The Wizard of Oz usually gets credit for its strong political allegory, but if you ask anyone who grew up watching Dorothy, that’s not why they love the story. What makes The Wizard of Oz so good, and so challenging for us, is its lesson of pursuit.
In our culture, we’re groomed to believe that when we reach a certain point, get to a certain place, or meet a certain person, then we’ll be given that thing we need.
“If I can just get that job, then I’ll be happy.”
“If I could only lose ten pounds, then I’ll be attractive.”
“Once I graduate school, then I’ll have time for that project.”
What L. Frank Baum teaches us though, is that its actually in the midst of pursuing the thing that we find what we were looking for. We don't earn the thing by arriving, we discover it by setting out on the journey.
We don’t get smart by getting picked, we get smart by solving interesting problems.
We don’t gain love by having it bestowed upon us, we gain love by entering into vulnerable relationships.
We don’t gain courage through some magic spell, we do it by putting ourselves in situations where courage is required.
In the end, we’re just like Dorothy. We discover that the things we desire, whether they be potential, influence, creativity, a family, going home, those slippers have been on our feet all along.
In our culture, we’re groomed to believe that when we reach a certain point, get to a certain place, or meet a certain person, then we’ll be given that thing we need.
“If I can just get that job, then I’ll be happy.”
“If I could only lose ten pounds, then I’ll be attractive.”
“Once I graduate school, then I’ll have time for that project.”
What L. Frank Baum teaches us though, is that its actually in the midst of pursuing the thing that we find what we were looking for. We don't earn the thing by arriving, we discover it by setting out on the journey.
We don’t get smart by getting picked, we get smart by solving interesting problems.
We don’t gain love by having it bestowed upon us, we gain love by entering into vulnerable relationships.
We don’t gain courage through some magic spell, we do it by putting ourselves in situations where courage is required.
In the end, we’re just like Dorothy. We discover that the things we desire, whether they be potential, influence, creativity, a family, going home, those slippers have been on our feet all along.
