- I will never be able to redeem myself of a major mistake
I made.
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001)
Assistant District Attorney Troy is on a roll. He has just won a
big case, and during the celebration he spots Gene, a very sad
insurance manager at the bar. Troy wants Gene to be happy —
he wants everyone to be happy. Troy buys Gene drinks and gets
drunk in the process. Gene, on the other hand, thinks the world
is unfair and wants retaliation, so he decides to fire the happi-
est guy in his department. Troy’s happiness, however, is short-
lived, as driving home drunk he hits a woman and, thinking he
has killed her, flees the scene. His guilt consumes him, causing
him to continually reinjure himself where he cut his forehead.
In such fashion, the movie traces the lives of several characters
in thirteen vignettes, each of which illustrates how absurd life
can be. Bad things happen to good people; good things happen
to bad ones.
Viewing Suggestion:Watch how Troy struggles over time
to achieve redemption for his crime and eventually succeeds.
Exercise: If you can feel compassion for Troy’s
inner struggle, you might be able to direct your
compassion toward yourself too. Keep watching the
movie with you in the role of the one who tries to
redeem him/herself of a mistake in the past and fill
in what you are going to do in order to succeed.- My life is worthless.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Few people actually achieve the goals they set when they are
young, and yet their lives turn out to have meaning, though it
is sometimes difficult to see. Caught in a scandal brought about
by the evil machinations of his nemesis, George wonders if his
life of sacrifice and hard work has been worthwhile. Standing
on a bridge, he considers suicide. But an angel intervenes and
“If you build it they will
come.”
Voice (in Field
of Dreams)Negative Belief Index 89