If you have watched movies involving theft, heist or robbery, the common element in them is the optimistic belief of a thief or robber. Every thief or robber, the main protagonist of the film, weighs chances of a successful escape and the possibility of being caught. He begins the crime only when hope for success is overwhelmingly high. This happens in spite of whatever robust security measures taken to protect the property. Those who protect the property, insure it, safeguard it, have optimism on their part as well: it cannot be stolen or raided. They also believe in the security system of the government. Still, in the end, theft, heist or robbery is successful. Because it's a movie and our hero is involved in the crime, the audience considers it a successful act. Feeling attached with the protagonist, and wishing that police doesn’t catch him.
It raises several questions for us. All of them are important life lessons.
Why does the protagonist feel he or his gang could steal or rob the jewel? Because of the inherent human nature. Our basic instinct is survival. Even a person drifting in the middle of an ocean, on a broken boat, with no other ship in sight, hopes he could survive. An adventurer, climbing Mount Everest in freezing cold, all adversities, feels he could conquer the nature and return safely. This hope and instinct of survival amongst the adversities make the hero believe he could beat all the odds and steal the jewel.
How the protagonist deceives security? Through meticulous planning and bravado. He knows no miracle will save him. He has to study the security system in detail. More than the system owner himself. So that he can find a loophole. Discipline is important in his planning and execution. He has to be not only brave but a kind of daredevil, risk-taker. Only he can take the risk of going inside the trap. It makes him successful.
Why do we sympathise with the protagonist, a thief? Because he is the person who is shown as working hard. Who is pictured as taking a risk? He is the person who remains in front of our eyes from beginning to end of the film. His faults seem acceptable to us. He arouses the desire for success within us. He gives us an escape from reality. We do not want to live in the monotonous belief that once security is installed, things are settled forever. Our protagonist is the person who challenges it. Human nature like to take the challenge. We like the change. The protagonist offers us such a challenge and change.
These three questions and their answers are true for human nature in any circumstances:
· Instinct of survival amongst the adversity
· Meticulous planning and disciplined implementation
· Challenging the strong
Relate them to our situation. Will our instinct of survival win? Will our planning and discipline win against the so-called undefeatable? Will we be able to challenge the strong successfully?
