Lessons from Walk the Line
A couple of nights ago my wife and I finally watched Walk the Line, the recent film about Johnny and June Carter Cash. Now I understand what all the hoopla was about.
The film is outstanding on many levels. Acting. Story. Music. You name it. It’s top notch in every respect.
But the movie also presents two questions that can alter the course of our lives.
If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t worry. I won’t spoil it for you here. In fact, what I’m about to tell you may help you enjoy the movie even more.
Here are the two scenes, the two questions, to watch for…
About a third of the way through the movie, Johnny Cash auditions for a record producer. When things don’t appear to be working out, the producer asks Johnny Cash a question that alters the course of Johnny’s life. Without revealing the question itself, here’s its underlying theme:
Who are you going to be during your time on this earth? Yourself or what you think others want you to be?
Johnny Cash’s response changes everything. And it does so right before our eyes.
The next scene is toward the end of the film as Johnny Cash is reading some fan mail. A phrase from one of the letters strikes him. Then, as he turns from one letter to the next, he recognizes a pattern he hadn’t noticed before. A pattern that causes him to answer the second major question in the film:
Who are you playing for? In other words, who is your audience? Who are you trying to touch with your work?
Again, his response changes everything. He now knows exactly who he’s trying to please. And believe me, it isn’t the establishment.
For me, these moments turned a great movie into a masterpiece. But they can do much more than that. By asking these questions of ourselves, they can help us make our lives extraordinary as well.
Who are you going to be during your time on this earth? And who are you trying to touch with your work?
We know how Johnny Cash answered these questions. It’ll be interesting to see how we do.
Posted on Sunday, March 12, 2006 at 07:55 AM
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