17 March 2010

Anything different is good

My son John and I watched 'Groundhog Day' together the other night. It's a personal favourite of mine, one I've blogged about before. In discussing with John the various stages that Phil Connors (Bill Murray) goes through during the film, I find that I couldn't help but reflect on where I am personally ... I suppose a 'groundhog day' lifestyle is only to be expected in an office job like I have at the moment; every day can kind of feel much like any other. I tend to yearn for something different. In fact, I try to ensure that each weekend I have something completely different to occupy me. It's probably because of my attempts to step out of my comfort zone...

However, I often hear that this attitude is at odds from popular opinion; it's generally accepted that people don't like change. It's said that they take comfort in the familiar, relaxing into habitual behaviour. I think that what they don't like is change where they don't have any control - where there is a risk they may lose something. Perhaps that's why so many people have such a difficulty breaking a bad habit...
Back to the film: according to director Harold Ramis, Phil would have spent about a decade stuck in the time loop. Some fans feel the period could even be as long as 30 or 40 years. Which is a long time in anyone's book. At the end of the film, free from his 'time loop', Phil finally concludes that 'anything different is good'.
I'm moving towards that conclusion as well. I'm just a bit stuck in one or two of my own 'loops' at the moment...

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