My son and I went to see The Lorax last night. He went somewhat reluctantly because, as an 8 year-old boy, he felt Dr. Seuss movies were for little kids. I thought he would probably end up enjoying it (we saw it in 3D, after all) but secretly I was the one who really wanted to see it. I had heard of the book, but wasn't familiar with the story and had heard it had a nice eco-friendly message so I was curious.
We both ended up laughing and loving it. And today I went out and bought the book to better understand how much artistic license was taken to bring it to the big screen. There were things that were added and changed, but the eco-responsible message was consistent in both. Here are the key lessons The Lorax teaches us:
- When you see something beautiful in nature, a human touch really can't make it any better. The Once-ler saw a beautiful valley of Truffala trees and decided that's where he should set up his business. Needless to say, he completely destroyed the ecosystem.
- Nothing clouds our better judgement or inner conscience as much as greed. In the movie, the Once-ler started out friendly with The Lorax and promised he wouldn't cut down any additional trees. That was until he saw the dollar signs. "And I biggered my money, which everyone needs."
- Eventually, because of our exploitation, the earth's natural resources will run dry. The Once-ler cut down all the Truffala trees and put himself out of business. The same is true of oil, natural gas, and our own degradation of the rainforest.
- Nothing will change UNLESS those of us who care stand up to the ignorance, apathy and greed. If you're reading this blog, you probably already understand that.
Plant your own Truffala tree and watch it grow.
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