Life Lessons From Forrest Gump

If you ask most people to name their all-time Top Ten favorite movies, there’s a good chance that “Forrest Gump” will be on that list.

It is near the top on mine.

The movie became an instant classic after opening to moviegoers on this date in 1994. Based on the novel of the same name by Winston Groom, the story of an Alabama boy with an IQ of 75 who nonetheless makes his mark in the world (in several arenas) is an inspiration to everyone no matter their intelligence.

The film was a blockbuster, earning 13 Academy Award nominations—and taking home six Oscars, including “Best Picture”, “Best Actor In A Leading Role” (Tom Hanks) and “Best Director”(Robert Zemeckis). The movie also earned an Academy Award for what was cutting-edge 16 years ago—inserting Forrest Gump into existing news footage of President Kennedy, John Lennon and Richard Nixon. The computer-generated images that depicted Gump’s Viet Nam commanding officer without legs was also (and still is if you ask me) a mind-blowing special effect.

It wasn’t special effects that endeared this film to millions, however. It was the universal story of unconditional love—the love that Forrest had for Jenny, despite her multiple dismissals of him once she reached young adulthood.

As he said himself, “I’m not a smart man, but I do know what love is”
Indeed he did.

And while we laughed at his shortcomings throughout the movie—as did everyone who surrounded him in his lifetime, we can all learn from the values that were embodied in Forrest Gump—namely:

1) Don’t hold a grudge. No matter how poorly he was treated, Forrest always treated everyone with the respect they deserved—the same respect that eluded him from others.
2) Tell the truth. Forrest was not a wordsmith, but his simple outlook on life was direct and to the point. And it was unvarnished truth.
3) Love unconditionally. If Forrest’s outward expressions of love—awkward though they may have been—were dependent on reciprocal responses from Jenny-or whomever—there would not have been a story here. Jenny was there for Forrest when he was a boy and stood up for him when others bullied him. He never forgot this—and never let Jenny’s indifference or outright rejection define or alter his pure love for her, a love that was finally rewarded, even though it was short-lived.
4) Be loyal. Whether it was Jenny, his mother, his comrades in battle—or anyone else, Forrest was above all—loyal. He could be counted upon.
5) Be persistent. From walking with braces, to running across the country. From learning to assemble an M-16 rifle to becoming a world-class ping pong player, Forrest kept at it until he mastered it, whatever “it” was.
6) Be childlike. True, this took little effort for someone whose mind was closer to that of a child to begin with, but his outlook on life was always reflected in way he approached everything. Enthused, filled with wonder and anticipation.


There are likely more than this, but we’d be well served to adopt the half dozen attitudes listed above. Imagine the transformational power if all of us acted in the way that Forrest did.

Here’s the trailer for the 1994 classic, “Forrest Gump”:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPIEn0M8su0&feature=related


The most often quoted line from the movie, “Life is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re gonna get”—is true, profound and exceedingly simple.

Yeah, he’s a fictional character, but he’s also an ideal to aspire to. Would that we could accept with grace and humility all that happens to us!

If a guy with an IQ of 75 can do it…maybe we can too!

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