The Wisdom of Emma Thompson

I took the children to see Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang on Saturday and I was thinking afterward, that the lessons Nanny McPhee teaches the children in her charge, could be applied on a global level, to achieve world peace.

Her lessons are:

Stop fighting with each other.
Learn to share.
Help each other.
Have courage.
Have faith.

We are just like the children in the movie, though we may be grown adults, with big responsibilities and roles. We continue fighting, because we can't get past the indignation of being hurt by another. We can't share, because we think that our rewards belong to no one other than ourselves. We are too busy with our own little world, to take the time and effort to help each other. We pass over our responsibilities to others, when we feel that we can't face the music ourselves. We slowly sink into despair and depression, because it feels like there will be no change for the better.

As a parent, I realise that it is pretty hard to expect my children to learn these things, if I am not willing to learn them myself. People need good role models. They are few and far between. This movie inspired me to look at my life with a critical eye and see which lessons I am trying to master, which ones I am struggling with and which ones I feel good about having achieved some success in.