All right. Given that this is December and considering the title, you’re going to think this is about a ritualistic end-of-the-year review along with the why-do-we-do-this practice of resolutions for the next.
It is not.
I’ll soon be traveling back west (I will never get used to saying that) to spend a couple of days reconnecting with my daughter, her husband, and their four kids, most (All?) of whom are no longer such very small people.
While looking forward to this always-too-short trip, I ruminated. Don’t we all.
Anyway, it’s common that we’ll watch a couple of movies together with popcorn and if lucky, ice cream. Last year, we watched a movie called, Croods: A New Age. If there are no children in your gatherings, you might have missed this one as it probably compares less favorably to things like, well, Die Hard: With a Vengeance.
I won’t spend much time here talking about the plot or the characters or the genre itself.
I will simply say, ‘Do yourself a favor and watch it. If you don’t have time, make time.” You can darken the house, close the shades, and pretend you’re not home so nobody sees you. Go ahead!
It always amazes me to watch children’s movies only to find that there are lessons I have forgotten or even moments where the rare ‘aha moment’ arrives in some stereophonic drop-in-the-slot discovery.
Quickly then, the story is about the interactions of two families, the “Croods” and the “Betterman’s”. I think I was halfway through the movie before I recognized how the names came to be. The ‘Better-man is superior to the Crude man. That inciteful revelation is on me along with all types of questions, “Am I a Crood? Are we all Croods? Should we keep our clan pure and apart? Would it be better if we joined our clan with another? Is cooperation dangerous or beneficial?"
There are Google searches you can do to review the character’s dialogue and even to check on the morals of the storyline. Of course, you will want to see the film before doing so.
There are many lessons buried within the scenes, but one that has frequently bubbled up to the surface since last year says, "Tomorrow is not a place. It is a person."
I don’t know if it is an actual quote per se. It might be just an impression; a strong impression, nonetheless.
I wonder if this isn't part of the reason that we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus. It is noted that three Wise Men / Kings welcomed The Lord of All with expensive gifts. But we need to remember that it was not just the 'better men' that showed up. This moment was shared together with shepherds, commoners, and animals - not in some castle, but in a barn. It's good to note that these 'Croods' were invited to the party by Angels. I guess Jesus wanted them here.
Tomorrow is not the me-first ladder of success that we're trained to seek. Tomorrow is not the I-am-right-you-are-wrong convictions we hold dear to our hearts. Tomorrow is not signified by status over others. Tomorrow is not the self-defined utopia of dreams. Tomorrow is not about arriving at a place.
Tomorrow is THE Person.
Tomorrow has already begun.
Croods: A New Age (This Age too, I think) Trailer
Croods: A New Age - Where to watch
We Are Here Together, Lyrics
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