By MIKE WILEY, Publisher —
I’m not a fan of superhero movies. Why? Because they paint a deceptive picture of what the world needs. Unrealistic, fictional characters with superhuman or magical powers? No. Our world and communities today really need more George Baileys.
George Bailey is the main character in the classic holiday movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” If you haven’t made viewing the movie part of your holiday traditions, you should. The movie is a sentimental favorite, but its deeper message is far more than just sentiment. It has a modern message for everyone.
George Bailey is played by Jimmy Stewart. His wife Mary is played by Donna Reed. The movie is the story of Bailey, a young man with big dreams. Above all, he desires to leave his backwater hometown of Bedford Falls, travel the world, and make his mark. A local girl, Mary, is sweet on him, but the ambitious George has no intention of settling down.
Tragedy intervenes
Unfortunately, tragedy intervenes, and he is forced to stay in Bedford Falls to run his father’s struggling savings and loan company. He and Mary wed. They buy a broken down old house. They spruce it up over the years, but it still remains drafty and in disrepair. Still, they love one another and eventually have some precious children. Life is hard, though. The savings and loan is constantly on the verge of failing, but, through the years, George manages to keep it afloat. The little savings and loan is important to the town because it gives home loans to poor and immigrant families whom the cold big bank, run by greedy, hard-hearted Mr. Potter, turns down. Whenever a poor family gets a home, the Bailey’s help them celebrate. Through times of depression and war, George helps keep Bedford Falls alive. However, his big dream of leaving town and making his mark in the world slowly dies. He is stuck in Bedford Falls.
Never been born?
One Christmas, through a series of bad circumstances and the evil scheming of old man Potter, George finds himself on the verge of bankruptcy, drinking heavily in a local bar, wishing that he had never been born. He decides to commit suicide so that his family can collect his meager life insurance. At that moment, God dispatches a novice angel, Clarence, to answer his prayer and show George what the world would have been like if he had never been born.
Bedford Falls or Pottersville?
Without George, quaint, happy Bedford Falls has become raunchy “Pottersville.” Mary is a lonely, frightened woman, having never married. George’s children were never born. Lives are altered because George was not there to help them and sometimes save them from themselves. The poor and immigrant families never got homes. The impact of George’s absence is felt in lives around the world. All the soldiers on a WWII troop ship die because George’s brother wasn’t there to save them because George hadn’t been there to save his brother when they were boys.
George comes to realize that his life made a big difference to far more people than he realized. George Bailey was not flashy, but George Bailey was a life-saving superhero.
We don’t need comic book “superheroes”
George Bailey shows what’s really valuable in life — being a person of integrity, steady, kind, faithful, and giving. George Bailey portrayed the quintessential quiet American hero. We don’t need plastic, celluloid superheroes. We need men and women who recognize that flashy is fake. We need George Baileys and Mary Baileys.
The Baileys showed more strength and courage than any celluloid “superhero.” Mary made a beautiful home out of not much, was a mother to their children, and supported her husband through thick and thin. In the moment of great family crisis, it was Mary who stepped in to rescue George.
Here’s the thing. No one can be a Marvel “superhero.” That’s fake. However, everyone can aspire to be a superhero like George or Mary Bailey. That’s where true happiness and fulfillment reside.
George Bailey didn’t try to be cool. He didn’t do drugs. He didn’t gamble. Even when he was young and full of dreams, he recognized that he had a larger obligation to his father, mother, and his family, and that those obligations required personal sacrifice if necessary. He didn’t demand damages or “reparations” for every perceived slight or bad break in life. He didn’t seek fame or recognition. He was dependable in his work. He was committed to his wife. He loved his children. He loved his country. He loved his community and helped the less fortunate. George Bailey was a superhero.
Will you be a George or Mary Bailey?
You can be a George or Mary Bailey. We all can be.
Has your family legacy been bad? Then start a new one. Commit to another person and start a family, build a business, be respectful to others, be faithful in your work and obligations. Does that seem old fashioned? Sorry, so do all the virtues. And, it’s men and women of virtue who keep our communities, state, and nation alive.
We don’t need imaginary superheroes. We need more George and Mary Baileys. You can be one. No superpowers required. HVN