhaps what we can learn from the Witch is that we should not jump to conclusions, despite our grief, and perhaps we should try to find more healthy outlets for that grief. Maybe the Witch should have started a blog or volunteered in the Emerald City to help those less fortunate.
The Wizard
The Wizard was a con-man: a fake, phoney, charlatan. But, although he was dishonest in the representation of himself, we can still learn from him. Because really, once the wizard was himself, he wasn't actually a bad guy. He was thoughtful as to how he presented each, the Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man, with their most desired items. He tried to get Dorothy home by relinquishing his "power" and offering to take her himself. He apologized for trying to be something he wasn't. So, perhaps what we learn from the Wizard is that we don't have to pretend to be more or different than we are. I bet most people will find we're not a bad guys/girls when we are true to ourselves.
Dorothy
So, Dorothy is my least favorite character. I kind of find her to be somewhat annoying in her innocence and naivete, as well as her tendency to go along with the crowd (think the munchkins' celebration over the Wicked Witch being dead). But, I started to really consider Dorothy's good traits. She is kind (has heart): She cares enough about the world around her to help each of her travel mates. She is intelligent (has a brain) and shows leadership skills: She learns about who she needs to see (the Wizard) and where she needs to go (Emerald City) in order to get to where she really wants to go (home). She maps out the steps in her mind and she leads her band of fellow travelers to meet the mission set before her. And, she is brave (has courage): She faces her fears of the Wicked Witch in order to achieve the lofty goal set for her by the Wizard (to bring the Wicked Witch of the West's broomstick to him). She felt, at the beginning of the show, that no one cared about her and that she didn't belong, but she soon learned that "home is where the heart is" and that she wanted to go home to her family who loved her . Dorothy may be somewhat naive in the beginning of the story, but she grows. She grows into a well-rounded girl who can take on any challenge and lead a unique group of individuals. And can't we all learn from that?
The Scarecrow
Oh, how I love the Scarecrow and his wish for a brain. Of course, he is one of the more intelligent characters, but doesn't realize it. At one point the Wizard says to him, "if you know enough to ask for a brain, then you already have one." And don't we all do this sometimes? I know I have. I've felt insecure when I've done something dumb (and I do that a lot) and wished "if I only had a brain." Perhaps I am more sensitive to this post traumatic brain injury... But, we all do dumb stuff every once in a while and it doesn't mean that we aren't intelligent, thoughtful, people. We are. Sometimes we just don't remember. Maybe the lesson we learn from the Scarecrow is to trust in our own abilities and believe in ourselves.
The Cowardly Lion
The Cowardly Lion is one of the characters I often use as a lesson for my kids. As I've said before, bravery isn't about being not being scared, it's about doing it anyway. And doesn't the lion do that? He's scared. I mean he's really scared. But, when it counts, when his friends need him, he faces his fear to protect his friends. He finds that courage isn't something someone can give us, but rather it actually is already there within him - he just needs the Wizard to point it out. As I tell my children, I am scared all the time. I'm not unafraid of things. I just face my fear and do it anyway. Living is about pushing our boundaries and facing our fears. So, let's take the lesson from the Lion and realize that our courage is always within us. Access it!
The Tin Man
The Tin Man is my favorite character. I had a roommate, previously, who gave me a Tin Man charm. She told me that the Tin Man was perfect for me because I had enough heart for the Tin Man and everyone else. It was such a thoughtful gift and it meant that she noticed how much I care about other people. Although I do not claim to be perfect at it, I try to help people that need help and I try to treat others with kindness and thoughtfulness. And though the Tin Man wished for a heart, didn't he actually have one of the biggest hearts in the story? Again, he just didn't recognize it. And can't we all use a little more of our heart and help someone who needs help? I recently came across this FaceBook page from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation and loved it. How great would this world be if more people did more random acts of kindness?
The Wicked Witch
The Wicked Witch was angry with Dorothy for landing on, and killing, her sister. The anger was perhaps misplaced. Dorothy did not intentionally kill the Witch's sister, but it is not hard to understand the Witch's grief turned to anger at the injustice of losing a loved one too soon. Perhaps what we can learn from the Witch is that we should not jump to conclusions, despite our grief, and perhaps we should try to find more healthy outlets for that grief. Maybe the Witch should have started a blog or volunteered in the Emerald City to help those less fortunate.
The Wizard
The Wizard was a con-man: a fake, phoney, charlatan. But, although he was dishonest in the representation of himself, we can still learn from him. Because really, once the wizard was himself, he wasn't actually a bad guy. He was thoughtful as to how he presented each, the Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man, with their most desired items. He tried to get Dorothy home by relinquishing his "power" and offering to take her himself. He apologized for trying to be something he wasn't. So, perhaps what we learn from the Wizard is that we don't have to pretend to be more or different than we are. I bet most people will find we're not a bad guys/girls when we are true to ourselves.
Dorothy
So, Dorothy is my least favorite character. I kind of find her to be somewhat annoying in her innocence and naivete, as well as her tendency to go along with the crowd (think the munchkins' celebration over the Wicked Witch being dead). But, I started to really consider Dorothy's good traits. She is kind (has heart): She cares enough about the world around her to help each of her travel mates. She is intelligent (has a brain) and shows leadership skills: She learns about who she needs to see (the Wizard) and where she needs to go (Emerald City) in order to get to where she really wants to go (home). She maps out the steps in her mind and she leads her band of fellow travelers to meet the mission set before her. And, she is brave (has courage): She faces her fears of the Wicked Witch in order to achieve the lofty goal set for her by the Wizard (to bring the Wicked Witch of the West's broomstick to him). She felt, at the beginning of the show, that no one cared about her and that she didn't belong, but she soon learned that "home is where the heart is" and that she wanted to go home to her family who loved her . Dorothy may be somewhat naive in the beginning of the story, but she grows. She grows into a well-rounded girl who can take on any challenge and lead a unique group of individuals. And can't we all learn from that?
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