Final Scene of It’s a Wonderful Life and Why it Matters at Christmas

If you’ve ever seen this film, there’s no doubt that this final scene is moving. If you’ve never seen this film, I encourage you to do so.

Why I Disliked It’s a Wonderful Life in My Youth

Growing up, my family watched It’s a Wonderful Life every year at Christmas time. I remember dreading having to watch the movie mostly because I could not understand it in my youth. For a ten year old kid, the movie was unappealing because it was:

• In black and white
• The characters sounded funny (1930’s American English)
• It was “boring”

What It’s a Wonderful Life Means to Me

Over the years, I’ve grown to love It’s a Wonderful Life. Today, it is my favorite movie and I’ll even go as far as saying that it has literally changed my life.

I enjoy the film more and more each time I watch it. After watching it last night, I felt compelled to share my experience on Lucid Practice.

What is It’s a Wonderful Life About?

As a boy, the protagonist, George Bailey had always wanted to travel the world, build buildings, and shape the direction of the rising USA. However, after high school he ended up staying in the, “crummy old town” he grew up in because of circumstances outside of his control.

Midway through the movie, mistakes and hardships have compounded and George is in a bad place. He contemplates suicide at which point he asks God for a sign.

God grants George the magical gift of seeing the world as if he had never been born. One of the film’s many strengths is in its ability to depict the horror of the condition of George’s hometown, his family, and his friends without his presence in their life.

After the powerful scenes that ensue, George’s guardian angel says, “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole to fill, doesn’t he? … You see, George, you really had a wonderful life. Don’t you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away?”

What We Can Learn from It’s a Wonderful Life

The poignant message of It’s a Wonderful Life is this: Be a good person and make a positive impact (even if your efforts seem to go unnoticed) on the world. This is the way Brian and I intend to live and that’s the reason Lucid Practice was Founded.

The scene above is the climax of the film when George realizes that the adversities in his life are minuscule when compared to the gift of life itself. The struggles and suffering that each of us have and go through can be looked at in the same light.

This is one of the ways I have looked at life and it’s been an incredible instrument, arming me with positive energy in the face of adversity and negativity.

The scene above and this outlook on life can be directly related to this eloquent quote:

“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” ~Albert Einstein

What if we all looked at life this way? And not just throughout the Christmas season, but all the time….

Here are six traits that are emphasized throughout It’s a Wonderful Life:

• love
• family
• community
• friendship
• honesty
• faith

It’s a Wonderful Life and Christmas

The above traits are also qualities of Jesus. To me, the definition of Christianity and Catholicism is simply, “being Christlike.”

So this holiday season and beyond, be Christlike (even if you’re not technically Christian). Remember how sacred the gift of life is and do your best to make a positive dent on the universe.

Merry Christmas to all of the Lucid Practice Community!

Love, Paz