ten lessons that enchanted me from Beauty and the Beast

Last night as the sun faded and the moon swayed, we walked into a rose clad cinema and picked up our flute of champagne. Dancers waltzed through popcorn and strawberries were served with chocolate on sticks. We watched the Perth premiere of disney’s latest film release of Beauty and the Beast and it was worth every bit of the hype.

As I watched the film throughout, I found myself breathing in inspiration with themes that moved my heart.

Here are ten lessons that enchanted me from the latest disney version of Beauty and the Beast

1) Ignorance is the reason of fear

The crowd and its culture struck me raw in last nights movie rendition of Beauty and the Beast.

We don’t like what we don’t understand, in fact it scares us, and this monster is mysterious at least…

Belle

When was the last time you rejected someone, or called them a beast because of the way general society was speaking about them? Ignorance my friend is the reason of fear.

2)Finding freedom in the release

The greatest act of love is letting people go. This saying as old as time rings true as much as ever…”If you love someone, you must let them go at some point.” Beauty and the Beast proved this to be right. Sometimes, because we have priorities, we need to be set free. Seasons change, friendships fade, moments transition. There are many times in the highs and lows of our lives that we need to find freedom in the release.

3)Beauty is deeper than face value

This is such a simple truth and of course when we say it logically we agree. What about in our Instagram follower focused culture? How often do we priorities someones perceived success by their online following and filtered feed, rather than the consistency of their character? Beauty is deeper than face value and success is not as simple as how many people follow.

4)Reading has the capacity to take you anywhere in the world

I want to adventure the great wide somewhere…

Belle

Every time we read something from the mind and heart of another we grow. Our world grows, our empathy grows and our impact on the world grows. Reading is the greatest armchair traveller. When we expand our minds, it also expands our futures.

5)Ever learning

When I was a teenager, I made this simple decision and it has honestly changed my life. I decided one day, I will never, ever stop learning. There is something profound when we constantly sit in the seat of the student, rather than thinking we know it all. Both Belle and her Father, lived lives that were ever learning. This on trait, bought them to places that only the seeking could have found.

6)A chipped cup can still do the job

Little chip warmed my heart. He made me feel an affinity with the innocent and childlike parts of ourselves that just want to be a part of the bigger picture. In the midst of a team and a community, I find the chipped cups with character, the most rare. You know those people. You smile when you see them coming. They bring light and life into dull corridors. If you are a little chipped, don’t worry I believe you can still do the job.

7)Happily Ever After looks very different to what we think

It is so funny to think, what I thought Happily Ever After looked like as a young adult. I had such bizarre thoughts around marriage, motherhood and living a life of my dreams. Today I am very much living my Happily Ever After, but it looks nothing like I thought it would. Sometimes we miss the gold, because we are looking for it in the final package. Every prospector must look for the gold. What are you missing, because you are unwilling to dig a little?

8)Finding your unique and celebrating your weird

I often find myself feeling small and strange in a room. I always have food on my shirt, I am the first to drop my plate and it smashes, my mind is often away in a distant land. When we celebrate and find our unique we live a life that is far more satisfying. Belle’s Dad, was a man on a mission to explore the unique in his world. In the end this was the one trait that found him whole and his daughter living the life of her dreams.Love means accepting each other’s weirdness because it makes what you have special.

9)How society excludes and promotes

Lately I have been really aware of the power of rejection and elitism in our world. Belle was a idealist and she often spoke of far off distant lands with quotes like…

I want more than this provincial life

Belle

It was so apparent in this movie that the society that surrounded Belle excluded and isolated her because of her idealism. Our society often excludes those who are pioneering a new way and rejects them. Our society often promotes people who seem to be going with the flow and have the loudest voice like Gaston. Hatred and exclusion, will not win in the end. I am so sure of it. If you want more than the provincial life my dear friend, go for it.

10) Anger and love find it difficult to co-habit

Lastly, but most profoundly anger and love find it difficult to live together. Anger, harsh words, insecurity and walls prevent those closest to us from finding the true place of our hearts. We need to find positive ways to express these feelings of betrayal, disappointment and mistrust. It is difficult to love in an environment of anger and hate. How are you going in the area of Anger? When was the last time that you found a positive way to process emotions in your world?

These lessons that enchanted me last night are just the beginning…

What is your favourite lesson from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast?

Amanda Marie