Maybe some people consider it an animated film for children, but The Wizard of Oz is universal. Behind the plot, the story of Dorothy, an orphan child that travels through a dream to Emerald City, a paradise where wishes see daylight, there is a valuable message about life.
Who hasn’t dreamt some time about that place where dreams come true? Oz talks about that. And shows us that many times our fears paralyze us and hinder our achievements, because any decision of our mind or what we choose to believe about ourselves has an impact both on our behavior and on our experiences.
In that way, this cult film teaches us that although throughout the yellow brick road –throughout life- we will find setbacks, fears, lack of hope, and even that feeling of being bewitched or paralyzed, it is precisely when we face those hurdles that we learn what we must know to achieve what we wish.
As Oz said “I will give you a heart, a brain and a way to get back to Kansas if you bring me the broom of the West Witch”. In that search of broom, the characters find themselves facing their own fears and, without being aware of that, each one of them helps to solve the conflict using what they thought were their weaknesses.
What Dorothy eventually learnt is that she had always had the power to get back to her home and that she didn’t need any wizard or anyone to achieve her dream. As she says: “What I learnt is that if ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard, because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with”.
In the end, the truth lies in our feelings, instincts, and in those immediate impulses of our imagination. Our road may have hurdles and problems, but it is always a road that leads us to knowledge and enlightenment: to that desired and dreamt place called Emerald.
Let’s follow the yellow brick road!