© 1994 Paramount Pictures
Do you remember the big hit movie in the 90’s starring Tom Hanks called Forrest Gump? It touched many hearts. Forrest Gump is a film depicting a story of a stupid. In the beginning, everyone worries about how such a stupid person could lead a life in this tough world. But towards the end, they wish they could live like Forrest Gump and admire him. Why is it so? Why did people eventually become a fan of Forrest Gump? Everyone basically wants to become smarter and superior than others. But how come we envy a life of a person with a low IQ?
The reason would be the following: Forrest Gump does not make thoughts as complex as we do. He just eats when eating, just sleeps when sleeping and just works when working. Let’s take an example. In the middle of the film, Forrest Gump joins an army and the best friend he met there, Bubba, loses his life at the war. Before he dies, he suggests Gump to catch shrimps and open a shrimp restaurant together when they go back to their life. But he is dead, unable to keep it. Although Gump has no experience in business, he catches shrimps and opens a restaurant called Bubba Gump, which turns out to be successful. He was a man with a low IQ and no experience in the society. What would be the reason behind his success? Ordinary people come up with all sorts of plans and worries before they even begin to act. Although they know what to do, they easily give up when facing some obstacles and take another road. Easily speaking, Forrest Gump has no such function in his brain. He just does whatever he does, doesn’t recognize obstacles he faces, and just breaks through them and keeps going forward. That’s why he succeeds in everything he does. Because he’s free of thoughts and carries out his actions diligently, a stupid Gump transforms into the one whom everyone admires.
He is also very extraordinary in the army. He just accomplishes orders from seniors; taking care of guns, cleaning, whatever it is. He does two times, even three times better and harder than anyone else. So although he’s stupid, his colleagues and seniors love him. He is not manipulated by his delusions or does he complains about how tired he is (like anyone else does). As he only concentrates on the work he is supposed to do, he stands out from the group.
The film has another interesting scene; he just wants to run to forget his frustration from losing a lady he loves, so he leaves home and runs and runs. As he runs endlessly, he has run all around the world, which becomes an issue. Later on, others who see him also join him and even become his followers. A reporter asks him if there is any specific reason he runs. He answers that he runs because he just wants to run. And one day, he thoughtlessly stops running and says, “I’m pretty tired… I think I’ll go home now.” When someone does something, people think there must be a reason for him doing it. Gump doesn’t have such a function in his brain. If he has something he wants to do, he just does it. This kind of people cannot help but succeed in their business. In order to become successful, you simply have to do double or triple the amount of work others do and money will naturally follow. But in general, people only try to find the rationale and reason, rather than to sacrifice their body; and thus, their thoughts only advance further. This is the reason people can’t succeed.
Reminiscing the 90’s, I think about Forrest Gump. I draw a thought that I would have been much happier if I had been a stupid like Forrest Gump. If they enjoyed eating when eating and slept deeply when sleeping, people of the world would have been healthy and no one would have had insomnia. So just work when working. We already know the best result will be brought about if we do our best just for today not worrying about tomorrow and the future. How many people will carry out this action?
I hope there comes a world soon; the world where everyone, like Forrest Gump, just lives, just works and just does the best without thoughts.
