"Oz the Great and Powerful" - Goodness over Greatness

A few friends and I went to see Oz the Great and Powerful this weekend because it looked like a very "green" movie for St. Patrick's Day -

It was, and the colors were brilliant. There were mixed reviews amongst the group...but I LOVED it! I'd been waiting for a movie that inspired me enough to blog about, and here it is! (Wreck It Ralph had a good moral or two but I didn't feel it was substantial enough to blog about. Les Miserables (2012) changed my life but I don't feel I can add anything to the tons of articles/blogs already written about it.) This movie was perfect fodder for my ravenous humanities-trained, analytically-driven mind...expressed in this blog.

In the black & white beginning, Annie (one of Oz's - aka Oscar Diggs - old flames, played by Michelle Williams) comes to his carnival wagon to tell him she has a marriage proposal (which she has put off deciding) to give Oz one last chance to propose to her. Oz gently tells her to marry John Gale, who is a "good" man like his own father but he wants to be more than that; he wants to be "great", which implies fame and fortune supposedly attainable thru his current profession as a carnival show wizard/magician.

Their tender moment is abruptly ended by a furious weightlighter who chases Oz into a hot air balloon. Oz cuts it loose from his predator only to get caught in a tornado, in which he realizes he may die and is not ready to meet his Maker, so he prays for a 2nd chance at life to change for the better. He lands in the land of Oz and everyone thinks he's the prophesied wizard that will come to save them from the Wicked Witch, who's been wrecking havoc (there are vague references to Jesus Christ throughout). He plays along so he can become king of Oz and inherit all the gold. He reveals his fraud only to his new sidekick flying monkey, Finney, although the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch are suspicious about his wizardry powers. The big difference is the Wicked Witch wants to kill Oz and take over the kingdom while the Good Witch (also played by Michelle Williams) sees beyond his fake "greatness" to encourage his inner "goodness" in order to save her people.

After using science inspired by his role model, Thomas Alva Edison, and some theatrical illusions of his trade, Oz manages to scare the Wicked Witches away and take over as king of Oz. The Good Witch tells him she knew he had it within him all along, and Oz has finally proven himself to himself that he can have a huge [positive] impact.

I love this movie for 2 main principles it illustrates:

1) REPENTANCE - I see everything thru gospel eyes, and Oz demonstrates repentance. Oz was a liar and a conman most of his adult life who was selfish, egotistical, and used people (like his loyal, mistreated assistant) for his own gain. He cared more about swimming in mounds of gold and sitting on the throne with his crown and scepter than saving the innocent people of Oz from the destruction and tyranny of a ruthless evil Witch. He didn't have respect for himself and didn't think he could change, but he made a complete turnaround because others believed in and supported him. Oz became a benevolent king who loved his people and assumed the serious stewardship over them.

President Thomas S. Monson gave a talk in the October 2012 General Conference called "See Others as They May Become" about the glorious things people can accomplish if they have someone who sees their true identity as children of God and encourages them to reach their divine potential.

"We need to be told that we amount to something, that we are capable and worthwhile. We need to be given a chance to serve...We need to bear in mind that people can change. They can put behind them bad habits. They can repent from transgressions...And they can serve the Lord diligently...we have the responsibility to see individuals not as they are but rather as they can become."

This talk was directed to the brethren about missionary work - converting nonmembers and reactivating wayward members - but I think it applies broadly to all of us, LDS or not.

I love the way the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet describes repentance:

"The Savior suffered for our sins and gave His life for us...Through the Atonement, you can receive forgiveness and be cleansed from your sins when you repent. Repentance is...a change of mind and heart. It includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments. Satan wants you to think that you cannot repent, but that is absolutely not true. The Savior has promised you forgiveness if you will humble yourself and make the effort that repentance requires." (emphasis added)

It's not a perfect analogy, but Oz reminded me of the beauty of repentance through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

2) GOODNESS vs. GREATNESS - Oz thought "greatness" (fame, wealth, and power) was more desirable than "goodness" (honesty, charity, loyalty, integrity, humility, etc.). But as he became the reluctant hero of the China Girl, the Good Witch, and her people, he realized he doesn't need to be a "great" magical wizard to save them, just a "good" man who brings out the best in them as they work towards a common cause. He became the leader they needed and wanted because they saw the potential within him. And finally, Oz realizes the "goodness" of his heart will bring more fulfillment and joy than the "greatness" he sought.

Those who seek "greatness" are driven by pride, as President Ezra Taft Benson explains in his famous "Beware of Pride" address -

"For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." (John 12:43)

But God is ultimately the only being we need to please. And He knows better than anyone what our true, full potential is - it is glorious beyond description. It is much more important - essential, in fact - to develop "goodness" inwardly than to exude "greatness" outwardly. For -

"The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

And if we prioritize and seek the "good", we will ultimately gain that which is "great"

"If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation." (D&C 6:13, emphasis added)

Christ doesn't just ask us to be good (Moroni 7 - search "good"), He asks us to be perfect (Matthew 5:48). But He doesn't expect us to obtain perfection instantly or permanently, much less in this life because even the Son of God had to grow into His full potential (D&C 93:11-13).

We can all develop this "goodness" -

"We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day." (Richard G. Scott, "The Transforming Power of Faith and Character")

Go see this movie. It is good.