Meet
the Incredibles, the award-winning Pixar team's superhero family that comes
out of banal, suburban hiding to don their old costumes and save the world
again. Bob Parr (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) was forced to give up his
swashbuckling days and log in time as an insurance adjuster and raise his
three children with his formerly heroic wife (Holly Hunter). But when he
receives a mysterious assignment, it's time to break out the super suit one
more time.
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, More
Director: Brad Bird
The Incredibles is an opportunity to question the wisdom of
conforming to the expectations of others, and of society in general. A point
that The Incredibles makes for us, if we choose to see it, is that if the
imperative is to fit in, to be like everyone else, then what is being
special. About 15 minutes into this film the son, Dash, and his mother, the
forced to retire superhero, Elastigirl, are riding home from a visit to the
principal's office, where Dash is being scolded for using his powers of
speed to be mischievous in class. Dash says to his mother "Dad always says
our powers made us special", his mother says "everyone is special Dash."
Dash says "which is another way of saying, no one is."
This family of supers known as The Incredibles, is a metaphor for every
person in every family living within a society that is sending us a mixed
message. Be great, be successful, be productive, but be all these things
within a set of expectations that society says is acceptable. Fit in,
conform, and don’t rock the boat. This voice of society tells us which
skills and professions will make us more valuable than others and which
skills and professions lesser members of our society, those with less
intelligence, less beauty, less charm, less ambition, pursue. Where in these
clear messages that say conform or else, do we find the space to discover
who we really are, what makes us special, what are we good at, what are we
passionate about, where is my voice to be found, what is the highest
expression of me?
What's In It For Us?
What The Incredibles so playfully gives us is the
opportunity to discover that under the pressure of society's narrow
framework of conformity, we have come to fear that we are inadequate in some
way. What can we do to
turn that around? How about we redefine the power and meaning of fear?
Now with fear powerfully redefined to
say go, then let us choose our fears carefully!
After all, what we put our attention to is what expands! So, from now on
let's fear that we are infinitely powerful, that we shine so brightly
that the light could be described as blinding, only to discover, that by
shining that brightly we give other people permission to do the same. In
doing so we give birth to a new kind of conformity, one that takes no
persuasion, no convincing, and no pressure from voices or expectations
coming from outside of us. It is a natural conformity of birthright.
We are all born a perfect reflection of that which creates us. Call it what
ever you want, the name doesn't matter. The entire universe and all life
within it are a model of perfection and we are a unique piece of that
glittering and diverse perfection. Because of that birthright, the
perfection is not just in a few of us, it is in us all.
Remember you are what you
watch.
Mark
