by Candice Siu Woo, Ph.D.
I finally watched “The King’s Speech” and understood why it has been showered with accolades. The movie is based on the difficult path of King George VI, who struggled with a debilitating speech impediment and was thrust into the role of King of England during a time of war. Though the story was undoubtedly dramatized by Hollywood, viewers witness the King’s progression from feeling angry about the trajectory of his life as a king, which is far from his desired quiet family life, to a sense of acceptance of the life that he was born into.
So, what are some lessons that we can learn from this movie? Remember the difficult times in your life when you resented the cards that you were dealt or felt depressed that things did not quite turn out as you had imagined? Well, it seems like nobody can escape life from being a little treacherous at times, not even royalty. If you continued to demand that life be different, you will probably continue to experience unhealthy negative emotions such as anger or depression, as circumstances will not change simply by you willing that they be different. In fact, this way of rigid thinking will only serve to exacerbate negative emotions, and limit your abilities to cope with possible practical problems at hand. So, what would be a better way of coping with difficult life situations? Perhaps accepting that life will hand you lemons from time to time, alongside obstacles and tragedies, is a more realistic view.
