It's A Wonderful Life After All

A friend writes a letter to the editor in yesterday's New York Times:

I wasn’t much of an “It’s a Wonderful Life” fan until I read Wendell Jamieson’s “Wonderful? Sorry, George, It’s a Pitiful, Dreadful Life.”

Mr. Jamieson’s attempt at iconoclasm says so much about what’s wrong with the world. It misses the point of what doing the right thing on a daily basis, instead of the exciting thing in one heroic moment, adds up to in George Bailey’s life, or would add up to in anyone’s life.

A “cooler” nightlife cannot replace the many difficult, selfless choices so many unsung people make on a regular basis. Such a worldview, which allows no room for the redemption that comes with living a good life in a broken world, is not just cynical. It’s morally bankrupt. It does not reflect the reality of the world we live in and what it needs.

Angela C. Wu
Washington, Dec. 20, 2008

Well said! I wonder how many people try so hard to be a hero and live an exciting life that they ironically end up failing to make a meaningful impact on the world?

Interestingly, my study of economics has underscored this lesson well. Economists such as Hayek and Adam Smith point out that we have far greater influence on those around us than we ever can on the world at large. If you to make a meaningful impact on the world, one of the best ways is to focus on being a positive influence on the lives around you -- those that you have a personal connection with. If you want to expand your influence, focus on increasing the quality and quantity of those relationships.

I for one have been a big fan of It's a Wonderful Life for many years. You can watch the movie in its entirety online.