Who Are You When No One Is Watching?

Seven Pounds, the newly released Will Smith movie has received mixed reviews. So of course, I decided to see it for myself. After spending my $4.00 at a matinee show, I came to the conclusions that it was money well spent. Not only that, I am dubbing it the "must see movie" of the year.

While I am no movie critic, I am an everyday person who loves to get lost in a good movie. This movie in particular struck me because of its moral message. Yes, it is "just"entertainment, but I find great joy when I am able to walk away from a movie that makes me think about my life and what it means. One that stirs a dialog long after I have left the dark theater. Seven pounds is one of these movies.

In the movie, Smith asks of a certain character ,"Are you a good man when you don't know that anyone is watching?" As I sat and watched the movie, I pondered this question. How many people can truly say that they are "good hearted" even when no one is looking at them?

I gather that many of us, including myself, would answer this question with a resounding, "YES!" Yet, when we stop to think about it, and take a closer look at ourselves, we realize that there have been times in our lives when we all could have answered "NO" to this question.

Though I walked away from the movie with mixed feelings and emotions, I also walked away with the notion that despite my best efforts, even I could be a better person. I could be a better mother, wife, friend, etc...

The movie caused me not only to look at myself but also at the struggles I have been through in life. As the movie played out the struggles in the lives of seven people, I reckoned that the characters trials were no different than the person sitting behind or in front of me.

Just like the characters in the movie, we all have had or will have trials in life. Yet, it is how we go through, how we act and react that will determine the outcome. This is what makes up our character, the person we become in the most difficult times in our lives. Our response to life's tragedies is a more accurate picture of who we are than our response to a life that is "perfect." When the rubber meets the road, the person that we truly are will without a doubt surface.

So I ask you, who are you when no one is watching? Who do you become when you feel helpless and hopeless? As you will see from the movie, Seven Pounds, your answer to this question could be a matter of life or death.

And that's all I have to say....