The Godfather

To those of you that know me well, it is no secret that I am a huge fan (to say the least) of the classic movie “The Godfather.” Being the introspective person that I am, a few days ago I asked myself a simple yet profound question- “Why do I like “The Godfather” so much?” At first blush it seems to me that I am totally taken in by the guns, wealth and Cadillac sedans that are present in every scene of the movie. Plus, who can forget classic phrases like “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” All the tough guy stuff is pretty appealing to a 22 year-old kid. When I think about it more, though, I think that the Godfather is a personal favorite because of the fact that Michael Corleone, the main character, continually is searching to find happiness in life. In the beginning of the movie Michael is seen attending his sister’s wedding with his girlfriend, Kay. Later on in the film, Kay and Michael begin to drift apart as the Corleone family needs Michael to attend to “family business” as his father becomes increasingly ill. As Michael becomes more involved in the family business and eventually begins to head the family business and is crowned the Godfather of the family, he becomes increasingly paranoid that the other mafia families in the area are plotting to kill him. He then orders the killings of the heads of the other 4 mafia families in New York. By the end of the movie, Michael has the audacity to lie to his wife (Kay’s) face about the fact that he killed his sister’s husband. He is simply trying to cover his own ass and cares little for his once-beloved partner.

In short, I think that I like the Godfather because I can identify with Michael, although I probably will not be running an Italian gang in the near future (hmmm…never know). Michael was initially concerned with the basic joys of life like having a woman and a family that loved him. However, as Michael became more powerful he began to acquire Cadillacs, expensive suits and a large ego to match it. As William Pitt put it “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This phenomenon can be attributed to Michael Corleone’s life. I hope that this will not be true for my life. As I continue in my education and professional work experience, and become more independent and financially set apart from my family, I hope that I do not neglect the simply yet fulfilling joys to life like family, friendship and love. I do not want to be power hungry and get caught up in the things that do not have eternal value. There is, however, that continual desire to gain my power and influence- more control I suppose. One of Kanye West’s latest hits “Power” he claims that “he has the power [to] make yo’ life so excitin’.” I don’t want my life to be exciting because of the power and wealth that I have accumulated, but rather I want it to be exciting because of the reality that my very existence is tethered to its ultimate purpose.

The Pilot

I have wanted to “blog” my thoughts for sometime now. I seem to feel better and appreciate life to a greater extent when I am able to verbalize my thoughts. Perhaps the same will hold true by typing my thoughts in a box on a website. Only time will tell. I don’t, at least as of right now, want my thoughts to be focused on one particular political issue or something like that. Rather, I see this as an opportunity to share my thoughts with people as a means of emotional therapy and a way in which I can hear the thoughts and opinions of others.

Why are we always so willing to judge other people for their shortcomings while we can always find a way to excuse our inexcusable thoughts, behaviors and attitudes? The deeper ramifications of this question have passed in and out of my memory since I had taken a social psychology class, last spring, at the college that I attended. Social psychologists have named this phenomenon the fundamental attribution error and have witnessed the manifestation and reality of this phenomenon through history and across cultures. In short, people find a way to justify their poor behaviors for themselves and attribute their shortcomings to the situation at hand. However, when I see my co-worker, family member, or the guy at the gym mess up, I attribute his behavior to his lack of character, not the situation into which he was placed. It seems that people do not have a problem with loving themselves. That is for certain. However, why do we have such a difficult time loving others? Are people really that evil and egotistical, or is it something more than that? People like Jesus have said that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. In terms of how this teaching relates to social psychology and the fundamental attribution error, I guess it starts with understanding the power of the environment to shape peoples’ behaviors and attitudes. It seems to go much deeper than that, though. Perhaps by understanding that God loves us unconditionally, I can in turn love my neighbor unconditionally. The reason that God loves us without end is because he looks upon us with unconditional grace. Why do I permit the flow of grace stop between God and me! It seems to me that they key to loving my friends, co-workers and family members unconditionally is by allowing God’s grace to flow through me- to love people for who they are, not what they do. I guess that I also need to love myself for who I am, not what I do since that is how God love me. Perhaps others can resonate with my shortcomings in terms of loving others unconditionally. It seems like such a simple concept to love people. This change, it seems, requires a desire to relate to others in an entirely different manner- an approach that contradicts what the world teaches- love based on effort.