After Earth is a movie depicting a son’s journey across hostile terrain ripe with predators to seek help from their distant home planet. It features Will Smith (father) and his son Jaden Smith. There are monsters who are technically blind but locate humans by tracking the enzymes we release when fearful. Fits the plot.
The journey is inevitable.
Jaden has a journey to make across the jungle he’s only heard stories about. It is a matter of life and death, failure is not an option. He’s a sensitive chap, prefers books to swords. Yet he takes up the latter due to a childhood nightmare, keen to prove his worth. Fate plays a cruel game, and makes him test himself. We cannot run away from realizing our true potential. Neither Potters nor Bagginses could escape their fate.
Fear is a choice we make.
Will Smith understands that while danger is real, fear is a story we tell ourselves. It is manufactured, fake and can be done away with. This makes him a force to reckon with against the monsters. A human can truly feel only two emotions – love and fear. All negative feelings stem from the latter. Fear is a belief that future is unfavorable. However, in the present, there is no reason to believe so since we construct every moment. Why choose fear, then?
Mentors always have our back.
Will Smith guides his son while staying put in the crash landed space ship. Jaden, being a slight douche that he is, disobeys his father’s direct orders at the start, after feeling overwhelmed by the experiences he goes through. Will Smith, though not present in person with his son, perfectly understands the situations Jaden is facing. Our mentors have been there, done that. Though not in our shoes, they understand the journey and possible pitfalls, even before we see them. Listening to our parents and mentors with all humility can save our precious lives.
Success often rests atop an active volcano.
The best things always lie beyond the darkest night. Smaug the Terrible lay on the vast treasure of Erebor. Jaden Smith had to climb atop an active volcano to send a distress signal to his home planet (NOT Earth). It is very easy to turn away from the biggest tests, but the glory it brings us is priceless. We got just one life, best if we make it big, no?
Be present. What do you feel?
Every time douche son Jaden loses it (which is many times), calm Dad Will Smith asks him to bend over on one knee (as a calming down practice) and instructs him to think in the moment, feel his senses and be aware of his surroundings. Once you do that, no matter how challenging the situation is, fear leaves you for courage. Only when we live in the moment and accept it in all its glory, can we defeat our nightmarish creations which feed our fear.
Come out of the box.
Because nothing was ever achieved inside a box. Our clothes are meant to get frayed, our body is meant to get wounded, our thoughts are meant to travel all across. Leave behind past blocks and beliefs, embrace the present and know its worth. The creepiest monster (your creation again) cannot hurt you if you let fear go and step out of the box waving your cutlass.
You are what you are.
After being a hero and saving his backside, Jaden doesn’t want to continue as a warrior. He is a sensitive chap and prefers books and he wants to go back to his books. Legacy doesn’t matter. Victory doesn’t matter. New found confidence and skill sets don’t matter. He likes books and he goes back to his books. Just like Indiana Jones goes back to his lecture halls. Just like James Bond goes back to women. Just like Tintin goes back to reporting. Just like Asterix goes back to boars. Just like Thor goes back to wearing a cape. You are what you are, and a ruddy good one at that.
🙂