This. Cannot. Stand. Some movies are so universally applicable in what they say (and how they say it) that everyone, EVERYONE, has something to learn. Kung Fu Panda is that sort of movie.
I could go through a list of all the outstanding features of this specific film (ageless humor, A-list voice talent, etc.), but I’d rather just focus on the unsung hero of the movie: Master Oogway. For those of you who weren’t paying close enough attention at the time you saw the movie (I don’t even want to consider the possibility that some of you haven’t seen it), Master Oogway is the tortoise who selects Po (the Panda) to be the Dragon Warrior and also serves as the source of wisdom throughout the film. Kind of like another green master…it can’t be a coincidence how similar they look, right?
Of all the movie quotes I use in therapy (and I use a lot), Master Oogway’s lines easily work the best (sorry Yoda). In fact, one specific line from the master has yet to find a problem it can’t help. After hearing from a worried ally who is bringing “very bad news”, Oogway calmly reminds him, “there is just news... there is no good or bad.”
With those ten words, Oogway brilliantly summed up one of the most important psychological (and philosophical) concepts a person can learn: good and bad don't really exist, people just choose to torture themselves with a false belief that there are good and bad things in this world. Before you get all up in arms and ready to call an existential foul, let me clarify one important thing: Oogway wasn't talking about Good and Evil (which certainly do exist), he was referring only to good and bad, which are nothing but fluid, changeable ideas that don't really exist.
Allow me to explain with a personal example. A few years ago (before I had even considered graduate school), I worked in residential real estate development. This was during the real estate boom, so money was good...really good. So good, in fact, that many developers resorted to some very underhanded tactics to increase their access to developable land. I found out just how underhanded some of these people could be when one of my neighbors informed me that another developer had sent an investigator to talk to them in an effort to "gather dirt" on me prior to a planning commission meeting on one of my projects.
To keep a long story from crossing over into unbearable, I'll just cut to the chase and let you know that I ended up losing two projects due to other developers dishonest and underhanded tactics, and I was as close to losing my home as I would ever want to be. It was bad. Luckily, I was able sell some land that allowed me to get out of the projects relatively unscathed, but not without my bruises.
For weeks following these events, I looked at what had happened as an unmitigated disaster. I could not believe people could do the things they had done to me and my family; I was so scarred by the whole incident that my wife and I decided the money wasn't worth it, and we made the decision to go back to school to do something I truly loved.
Then something amazing happened. I discovered happiness in my work that I could not have predicted was possible; I actually loved what I was doing and looked forward to each day. And THEN...I watched in amazement as the housing market started to slide...and then tumble...and ultimately crash and burn. I'll let you guess what happened to the folks who ended up taking my projects...
At the time it was occurring, I was fully convinced I was experiencing one of the worst things that could happen to a person. Looking back, however, I can't think of a better, more preferable way for the whole thing to have worked out. So, here's the question: was it good or was it bad? The answer: neither, because good and bad only existed in my head. It was fully bad until I gathered more information and then decided it had actually been fully good. That being the case, couldn't I get even more information down the road and switch my opinion yet again?
You see, none of us has the God-like perspective we would need in order to decide what things are good and what things are bad. How many variables factor into every little experience you encounter each day? When will you ever have enough information to make the good/bad call?
Perhaps the more important question is, what would your life be like if you were capable of losing your focus on judging things as “good” or “bad”? What if you simply dealt with what was happening rather than getting so worked up about your snap judgments that are almost certainly flawed? I have yet to experience a problem that wouldn't be greatly improved if the individual experiencing it were able to stop judging every little thing about it. We'd all be much happier if we simply recognized that we just don't know enough about what's coming next or what our current experiences are leading to.
Without a doubt, Oogway is the wisest cartoon tortoise ever to master Kung Fu, inspire countless people, and ascend to the heavens in a cloud of peach blossoms. We are the beneficiaries of his wisdom. Okay, so it isn't exactly "Oogway's wisdom" seeing as you can find similar teachings in every major religion, philosophical school, and psychological paradigm...but are any of those even close in terms of mass appeal and general accessibility? Not a chance.
Now, I’m under no illusion that the creators of Kung Fu Panda were trying to create “philosophy for the masses” or that Jack Black is the founder of a new religion (although, truth be told, I would definitely let those missionaries in if they knocked on my door…), but the fact remains: Kung Fu Panda is a gem of modern society and I will not have anyone disparage it in any way!
