The Pursuit of Happyness

After we got over the initial shock of purchasing movie theater refreshments we did actually watch a movie. We saw "The Pursuit of Happyness" starring Will Smith and his son, Will Smith's Son. It is based on a true story. For those thinking about seeing the movie, do it. Just be forewarned, it is depressing. Very depressing. Basically, you watch Will Smith's character, Chris Gardner, as his life pretty much falls apart. Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does. I won't spoil the film for you. There is, however, a happy ending. Personally, I was a little disappointed in the ending. I felt that they owed me a little more than they gave me. I mean, I sat through this excruciating journey with the main character and his son for about 99% of the movie. Then I get 3 minutes of feel good at the end. Sorry, but that's not enough for the amount of agony I had to endure. Like I said though, I won't spoil the film for you. Go see it.

I am going to talk about one of the scenes right now. If you are going to see it then stop reading right now. At about the half way mark of the film there is a scene where Chris Gardner is in a hospital with his son waiting to speak with a doctor. Chris sells bone density scanners to doctors in the San Francisco Bay area. His wife and him had spent their savings to purchase a boat load of these machines which Chris thought would turn into financial freedom. As it turned out, most doctors saw these machines as a luxury, not a necessity. At this point in the film Chris' wife has left him, he got evicted from his apartment and he has no money. He and his son are homeless. Chris has sold all of his scanners except for one. If he can sell this one last machine then they will be able to stay in a motel until he can get back on his feet, essentially. This is a pivotal point for Chris and his son. If he does not sell this machine then they remain homeless and the downward cycle continues.

As they are sitting, waiting for the doctor, a nurse walks up to Chris and explains that the doctor called and said that he was not going to be able to meet that night. You could feel the devastation Chris Gardner was feeling. Seeing his son only enhanced that feeling. As I was watching that scene I couldn't help but wonder about that doctor. Why couldn't he meet with Chris? What was his reason? I had been watching all of these sad events happen to Chris and his son and I wanted to know. It wasn't right. Chris needed to sell that machine. Chris's son needed him to sell that machine. Now, you never find out the reason why the doctor couldn't meet Chris that night. I guessed that he was too busy. That's what the nurse made it seem like. Too busy doing what? I don't know. It could have been something really important or maybe it was something trivial. Maybe the doctor just couldn't be bothered. Either way it doesn't matter.

I couldn't help but wonder about my own life and encounters. To that doctor, Chris was just like any other person. He was someone other than the doctor. The doctor has a life, has relationships, has tasks and schedules. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that. That's life but, Chris Gardner has a life too. He has relationships, tasks and schedules. What would happen if I sought to see people in the way that this movie allowed me to see Chris Gardner. What if I knew the consequences of my actions towards others? What if I truly knew the impact my action, or inaction, had on those around me? What if that doctor knew that Chris Gardner and his son would sleep locked in a bathroom in a subway tunnel that night? Now, I'm not suggesting that he would have, or should have, bought that bone density scanner for that reason. I'm just simply raising the questions. How often have we neglected to take the time for someone because it didn't mesh with our agenda?

This type of situation is complex indeed. There are no simple answers to these questions. The point I am trying to make is that we are surrounded by people all day, every day. Rarely do we know these people as well as "The Pursuit of Happyness" allows us to know Chris Gardner and his son. Would we view people differently if we knew the reality of their life? Would we treat people differently in light of that knowledge? I'd like to think we would but somehow I'm not certain. We might never know the depths of other peoples lives. That being said, I hope that we would choose to live like the well being of others is dependent on our actions. Who knows, it might just be someday.