Beautiful Movie

Forrest Gump, what a wonderful movie ! Tom Hanks plays the lead role. Very good performance. When he is a kid, school refuses to take him in because his IQ is well below average (<80) and is autistic. He gets in though only to find that His schoolmates treat him like an animal. He is treated as the “unwanted one”. Nobody likes to sit next to him in the school bus and is treated like dirt. Except for one girl – Jenny who offers him a seat.

I was discussing about this movie with Mitti in office bus and he rightly summarized it – It shows the power of human spirit !

An untalented, low IQ young boy is taught by his mom only one thing – “Don’t allow others to say that you cant do anything.”

This movie opened my eyes in some aspects

The Insignificance of Money

• Forrest puts all his money earned from Ping Pong endorsement to buying a shrimp boat because he had promised his dead friend Bubba that he would start a shrimp business along with him.
• Once becoming a millionaire in shrimp business Forrest donates more than half his fortune to Bubba’s family and building a medical centre and then starts working on cutting grass for free.

“Forrest Gump: And cause I was a gazillionaire, and I liked doin it so much, I cut that grass for free.”

[When he doesnt get a single shrimp from sea he says the below]

“Forrest Gump: [dejected] No shrimp.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Where the Hell is this God of yours?
Forrest Gump: [narrating] It's funny Lieutenant Dan said that, 'cause right then, God showed up”

The Impermanence of Relationships

“Forrest Gump: You died on a Saturday morning. And I had you placed here under our tree. And I had that house of your father's bulldozed to the ground. Momma always said dyin' was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't. Little Forrest, he's doing just fine. About to start school again soon. I make his breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. I make sure he combs his hair and brushes his teeth every day. Teaching him how to play ping-pong. He's really good. We fish a lot. And every night, we read a book. He's so smart, Jenny. You'd be so proud of him. I am. He, uh, wrote a letter, and he says I can't read it. I'm not supposed to, so I'll just leave it here for you. Jenny, I don't know if Momma was right or if, if it's Lieutenant Dan. I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time. I miss you, Jenny. If there's anything you need, I won't be far away.”

The Power of Selfless Will

Forrest Gump: I gotta save Bubba!

Mrs. Gump: You have to do the best with what God gave you.

The Power of Love & Understanding

Forrest Gump: You know it's funny what a young man recollects? 'Cause I don't remember bein' born. I don't recall what I got for my first Christmas and I don't know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wide world.

Jenny Curran: Were you scared in Vietnam?
Forrest Gump: Yes. Well, I-I don't know. Sometimes it would stop raining long enough for the stars to come out... and then it was nice. It was like just before the sun goes to bed down on the bayou. There was always a million sparkles on the water... like that mountain lake. It was so clear, Jenny, it looked like there were two skies one on top of the other. And then in the desert, when the sun comes up, I couldn't tell where heaven stopped and the earth began. It's so beautiful.
Jenny Curran: I wish I could've been there with you.
Forrest Gump: You were.

I got quite emotional on seeing the movie, it kind of made me feel how insignificant we are when we try and judge or criticize other people who are playing mere roles as designed by the cosmos.

PERSISTENCE

The movie also shows the power of persistence over everything else. A guy who has no vision or expectation from life – who does things just for the sake of doing, repeatedly on seemingly stupid projects – attains all the success in life.

DEDICATION

Another characteristic which led him to his success was his Absolute dedication to Mentors/guru and Love for peers.