If you combine swoon-worthy music with gorgeous dresses and awesome one-liners, you have put together the elements that make up my favorite movie: “Gone With the Wind.”
A few weeks ago, it returned to the big screen in honor of its 75th anniversary and I was lucky enough to go see it.
Based on Margaret Mitchell’s novel, “Gone With the Wind” follows Scarlett O’Hara as she endures love and loss before, during and after the Civil War.
I don’t know how many times I have watched this four-hour movie, but after seeing it in a movie theatre, I noticed that there are some life lessons that can be applied to today’s society.
Before I go any further, I just need to make it perfectly clear that Scarlett was a witch, for lack of a better word, and cared mainly about herself, doing things that are still today considered scandalous.
These things that I am about to point out are the elements of “Gone With the Wind” that, if used properly, can be used for good.
The main thing that carries over is that you shouldn’t worry so much about what other people think.
There are those times in life when you just need to let go of your reputation and do what you think is best for yourself and the ones you care about.
That doesn’t mean that you need to lie, cheat, steal or kill, as was done in the story, but blocking out other’s opinions can really make a difference.
So can letting things, or people, go.
Scarlett spends the entire story chasing after the man who she believes she loves, Ashley Wilkes. She even gets married three times just to spite him.
Eventually, she realizes that they were two completely different people and that the man she truly loves, Rhett, has left her with “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
Greatest break-up line ever.
Finally, never do today what you can put off until tomorrow.
Again, this does not mean put off a term paper until the night before it is due. This means that if you have an extra day to process something, it is better to wait and discern rather than rushing into a decision that you will regret later.
Scarlett did that a lot throughout the course of the movie.
In today’s fast-paced society, we do this on an almost daily basis.
Even on bad days, we need to take the time and see the good in things and if that is not possible, we just need to remember that tomorrow is another day.
Jackson is VN editor-in-chief
