This week’s article by our Video Ninja, Nick Kelly
I watched The Shawshank Redemption for the millionth time recently. It’s a brilliant film, up there as one of my faves and I believe it is storytelling at its finest. It got me thinking a lot about the range of stories that we tell, whether in movie or written form and why we are so hard-wired for a good story.
Part of it is for the action, the drama, or the romance of course. We love to ‘suspend our disbelief’ and live in a world unlike our own, or even another universe! But a huge part of why we actively seek out stories is because of the conflict that those stories show. Conflict is present in our own lives and will take many forms. I’m not talking just about arguments or fights, it could be physical, or internal. A quarrel over client strategy, or a poorly implemented social media strategy. Hitting peak hour traffic on your way to a meeting, or spilling your coffee. Think of conflict as being any impediment you encounter on the path to your goal. Since conflict is inherent in our own lives and throughout society, we judge the quality of a film or book against the skill of which the conflict within that story is played out.
So why are you reading about conflict in films and stories in your article today? Because I believe that conflict can be a great thing in real life! And here’s why;
Picture the last film you watched. There would have been a protagonist (main character) and an antagonist (bad guy). Throughout the film the protagonist journeys towards their goal, whether physical or internal and crosses many obstacles (conflicts) which will stop them from achieving that goal. If they choose to give up after their first conflict, they don’t get what they are after, and you have no story really.
So let’s say you have your standard film object of desire (crystal skull, buried treasure etc) that your protagonist wants. They go to retrieve it on their own but are thwarted by the evil pirates, aliens or monsters. So what do they do then? They continue on with their journey to retrieve the treasure of course, but this time, they enlist the mighty Captain Planet to help them.
Ok, that might not be such a great plot idea BUT they (the protagonist) learn from the conflict instead of repeating their actions… they change their approach. Now, this may lead to temporary failure again in the film, but you’ll notice the character continues to adapt and therefore continues to grow as a person.
So now do you see why I mention conflict?
If you noted down the instances of conflict in your own day, you’d probably end up with a long list. But on that list, how many conflicts can you honestly say have helped you change your approach? I can think of just this morning, when I’ve had to leave the house a bit earlier than usual but couldn’t find my keys (I place them anywhere but the key bowl, EVERY day). It caused me to be late. If I make the effort to learn from that conflict then I can overcome it the next time it crops up.
If we use this list to help objectively evaluate those conflicts, we would find that there is a lesson to be learned and can instigate change within ourselves so that the next time that conflict comes up, you handle it and overcome it. Some of those changes will be so small that they are easy, and some will require a concerted effort. But try and see conflict as an opportunity to make a change for the better and help you on your journey towards whatever treasure it is that you seek!