Alan Sandler--One Click Away!

 Find the Real Character in Alan Sandler!
 
 Sorry!  Not a movie review!  Every once in a while a character is summoned from the reality of our lives and this happened in the movie "Click."   Henry Winkler plays the father of Alan Sandler, his real father who had died and became the subject of the movie, "Click."  Winkler said that at several times during the shooting of the film that Sandler's concentration and contact with him was so powerful that it overwhelmed him.  He said it came from such a "very deep place" in Sandler -- and what I heard was, the seat of life itself.  Deep down in every person is the core, bed-rock foundation upon which our lives sit--"the seat of life"--and in those scenes in this movie, Sandler stood on that foundation and spoke "life"--that came from his connection to his father. 

Where is the "seat of life for you?"  It is formed from relationships, our instinct for life and survival, and this incredible need for meaning, transcendence, which comes from being held above our lives to see it for what it is.  As if we had that out of body experience in which we could look down and see ourselves for who we really are.  Although the seat of life has common elements, surely the combination of those elements differs for everyone.

Now here is the opportunity!  William James, father of modern psychology, has compared these elements to a pool table--same for everyone, infinite number of combinations.  He talks about "conversion," not just faith but an essential rearrangement on the table through experience.  It acts like the cue ball hitting the rack of balls and making a new combination.  For most of us, the is combination is set early in life, as most developmental psychologists agree.  Here's the difference and opportunity. New experience can be the chance to rearrange our sense of who we are, what we are about, and who and what we value.  The death of Sandler's father was just such an experience. It became the opportunity for him to deepen his character and thereby his profession as actor.

 The question for us is how we use new experience.  Do we go through life on automatic pilot?  Do we switch off to manual controls--and make intentional choices?

Yes it is also true.  Walk past the question and miss the answer!


Best to SIT with the question and see what answer comes up from your SEAT of life!