Examples of Positive Living in Roberto Benigni's Film <i>Life is Beautiful</i>

Roberto Benigni's extremely popular film Life is Beautiful is an exercise in absolute positivism, despite the progressively dismal setting and the disappointments its main characters must face. The principle character, Guido (played by Benigni), is a model of positive living. This extends, perhaps simply through contact with Guido, to his family-wife Dora (played by Benigni's wife, Nicoletta Braschi) and son Giosue (played by Giorgio Cantarini)-who carry core values shared by Guido throughout the film. Specific types of positive living as outlined by Loren Ford (2004) in his book "Human Relations: A Game Plan for Improving Personal Adjustment" portrayed in the film include: strong values; firm decision making; meaning through dedication and service to others; flow through creativity; love; and letting go (pp. 271-290).

Early on in the film we are introduced to Guido's charm and sense of humor in his absolute pursuit of his love, Dora, in an attempt to lure her away from her fiancé and convince her that he (Guido) is the right man for her to love. Guido displays unfailing optimism in this goal. His love extends after marriage, is bestowed upon their son, and remains in full effect even under the most difficult and horrifying of circumstances. His dedication to Dora is inspiring.

Furthermore, Guido's sense of purpose includes his responsibilities as a husband and father, and he serves his wife and son unfailingly. The movie ends with the family in a Nazi concentration camp, owing to the fact that Guido is a Jew. Ford (2004) writes that "To help, nurture, or serve others provides meaning for many individuals (p.276)." This is certainly true in Guido's case, and there is no more straightforward an example than his final sacrifice on behalf of his wife: he risks certain death to attempt to rescue her after making many attempts to contact her through various creative and comical means. He is, in fact, captured and murdered by camp guards. It is a bittersweet ending to a life defined by acts of altruism.

Guido also displays tremendous dedication to his goal of opening a bookstore, thereby finding meaning in the task of becoming a bookstore owner. When he relocates from the country to the city to find work, it is his ultimate desire. He works hard at other jobs he has no particular interest in performing, such as working at a hotel, until he is able to achieve his dream. It is his resourcefulness, optimism, and creativity that help him to be successful in all but his final major goals.

Another example of creativity is in how Guido finds "flow" in his life. Ford (2004, p. 283) relates how researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi found that flow can be considered "the enjoyment we experience when we are engaged in mental and physical challenges that absorb us." Ford (2004) further explains how Csikszentmihalyi suggests that one method of achieving flow through creativity is in being creative problem solvers. Guido is the ultimate creative problem solver, thinking fast on his feet in all circumstances.

One example of this is in the "game" he devises when in the concentration camp to protect his son from the Nazis. He tells Giosue that the camp is part of a grand game, the prize of which is a genuine tank. He then gives Giosue a set of instructions, adding to the list as is necessary, to keep his son from suffering unduly. 

Another example of how Guido employs creative problem solving with respect to his son is in a poignant moment when Giosue inquires as to the meaning of the signs restricting the freedoms of Jews and dogs (degradation in itself). Guido explains how there is no real logic to this, and it is simply a random selection of groups of people and things. He makes light of it in an attempt to reduce any measure of distress.

Another method of positive living suggested by Ford (2004, p. 272) is values. Both Guido and Dora display unfailing values, never wavering even in the face of absolute adversity. Dora has the choice of abandoning her family or being taken with them by the Nazis, and still she remains true to her husband and son. She does this knowing it means she will end up in a camp herself. It is also an example of making a difficult decision, which is no strange concept to Guido, either.

Guido's last decision is arguably the most difficult decision any human must make: a decision of life or death. His choice to attempt to find Dora is one that comes with death, should he fail. He is aware of this danger when he tells his son to hide and attempts his bold goal. And yet he perseveres, decisively, and it is this courage that I carried with me from the scene, despite its painful end with Guido's death.

Guido's final actions are guided by immense love, and it is his love that brightens the world for those around him. He fairly well exudes love and passion, which I personally found to be deeply inspiring. Ford (2004, p. 286) talks about the importance of love in positive living, and there are few goals as noble as spreading love in the world. Guido does this by touching individual lives. This is, I believe, the best way that any of us can affect positive, loving change: by making the effort to bring love into even one life during the course of our own. Guido succeeds not only in the film, but in the audience. Benigni's brilliant character has touched countless viewers.

Finally, Ford (2004, pp. 285-286) discusses a difficult but important task in well-being and positivism: letting go-the ultimate act of forgiveness. It is one thing to accept an apology, or even to forgive those who have wronged us but not apologized, but it is quite another to give up the hurt and move on. This is the essence of letting go. I believe that one specific example of letting go is seen in the final moments of Guido's uncle's life. As he is facing death in the concentration camp, a female guard trips before him. He helps her, an act that seems mystifying when you consider that the Nazi's have sealed his fate. Yet I believe he has forgiven them and let go of the hurt. He has made peace and his compassion triumphs over any negative feelings.
This seminal film is in itself a way to live more positively! I challenge anyone to view it and not take away from it at least one lesson for living a more positive life. Whether that lesson is employed is up to the individual, but I believe this movie is as educational as Ford's text when it comes to demonstrating positive lives.


References

Ferri, E., & Braschi, G., (Producers), & Benigni, R. (Director). (1998). Life is Beautiful [Motion picture]. Italy: Miramax.

Ford, L. (2004). Human relations: A game plan for improving personal adjustment (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Art Box: A Great Way to Get Creative with Children

You've had it! If you hear, "I'm bored. What can I do? There's nothing to do!" or one more whine you'll surely put your head in the dryer and slam the door shut! Keeping kids occupied challenges the most stalwart of adults. Let's face it; we're no match for the leprechaun like stealth of the half-pint human who exhibits no shame while in pursuit of getting what they want. In this case, the want is something to do! Take a deep breath and grab the art box. Aren't you glad you planned for just this kind of rainy, I'm bored day?

The art box is alive with fun projects for little fingers and minds. The key to creating this mother's little helper is to keep it fresh and growing. First you'll need a box. Find a fascinating box, either plastic, heavy cardboard, or a Rubbermaid container. Make sure it's colorful, big and fun. After all, this is a special box, not you're ordinary run of the mill type of box filled with just paper and crayons. The art box I pulled together is a plastic one in primary colors of red, blue and yellow with a snap on lid and a carrying handle. It cost about $5.00 at a big box store.

Once you've found the perfect box you can begin filling it. There's no need to fill it all at once. The idea is to start with the basics: construction paper in lots of colors, crayons, markers, scissors, glue, and a sketchpad. These items can be varied depending on the age of the child. Washable markers are a good idea for the younger set along with small, scissors with rounded ends. Add to the box periodically so when it's opened there's something new inside. Play dough makes a great addition. Forget the molds and the fancy tools. Let the children just use their hands and imagination to create whimsical masterpieces. Toss in stickers from time to time, especially for upcoming holidays. Paints of all kinds can be added. Start with watercolors. Move on to tempra for the older kids, but always have finger paints for the little ones. Sidewalk chalk is a big hit in the summer and in the winter it can be used on large newspaper print. You can usually get the end rolls free or for a nominal fee from newspaper publishers.

Think out of the "box" when coming up with new ideas. Collect little treasures when out walking. Botanicals like small pinecones, straw flowers, dried grasses or try your hand at pressing flowers with your wee ones. These can be glued on to paper to make wonderful nature pictures. Tiny shells and sea glass collected from a trip to the beach will surprise and delight when the box is opened. Glitter, pieces of fabric in bright colors, ribbons and rickrack all get the creative juices flowing. At some point you'll want to add colored pencils, stencils, and a handy dandy ruler. A compass or protractor for the older children will acquaint them with these items as well as aid in the artful creativity that makes children everywhere smile. (At least for a while.)

Keep a look out for unusual items that you can add to the art box. Purchase various colors of tissue paper for paper flowers and roses or to be used in whatever way your child comes up with. Petal paper is a very special paper that is made with bits and pieces of flower petals, grasses and other gifts from nature. It's a bit pricey, but what a treat for the older children.

The more fascinating the items the children find in the box, the more special it becomes. Look around your home. You'll find items that make for interesting art projects like: cotton balls, colorful pastas, sponges, buttons of every size and hue, dryer lint (?) I was just kidding on that one. Keep a good supply of stickers of all kinds on hand to add when nothing else is available

The true key to the "special" box is to have little surprises inside that were not there the last time it was brought down from it's safe spot. This is not the everyday color jar filled with broken bits of crayons; this box is brought out when things become really dire. It's a "special" art box. The special box is only used at the table or easel. No preschoolers are allowed to take one item from the box and walk around with it. Again, the idea is to make it so special that it brings excitement and smiles to the faces of the bored and fretting. It's worked for me and I'm sure it will work for you as well. So get crackin' you never know when the clouds might appear on the horizon or your child's face. As adults, we seriously need all the help we can get. The special art box will give you a moment or if you're lucky, two or three to take a deep cleansing breath. Just look at their cherubic faces. "NOOO don't paint the cat!!!"

Six Tips to Help You Clean and Organize Your Photography Studio

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1. Photography Studio Organization - Use good old fashion hanging files.

Believe it or not, in this digital age, the classic green hanging folder is still a great organization tool. Using manila folders to organize your photography studio's bills, invoices, and receipts is a good start. It is a lost cause however, if you don't have an organized place to put them. The hanging folder is the perfect place to put them

Don't have a filing cabinet to put the hanging folders in? Not a problem. There are several options available at your local retail store. I prefer the clear Rubbermaid bins. They are about 8 inches wide. This means they are easily stored in closets or on a bookshelf. Since photography studio space is usually valuable real estate, these smaller file boxes might be the way to go.

2. Photography Studio Organization - File your files

A great way to keep your files organized is to keep a file of all your files. What do I mean by this? Keep a piece of paper in your photography studio with all of your file folders on with their names. If the folders have sub-folders, list those too.

This will let you see if you have folders that overlap so that you can condense your folders. For example, there is no point in having studio file and a studio equipment file.

You could have this list written on a piece of paper, but that would just be one more piece of paper to file. Try keeping this record in a word or excel document. That way you have one less piece of paper in your office and you can update it much easier when you add new folders and files.

3. Photography Studio Organization - Throw things away

For some reason most photography studio owners have a fear of throwing client paperwork and photos away. There are certain things that you just don't need to hang on to. If you are a digital photographer there is no reason to hold on to basic prints. Create a varity of back-ups and toss the prints. You can always re-print them. If you aren't a digital photographer and have a traditional photography studio, invest in a scanner. This way, if you must hold on to prints for color purposes, you can scan them and toss the print.

There are some things you need to hold onto though.

Tax items are one thing you should hold onto. You should save your tax returns forever. The rest of your tax reports and receipts should be saved for no longer than six years.

Throw away papers that you don't have an immediate need for, can get a copy of easy, or that don't have any tax or legal reason to hold on to.

If you feel like you need to hold on to all your photography studios paperwork, than try scanning it all onto a portable hard drive. Then you can throw all the papers away. It will take more time than growing through all the papers away, but at least the hard drive will take up less space in your office.

You can scan model's head shots for reference later. You can scan pose ideas from magazines so you don't have clipping all over your photography studio.

4. Photography Studio Organization - "Assorted" Folders

How many other, assorted, or misc files do you have in your photography studio? You know, the folder that you put everything in that you just don't know where else to put it. That isn't organization. Odds are you can just throw it away altogether. A good rule of thumb is, if you haven't needed it or touched it in a year then toss it.

5. Photography Studio Organization - Get rid of business cards

There are so many ways to organize all your business cards, model head shots, and contact information. There are plenty of ways to get rid of it altogether as well. A simple approach is to take the business card or headshot and tape it or staple it the file folder it is associated with. At least then it is filed away instead of in a pile on your desk or in a drawer.

There are lots of gadgets out there made for scanning in business cards to your computer. If you are a digital photography studio, you probably already have a scanner, put it to good use. If you don't have the money for one of these than just take some time to enter the contact information into your electronic address book. Outlook has a great address book or you could even use your email clients address book. Anything is better than having them just laying around waiting to get lost.

6. Photography Studio Organization - Use the computer

Try using your photography studio's computer as much as possible. Use it to make your to-do lists, create address books, file documents, and more. The more you keep or put into your computer the less you have in your photography studio.

As I mentioned before, there are plenty of gadgets out there that can help you scan your files into the computer. Take advantage of them!