My grand-daughter Sonya and I went to see the Wizard of Oz in 3D last night at our Nature and Science Museum. This is the original 1939 version, remastered. I realized I had never seen this movie on a big screen, 3D or not. Not only are the twister and flying monkeys scarier in 3D, the beautiful parts of the movie pop out as well. The wonder when Dorothy opens the door to Oz and the field of poppies are particularly impressive.
The Hole in the Plot
Sonya and I discussed the movie all the way home. And in our opinion, there is a giant hole in the plot. The movie tries to make the point that we all have strengths that we don’t recognize. The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion are in search of intelligence, compassion, and courage, which they already have. But that line of thinking falls apart with Dorothy. Dorothy had power in the Ruby Red Slippers, but she didn’t know how to wield it.
Glinda lets Dorothy wander all over Oz, knowing the Wicked Witch is after her, without revealing to Dorothy what the Ruby Slippers can do. When Glinda tells Dorothy at the end of the movie that she always had the power to go home, it simply is not true. Dorothy didn’t have the magic words. Glinda withheld them from her. I remember thinking this same thing as a child. How would Dorothy have possibly known to click her heals together and say those specific magic words? Power without knowledge is useless.
Untapped Power
We all have power. Simply by being alive on the planet we have the power to think and act. But power needs information to be of any use. That’s true whether we are planting and organic garden, practicing mindfulness, or operating Ruby Red Slippers.
The mindfulness focus this week is contemplating our untapped power. Although it is difficult to know what we don’t know, we can begin my turning our attention to times when we feel powerless. Often, we DO have more power than we know. Information may be needed to put it into play. (What if Dorothy had asked for more information about the Ruby Slippers instead of assuming she was powerless?) Fortunately, we are living at a time where we can research the information we need. We don’t have to wait for the Glindas of the world to provide us with information. We can find our own instruction manuals.
For More Information on Mindfulness Focus Words Click Here.
If your untapped power is about mindfulness practice Click Here.
Fun Information About the Wizard of Oz
Fascinating Look at the Making of the 3D Wizard of Oz
