http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HuEkCUZOR0
“You know why I like to teach children Jack, so I don’t get so wrapped up in being an adult. So I can remember that there are other things that are important in life. Like riding a bike, playing in a tree house, splashing in the water with your good shoes on…”
Many brilliant speakers talk about how children approach every new day with wonder, amazement, and a thirst to learn. Then as we grow the curiosity is beaten out of us and replaced with a fear of failure. In life the more we can maintain and protect that child-like curiosity that exists deep inside of us, the easier it will be for us to find joy in every single day.
Remember when you were little and could spend hours playing with a stick, using your imagination to create a beautiful, mystical world where you got lost in your own creation? That capacity still resides deep within each and every one of us, but we need to keep working to cultivate it and help it grow! Each one of us has the potential to be a “shooting star” on this planet, no matter how short our time here. Read one to hear about how Mr. Woodruff in the movie Jack describes the life and existence of a shooting star.
In the 1996 movie “Jack”, Robin Williams plays the main character Jack Powell. Jack was born with a rare growth disorder that causes his body to grow at 4 times the normal rate of other human beings. This gives him the appearance of a 40-year-old man in fifth grade and also has his life expectancy being much shorter than the rest of the students around him. Jack must truly learn to embrace the beauty of every single moment because he knows his time is fleeting. The video above comes at the conclusion of the movie where Jack shares what he has learned about living a spectacular life.
Below is a conversation between Jack and his tutor, Mr. Woodruff (played by Bill Cosby) in which Jack is deciding to stop learning because he doesn’t want to continue learning, “thing he will never use.” His teacher then explains a very important lesson to him in todays L.C.S.
Mr. Woodruff: “Until recently you were everything I ever wanted in a student. You were a shooting star among ordinary stars. Have you ever seen a shooting star Jack?
Jack: “No.”
Mr. Woodruff: “God it’s… it’s wonderful. It passes quickly, but while it’s here it just lights up the whole sky. It’s the most beautiful thing you’d ever wanna see. So beautiful that the other stars stop… and watch. You almost never see one cause they are very rare… quite rare. But I saw one… I did.”
Jack = “I just want to be a regular star.”
Mr. Woodruff: “Jack, you will never be regular… you’re spectacular.”
Fast forward to 8:21 to see the beginning of the speech in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnwSYqu9krs
For the rest of the speech watch until 0:32 seconds in the following video: