Hard Times, Real Friends, Wonderful Life

By: Alex

Art by Alex 

Tis the season to talk about my favorite Christmas movie, which is also possibly my favorite movie of all time—It’s a Wonderful Life. Frank Capra’s masterpiece of seasonal spirit proves that pure optimism can be found in even the gravest times. But more importantly, he proves that every human life is worth something.

Growing up with It’s a Wonderful Life, this Christmas classic was one of the first videotapes I owned. Though I appreciate it’s traditional value in my house, what I love most about this movie is that no matter how many times I watch it, its timeless themes never lose their worth.

In the story, George Bailey feels his life is worthless because he has nothing to show for it. He’s struggling as a businessman in a job he doesn’t truly love, and he hasn’t yet lived his dreams. As all these realizations come together, George feels he is worth more dead than alive.

George feels like a failure and a waste, and I identify with him in that way exactly. At some point in our lives, we can all feel these overwhelming feelings of anxiety—we question what we perceive as a meaningless life. I’m sure that many can identify; for teens, this is angst in its purest form, all part of growing up, and for people like George Bailey, it’s more like a midlife crisis. But in either case, neither is less serious than the other. Falling into these feelings causes us to question our identities and wonder if our efforts and our lives are truly worth it.

We just want to something to change, something to show us that our lives aren’t as pointless as they seem. In this film, we see that it is possible to notice the redeeming qualities of our lives, even in our most desperate times. Thanks to George’s guardian angel, we see that just by being himself, George has changed the lives of so many and didn’t even know it. By looking back on his life and all the people he has changed, George realizes that his life truly has value.

Even when I feel like the biggest failure, It’s a Wonderful Life has taught me that each person I encounter, every decision I make, has an impact on someone other than me. I learned that those people who love us give us something to show for our lives, even if we don’t have the dreams and accomplishments to prove it. This film shows us that optimism is possible in any situation, especially when we have loved ones around to help us out.

For George, it took a near death experience and a second chance from his guardian angel to realize this. But for us, all it should take is a viewing of It’s a Wonderful Life to know these values are true. Knowing that we’ve accomplished more than we think just by being ourselves should make us feel very lucky. Though we may still feel worthless at times, with the right people around, we all really do have a wonderful life. Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.