The Truman Show

Have you ever seen the movie called "The Truman Show." In case you're unfamiliar with the plot, it centers on the fantastic idea that the main character, Truman Burbank, is actually an unwitting performer in a documentary-style television show entitled "The Truman Show," in which he's become a beloved national celebrity. Every moment of his idyllic small-town life has been broadcast live around the United States since the day of his birth. His every move, conversation, and relationship is thrust under the microscope of public perception every second of every day. The only thing the world can't observe are his thoughts, and therein lies his one chance to escape.

As Truman reaches his thirtieth year, he longs to escape the safe confines of his two-dimensional world, to experience something outside "the box," so to speak ... to start an exciting new life someplace different. Now, that's not so unusual, is it? To want to create a better future for ourselves?

But Truman has greater obstacles to overcome than most of those we may contend with. He doesn't realize that he's actually living in a self-contained town-sized television stage, and all of the important people in his life, including his wife and family, are actors, with calculated responses to any move he might make. To make matters worse, he's being observed and manipulated from above by a brilliant television director, known as the Creator, who controls his actors as if he were playing a game of chess.

But what makes Truman's experience so inspirational for us to study is that, despite all of the technology and thirty years of conditioning stacked against him, there's still a yearning deep down inside this man to experience more, live more, and see more of the world, both inside and outside himself. And this drive, no matter how it's opposed, won't be contained.

Can we say the same thing in our own lives? Is your own thirst for knowledge, for experience, for life so unquenchable that it will not be stopped? Is your path to a successful future so clear that you won't be diverted?

We can all benefit from Truman's quest. During the course of the movie, he sets a goal to escape from the narrow confines of his old life, stays the course, learns to face and move past his fears, and even puts his life on the line for an opportunity to take control of his life and really begin living. In doing so, he becomes an independent person, in charge of his destiny for the first time.

Truman's story exemplifies the immense power of will, clarity, and focus applied in any life. The will to overcome internal and external obstacles, and a well-conceived plan for the future are all you need to make your greatest dreams come true.

The film is called "The Truman Show," and it's a great one. I highly recommend it as an inspiring ode to the power of the human spirit.