I’m a movie fan. They are a source of entertainment, obviously, but they can often be the source of wisdom as well. Even films that are labelled as comedies can contain a pearl of insight, if we can learn to watch and listen carefully.
One such example of a hidden cinematic treasure was A League of Their Own. It’s the fictional telling of a bit of true American sports history, the establishment of a girls’ baseball conference. The League was created to fill the sports entertainment void created by the cancellation of Major League Baseball during World War II. The men went to war, and the women went to the ball diamond.
In the film, Dottie Henson is the best player in the league. Her team is managed by a former major league star, Jimmy Dugan, whose playing career had been shortened by his alcoholism. Despite her success on the field of play, Dottie’s life was stressful due to multiple issues. Her husband was overseas, fighting the Nazis. Her sister Kit, also a player on the team, is envious of Dottie’s success as both a player and a wife. Both young women struggle with big city life, which contrasts with their simpler, more bucolic ways at their Montana home.
At the key scene in this movie about a moment in US history, Dottie tells her manager, Jimmy Dugan, that she is quitting the team. She’s going back to Montana. Dugan is shocked by this announcement, pointing out to Dottie that she is the best player in the whole league. How can she quit? She laments to Dugan that being lonely and frustrated with her conflicts with her jealous sister, that “all of this is just too hard.”
At this point, my readers may ask themselves, “Why am I writing a newsletter about girls’ baseball from the 1940s? The answer is to be found in Jimmy Dugan’s response to Dottie’s complaint about her difficult life. Jimmy explodes,
“If it were easy, everyone would do it!”
In the midst of watching this supposed comedy about girls’ baseball, that simple bit of dialogue struck me. Its simple message about the irony of life’s challenges could be applied to many areas of human endeavor. For example:
If it were easy………….all marriages would succeed and there would be no divorces.
If it were easy………..all childbirth would be painless and fun.
If it were easy…………….raising kids would be simple and produce only valedictorians.
If it were easy………..all careers would lead to wealth and life-fulfilling endeavors.
Hopefully, today’s message is clear. Seen through the cinematic lens of a comedy about girls’ baseball, 80 years later, this principle remains:
Life is hard, but that’s what makes its accomplishments so gratifying.