POE Assignment - review on movie "Shawshank Redemption"

To become POE coach, one of the assignment is to write review on several books and movies, and all the review are restricted to only 50-100 words.

50-100 words is really a challenge as I have too many things to write for the movie "Shawshank Redemption".

So, I wrote one review that abide the 50-100 words rule for assignment submission, and now I am writing one that has no words limit just to allow me to put down what I have felt, and learnt from watching this movie "Shawshank Redemption".

*******************************************************************************

This in fact is the second time I watched the movie "Shawshank Redemption". The first time I watch is for pure entertainment purpose (i.e. no purpose). It's a good movie, but I do not recall any "moral of the story" that I learnt from it, and even forgot that I had actually watched it before. (I think at least 10 years++ ago)

Andrew Matthews has said this in his book "Follow your heart" - "We reach point in our life when we are ready for new information. Until then, something can be staring us in the face but we don't see it". That's exactly what I felt after watching the movie second time. There are so many lessons to be picked up along the movie, but the first time watching it, I picked up NOTHING.

Only after so many years, and learning more things in life, when re-watching it, suddenly realize there are indeed so many lessons to be learnt from this movie:

Lesson 1:
I think Andy (the main character, in case you have not yet watch the movie) is a practitioner of "The 7 habits of highly effective people". He focused on his Circle of Influence instead of Circle of Concern.
He focuses only the things that he has the power of control. He has no control on his life sentence, but he has control on escaping it (although it took him 19 years of effort).
He has no control on how the prison guards choose to treat him, but he has control to create good impression using his knowledge in finance and law.
He has no control on how the government would response to his appeal letter for library fund, but he has control to continuously write a letter per week to persuade them.
[Lesson 1 key takeaway]: A lot of time we may say "we have no control", "we have no choice", but in fact the control is on our hand. The reason we choose to say "we have no control", "we have no choice" is because it is easier, and effortless to believe "we have no control, no choice". Taking control usually is more inconvenience, and requires more effort... are you ready to take control?]

Lesson 2:
In the movie Red (Morgan Freeman) describe the Prison as such:” These walls are funny. First you hate them, then you get used to them. Enough time passes, you get so depend on them. That's institutionalized.”
I could not help but think of our Habits, the bad one in this context. We all hate our bad habits (procrastination, not punctual, lazy, eating unhealthily, no exercise etc.), but if we do nothing on those bad habits, eventually we get so used to them and they institutionalized in our life.
[Lesson 2 key takeaway]: Habits are built up slowly, either the good one or the bad one. For the bad one, when it is start cultivating, one must be ALERT and get rid of it quickly. When the bad habit institutionalized, it becomes so hard to remove it. (Don't get disappointed, it is very hard to remove, but it is possible to be removed)]

Lesson 3:
In the movie there are two scenes of Red taking a bus. (I believe the movie did it on purpose to make a contrast). The first scene is Red just released on parole, taking the bus to the town. The second scene is Red heading to meet Andy.
In both scenes, Red is alone, Red is still on parole, and Red is doing the same activity (taking a bus). But the feeling and emotions Red had are entirely different.
In the first scene I believe Red's mind is focusing on "how am I going to survive outside of the prison alone", he is worry on living as a free-man. (as he has already been institutionalized)
And in the second scene, his mind is focus on all the good things that could happen after meeting Andy, and hence he is excited.
[Lesson 3 key takeaway]: It's not the things that we do that determines our feeling and emotions. It is what we focus on that determine it. Two people can doing the same thing, at the same situation but feel totally different. I recalled a blog written years ago which depicted this understanding clearly. 
Click it if you know how to read mandarin for deeper sharing- 随缘行善 (look at the session of 事后想法)

Lesson 4:
Tommy, the new inmates that eventually shot to die, has been spent time in prison since 13 years old. Tommy has never change his behaviour all this while because he does not find a purpose in doing it. He finally CHOOSE to change, after he has a wife and daughter, and that's also the time he is sent to the Shawshank Prison, where Andy is imprisoned.

[Lesson 4 key takeaway]: We always have the power to choose, and the resources is always there. Is only when we have finally made up our mind, and to commit on it, then suddenly we realize we have access to all those resources. (And all those resources have been there for very long time, maybe appeared in different forms)

Lesson 5:
Andy do not murder the two persons, but in the movie he owned it to himself. He said that it is because his lack of communication with his wife, that caused his wife to get an affair, and eventually lead to the incident.

[Lesson 5 key takeaway]: Shit always happen, and when it happens if we choose to play victim, that we will be controlled by the shit, instead of we control the shit. 
Shit happens for a reason, if we do not overcome the shit, shit will keep on happen, maybe in a different form, or context, but the nature is the same.

Lesson 6:
Andy broadcast the Mozart's music to the whole prison. Everyone were so immersed to the music and just stunned and enjoyed the music.
[Lesson 6 key takeaway]: We can choose to be happy or relax even our condition are seem to be worst. We may see a family of 4 earning 800/month and they are living happily; at the same time another family may have earned 30,000/month but not happy. Again, at any time, the feeling you experience is not by your condition, but your DECISION! (decision to focus on what)

There are surely more than 6 lessons to be learnt from this movie, just that I DECIDED (my decision) to stop writing more as I DECIDED to do other things now.

If you have also watched this movie, you are welcome to share what you have learnt from this movie. And also for the same scenes that I have shared above, if you have different learning, I am happy to know it as well.

Thanks~~

完