Good Will Hunting recently popped up as a mirror for me. I’m currently in a phase of life where I’m balancing freedom, sovereignty, and the pressure to deliver something big just because I happen to have certain talents.
In a nutshell, that’s exactly what the movie is about.
Will Hunting is a kid with a troubled past, a genius brain, and the attitude of someone who observes life from the sidelines.
When Professor Lambeau discovers that the janitor solving his hardest math problems is actually Will, the pressure starts almost immediately:
- Your brain is extraordinary
- You must use it for the good of society
- You can't waste a gift like this
Almost as if Will were just an instrument.
Recently I embodied a different realization:
The world does not care about me — and I don't owe anything to the world.
This doesn't mean we should be detached from one another. But realizing that Will's brain is his — and he can do whatever he wants with it — is a powerful shift.
Yes, Will can solve complex mathematical problems.
In the same way Mozart composed operas we still listen to today.
But imagine for a moment that Mozart had decided to study medicine instead.
We would never have experienced The Magic Flute or Don Giovanni.
Yet would the world truly be that much different?
The truth is uncomfortable but liberating:
The world already has enough composers.
Enough mathematicians.
Enough experts of every kind.
A sovereign acts because he wants to, not because someone expects him to.
That’s the lesson I took from Will.
He chose to pursue a relationship with Skylar.
And more importantly, he chose to step up from being an observer of life to becoming a participant in it.
Before leaving Boston, Will leaves a simple note for Sean:
Sean, if the Professor calls about that job, just tell him, sorry, I have to go see about a girl.
It's Friday the 13th — I hope this unusual post made your day a little more interesting.
