Neuropsychological Lessons From 'It's a Wonderful Life' |
It's holiday season, and, if you are like me, you'll probably be sitting down and watching at least a portion of "It's a Wonderful Life" yet again.
In Frank Capra's timeless story, a core truth of being human is told through a thwarted suicide attempt. Looking to earn his wings, the intervention of an angelic hopeful, Clarence, reverses George Bailey's plunge into the icy river into a rescue mission.
Great story, but what does it have to do with the activation of neuroprotective features of the brain? Well, quite a lot actually.
The berated and harried George Bailey, played brilliantly by Jimmy Stewart, comes to a painful conclusion that he is worth more dead than alive. His life hasn't turned out the way he had hoped. His dreams are stalled and withered by a sense of obligation and responsibility. His trust in others and in himself, and his ability to self-correct, vanish. As the story progresses, his effort to be helpful may land him in jail for money missing from the savings and loan. Uncle Billy's mistake in misplacing money threatens George's whole existence. Taking his life for the purpose of giving his family insurance money becomes the solution for George Bailey. His despair prompts a radical shift in his thinking, feelings, and behavior.
On the bridge where George chose to end it all, he paused for prayer. It is in that very moment that Clarence enters the scene, jumps into the water, and without thinking, George dives in to save him. Divine intervention. The motivation to end his life transforms into heroism. Fear becomes courage. Self-absorption becomes altruism, and despair the springboard to hope. Instead of ending with his lifeless body washing ashore, the scene has an unexpected ending.........