Bogosity

NOTE: this is a vague review of the film Amazing Grace.

The meaning of life has gained a fifth bullet point: learn from your heroes.

Let me recap:

1. A support network. William Wilberforce found wonderful resources in his friends. Note that their material help was probably not as important as just the fact that they were there.

2. William had to learn to accept his failures. He was haunted by regrets which stopped him from seeing his opportunities. He had to come to terms with his illness and decide to fight as the person he was, not the person he wanted to be. I don’t want to spoil the plot so I’ll be vague: he embraced life in all the fullness that it was offered to him even though he perhaps felt he didn’t deserve it.

3. He spoke out. This was pretty natural for him but after fifteen years of failure, to pick himself up and keep going was in some ways his only way to keep living. As long as he was trying, he had hope.

4. He overcame his fears. The film doesn’t really go into this too much but his courage to stand against his enemies must have come from him internally confronting his fears.

5. He looked to his heroes. We don’t really know who William Wilberforce’s heroes were but in the film, John Newton is at least one of the people who inspires him. His conversion from being a slave trader had an enormous impact on William and inspired him.

Oh and by the way I really liked the film and recommend it. I was expecting to be bored but wasn’t in the least and even shed a tear at one point (and I’m one of those people who didn’t cry reading the seventh Harry Potter book so don’t think I’m thin skinned or anything).

Notes: For those not familiar with this blog – my reducing the meaning of life to five bullet points is just a way for me to laugh at myself. I’d really like to see your own bullet points of the meaning of life in the comments. But only if you can see the funny side of your world view too.