· 8 min read
Lessons Learned From The Movie Pinocchio
A cartoon can teach you about importance of self-discovery, aligning with one's conscience, and facing challenges voluntarily.
I watched Pinocchio recently, and I loved the movie. It’s philosophical and in the purest sense.
Here’s my description of the movie, along with the lesson learned.
Pinnocheo’s Dad Created Him
Pinnocheo’s father is an old guy who lives and enjoys his life. He seems to be single. He does have the company of his cat and fish, and he enjoys his life a lot.
He makes Pinocchio, a wooden puppet. And wishes him for a dying star for a wish that may the boy come true.
{%- include lesson.html content=“The guy already enjoyed his life.” -%}
When he wished from the dying star, the fairy didn’t just give him a complete boy. She made the wooden puppet alive.
When the puppet came, he was given a chance to become alive. And it was up to him to become alive. No one else could do it. But he could do it himself.
And to help him along the path, he was gifted a conscience. Gemini The Cricket. Who can guide him to choose right over wrong?
To become a complete boy, Pinnocheo would have to listen to his conscience and choose the path of being selfless, honest and courageous. If he does all these, he’ll become a complete boy one day.
Fairy wishes the best of luck to both Pinnocheo and the conscience.
{%- include lesson.html content=“Both a person and conscience take a journey together. i.e. they both learn and grow with time and experience.” -%}
When temptation is strong, whistle to your conscience. Always let your conscience be your guide.
When you are slipping, call your conscience. Let your conscience be your guide. :)
When you feel you are not being brave, give a little whistle and let your conscience guide you.
First Thing: Going to Education
The first thing Pinnocheo has to do the next day is get out of his house and go to school to meet other kids.
Pinocchio goes happily, carrying an apple given to him by his father.
Since Pinocchio and his conscience are separate, the conscience does not travel with him always. So, while Pinnocheo is going, the conscience is late running, though he is sure what bad can happen on the first day.
Personal Evil
Pinocchio meets a Fox, Honest John. Honest John is anything but honest.
Honest John sees Pinocchio as a gold mine and takes advantage of him. #goldDigger.
{%- include lesson.html content=“sometimes people see you as a gold mine, so they decide to take advantage of you.” -%}
He traps Pinocchio and eats the apple that was given to him by his father. Pinocchio doesn’t even get concerned with his apple being eaten away. Honest John is acting too well. Pinocchio thinks he is a good man.
{%- include lesson.html content=“People with Malavelant intent work Charmly. No one acts dishonestly in front of you. Until you are away from all drama and can exclude a person’s charm to look at their action, you will stay trapped.” -%}
Then Honest John entices him to become an actor. He says he’ll be world famous. Pinocchio has the awareness that he needs to go to school, but eventually, after Honest Johns’s persistence, he gets enticed. And goes along with Honest John. Happily,
{%- include lesson.html content=“We are happy even if we don’t realize we are going to lose. And sometimes we are too satisfied. Maybe if it sounds too good to be true, it is.” -%}
His conscience suddenly sees Pinocchio and Honest John walking and singing happily. He slowly goes to Pinocchio while avoiding honest John, trying to hint at him. You had to go to the school.
Pinocchio sees Gemini (conscience) and reveals to Honest John that he is there. The first thing honest John tries to do is get rid of Gemini.
{%- include lesson.html content=“People who are evil start first by taking away your autonomy. Avoid that.” -%}
Gemini Cricket manages to get rid of Honest John and talks of Pinocchio when he is alone. Gemini rarely talks in front of other people except the fairy. In front of others, especially people he thinks are doing wrong. Here, the sprite could be equated to god.
{%- include lesson.html content=“Your conscience talks to you when you allow for some silence.” -%}
Group Evil
Someone has evil intent for the entire group, and you are a part of it. Just being part of the group.
The steps to get out are still the same. Listen to your conscience and act.
{%- include lesson.html content=“Be careful who your company is.” -%}
Pinnocheo’s father went out on a journey to bring Pinnocheo back. But he got swallowed by a whale and reached the depth of the sea. This is also a thing that Pinnocheo’s father may not have gone out to protect his son. At the same time, when you go out to do important things, even if your intention is pure, you may get swollen by the whale.
{%- include lesson.html content=“When you are doing something with yourself, it can affect people around you.” -%}
For Pinnocheo, this is a shock, And he goes to get his father out of the belly of the whale.
His conscience is in disagreement, and he is scared. It wants to avoid getting to the bottom of the ocean to get the father. Pinocchio is disintegrated. i.e. he wants something, but his conscience wants something else.
Pinocchio has to convince his conscience, and the way he convinces them is to talk to him. He takes a moment to speak with his conscience. The conscience and Pinnocheo align, and the conscience can give tips for things further.
{%- include lesson.html content=“We often take journeys with our conscience. It’s only sometimes that the conscience is correct. We learn together with our conscience. When we are aligned, i.e. we and the conscience think in the same direction, we can move much faster in that direction. 🙂 You have to love yourself and talk to yourself enough to get yourself aligned. 🙂 We have a little ourselves inside of us.” -%}
Pinocchio also aligns himself with facing a challenge. i.e. to protect his father from the belly of the whale.
Often, tragedy befalls us. It takes us, or it brings our family members or community. Not always, but sometimes, we must face the whale voluntarily at the bottom of the ocean. This journey to the bottom of the sea is feared by everyone, as described by all the fishes. It’s an abyss.
{%- include lesson.html content=“JP says: If you stare into the abyss long enough and voluntarily, you’ll not only find the abyss staring back at you, you’ll find the light.” -%}
Important things need to be faced. It’s luck to meet essential stuff with all your strength and knowledge. That certainly helps. But sometimes you don’t have all the power or all the ability, yet you have to face the whale at the bottom of the ocean voluntarily and to your best capacity for yourself and the people around you.
Pinocchio meets his Dad inside the belly of the whale.
This can also be thought of as a revelation met inside darkness. Darkness, once understood and voluntarily accepted, can reveal important things.
To get out of darkness, Pinnocheo did not use brute force. He doesn’t have the strength. He uses his intellect. he isn’t the smartest. Yet he tries what he knows.
We should, too. We often can’t attack the whale directly; we must be smart about it. Look around us. Be humble to use things that we didn’t use before and ask for help about things from people we have never asked before. And do our best even if we don’t know enough.
Finally, Pinocchio and his father get out of the whale’s belly. The whale chases them even after for some time. But they can protect themselves enough so they don’t get eaten again.
{%- include lesson.html content=“Once you get out of darkness, it’s not like it’s all bright instantly. You must solidify the light so that darkness doesn’t get over you. The best way to do this is to understand it fully and transcend it 🙂.” -%}
Pinocchio becomes a real boy.
Pinocchio finally becomes a real boy after all the ups and downs and the adventures.
He tried out stupid things and found out he didn’t want to go in that direction.
He saved his father from the belly of the whale. He exercised courage despite malevolence and goodness towards his family members. He integrated with his conscience. i.e. he let his conscience be his guide. And he developed a better, more aligned relationship with his concise.
Eventually, he becomes a real boy. This can be thought of as he entirely fulfilled his potential.
By following some of his examples, we can fulfill our potential too. 💎🙂
If you haven’t watched Pinocchio. I recommend you do, and if you have watched it yet, let me know what you think. ❤️
Is there any other movie you know that’s similar and philosophical?
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