The Mitty effect.

You may have noticed I have this photo as the background to my blog:


Image result for the secret life of walter mitty

Those who have seen my web log profile will also see that I have listed The above film as my favourite film.

Here's why:
The 2013 remake of the classic short story inspired me when I first saw it many months ago. It combined many of my favoured interests, such as Greenland, Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced I-yaf-yalla-yo-hull with the extra throatiness on the last syllable.) and bicycles along with a story of chasing your dream.
Now while I could happily talk about any of the above subjects with willingness, I get the impression that in order to appeal to a wider demographic I need to give some form of motivational rubbish while still linking it to the main topic of conversation.

Image result for motivation secret life of walter mittyLife can not be given. It must be chased. After all, there is no sense of achievement unless you have worked to earn it. Everyone at some stage in their life will have a dream. A dream which should be fulfilled to as high an extent as possible.
Take this man:
Felix Baumgartner.
Image result for felix baumgartner only limitAs a child he wanted to skydive. I'm pretty certain that there are thousands of other children who would dream of skydiving yet almost none of them would turn their ultimate utopic dream into a profession. Yet he did. Inspired by his own dream. In 2012 he skydived from the edge of the stratosphere breaking several world records. It was his dream and wanting to achieve that got him to that point.
And that brings us to what happens if you don't follow through your passions. Soon enough, you will find yourself full of the one thing people on quiz shows say they are avoiding when they choose a riskier strategy: Regrets.
I don't believe in reincarnation and I don't know anyone who does. Therefore, in our sole opportunity to make something out of this world and leave an imprint before the time when Death will carry us out of society.
Maybe these feelings I'm expressing are due to recent events and I'm over thinking but shouldn't we explore and challenge ourselves to reach the dreams we once unknowingly set ourselves to accomplish while enjoying it.
I'm sure Walter Mitty would agree. He certainly spent less time daydreaming when having discovered and explored 3 continents.
The more you see, the less you will dream about.
FACT of the IPOT:
I'm aware that the original short story by the satirist James Thurber didn't carry such a message. I am however that aware that stories are open to evolving and developing as different audiences are exposed to the content and message.
Just take the pronunciation of Jekyll in the Victorian novel
'The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde' 
Anyway I've gone off topic, silly me... 

Image result for james thurber

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A True gauge of Happiness

Image
This article has been written having just read this news article . - BREAK FOR READING FULL ARTICLE OR ENOUGH TO GET THE GENERAL GIST.- This article amuses me. I'm curious how this survey of 1,000 people in each country can declare Norway remarkably perky and the Central African Republic down. It's certainly not wealth although it's easy to think so. The Danes pay ridiculous taxes with the wealthy paying up to 52% on their income. Mali meanwhile offers a choice of 30% or 3%. This rather bizarre system doesn't count for happiness though as they continue struggle on the happiness list. Instead it must stem from emotional feelings of satisfaction. This is Hygge. I'm not going to tell you how to pronounce as despite much debate, this is a blog not a vlog instead. Instead you can look at the picture. The point is if we all look after ourselves with small acts of self satisfaction, we would be better in the long term. Or at least happier. On the other hand...
Read more

The Power of Identity

Image
This article is about vexillology (study of flags) Flags are a symbol of identity and can also act as a form of identification and also decoration. They carry pride and patriotism whilst being a form of recognition for a belief or way of life. So in such a troublesome time, is the flag the issue or is it the inaccurate interpretations by of the flag's intended connotations. Let's investigate... Flags were originated for battle so the oncoming armies could identify each other. It was for a simple purpose of recognition. Only during the development of maritime exploration did flags become necessary to identify nationalities. It was only in the late 18th century were flags officially produced with nationalist sentiment and by the mid 19th century, every sovereign state had its own flag. However the controversy of flags tends to predominantly come from colonial history and quests for independence. Two of the most recent examples are the confederat...
Read more

Remarks and rambles on another day..

The similarly named article I wrote around this time last year was intended as a standalone piece, a snapshot of my experiences and thoughts about my world at the time. It is something of a coincidence therefore, that the pattern of events today has inspired me to return to the theme just over 12 months later. Without reading last year's article, the themes which I remember touching on include purpose and routine (or lack thereof - a surprisingly common theme among my introspective writings), and my self-aggravated stresses about work patterns. Some of these ideas are back for this hit sequel, though they have by no means dominated my time back in Edinburgh thus far. But since I'm currently in a reading week, and morale today has swung back and forth, they seem to be the emotions which most provoke my imagination. Today began, as it often does, with badminton, my game continuing to improve albeit at a steadily diminishing rate. Pectoral stiffness never helps anyone however. B...
Read more