Life lessons from Mr. Finch

Apparently, writer's block is cured on the 6:00 AM drive to work. I was thinking about the greatest character in all of literature. Of all the books I have read, if I had the choice of one character I'd like to meet, Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird (best book ever!) would far and away be my choice. He epitomizes so much of what I want to be like. The following are the three best lessons I've learn from my fictional hero.

#1- "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

I wish everyone had this imprinted into his/her brain. Humans have a tendency to prejudge. We make snap judgments about others without knowing the full story because, of course, we "know everything." For example, a few years ago, I had a senior who fell asleep the second he walked into my class. I grew frustrated quickly and called him out into the hall to talk about his "disrespect." It was then I learned that both his parents lost their jobs, and he had been working each week day until 2 AM to help pay the bills for the family. Huge lesson for me. We need to practice empathy over sympathy. 

#2- "The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."

I was taught at an early age not to follow others "just because." Deep down we know what is right, and we need to follow that even if others aren't. Do what you know is right even if it is the hardest thing to do. 

#3- "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.  It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see through it no matter what."

Too often, we are afraid to go after something because of the fear of failure. Life is full of disappointments, but the disappointment should only be tied to the times we don't try. We are capable of so much if we just buckle down and go after it. We often surprise ourselves in the end, and even if we do end up coming up short, there is more to be learned from the journey than from the finish. 

Go do great things,

BT