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The Truman Show

Tonight I introduced my children to The Truman Show. I loved this movie the first time I saw it and I love it even more now. I've been thinking a lot about fish. Do they question the water they swim in? Do they even know they are in water when the rest of the world is on land? This concept fascinates me as it illustrates how us humans operate. Do we question the environment we are born into or do we just go about swimming?

Truman lived the first 30 years of his life in a bubble. He was adopted by a corporation at birth and raised on a man made set. His entire life was programmed by producers and consumed by viewers. He was completely unaware until he started questioning. He starts noticing things that just don't seem right and he's not satisfied with the answers he receives to his questions. Once he starts questioning his world, he starts seeing more clearly and he realizes that what he once thought was real is actually all man-made.

Why do I love this movie so much? Because we are all like Truman. We are born into man made sets. We come into this world surrounded by family culture, religious culture, race and socioeconomic culture, gender culture, etc. We just accept these traditions of our fathers and our culture as reality when in reality they are man-made institutions, rules, and customs. They are not divine law and some of us, like Truman, come to that realization, while others live their entire lives inside their man-made set never questioning their surroundings or the way they've been "set up."

I love how the movie also shows how those who belong to certain cultures, be it faith cultures, family cultures, business cultures, etc. use fear to keep people from leaving. In the movie, the producers of the show constantly used fear and manipulation to keep Truman in his place. They didn't want him to leave because they knew if he were able to see outside their "cult"ure he would come to know the truth and he'd be unable to "un"see this truth. Because they feared losing him, they tried to use this same fear to keep him. Those who loved Truman, wanted to help him become free.

Oh and I just love how once Truman starts seeing things as they really are, he's able to look back on his life and see the whole charade for what it is/was. He remembers how anytime he tried to explore or go outside the confines of his bubble, he was pulled back or put in his place. The scene where as a toddler he tries to climb up over a pile of rocks and his Dad quickly pulls him down because had he gone to the top he would've seen something outside of the set. He remembers his girlfriend in the red sweater telling him it was all a set. He starts deliberately asking questions and taking actions that further reveal the charade.

Truman becomes a True Man because he's able to break free from the "Set-Up." He becomes his own man with unlimited vision. My favorite part is the ending where he finally faces his fear and sails across the ocean. He doesn't care anymore whether he lives or die because the truth has "Set him free." The creators of his culture try to destroy him because they'd rather he die than leave. The stern of his boat crashes through the edge of the set, he sees the stairs and begins ascending. He's on a higher plane now. He's seeing clearly. His cohorts try one more time to keep him in his bubble world. He listens to their pleas reverentially, then he takes his final bow before following his own heart and mind and says, "Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and Good Night." And he walks out the door into his own new world with unlimited possibilities--leaving the old, fake world behind.

The Truman Show truly is a life changing show. I recognized it for the powerful commentary it was on man made institutions and cultural beliefs back when I first saw it as a teenager.  I feel it's power even more fully now as I realize the dangers of being like fish and never questioning the waters in which we swim.  The questions for us all remain:

What set are you merely an actor or actress in? Who has programmed your fears? Who is manipulating your beliefs?

May we all be True Men and True Women who wake up and truly see. Long live The Truman Show!

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