I got a chance to see The Green Lantern this weekend. I liked it way more than I thought I would. I wasn’t really a Green Lantern fan, but after this, I have a change of heart.
Fear and will played a central role throughout the movie. The interplay of these twin powers gave me a new perspective and a new respect for both.
The real power of the Green Lantern is his ability to “will” his way forward, focus on a solution, and find the courage to act in the face of fear. As a result, he can overcome any limits imposed by himself or others. As you might expect, self-imposed limits are the toughest kind.
3 Take Aways from the Green Lantern
Here are my three main take aways:
- Fear is the enemy of will. This was a beautiful line in the movie, and so true: “Fear is the enemy of will. Will is what makes you take action.” Along these lines, another powerful message in the movie was that just because we are human, vulnerable, and afraid, it does not mean we are weak.
- It starts with what you see in your mind. Chalk one up to the power of focus. In the movie, The Green Lantern says, “Anything I can see in my mind, I can create. I just have to focus.”
- You can beat the fear. Don’t feed the fear. If you feed the fear, it gets stronger. Courage is the way you beat your fear. You can become courageous. You flex your courage when you take action in the face of fear.
A key message throughout the movie was this: Don’t let other people tell you what you’re capable of. At the same time, sometimes other people see the things in you that you don’t see yourself. At the end of the day, what really matters is what you believe.
Photo by Big C Harvey.
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