Thinking more about the popular book and movie series of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and I think there are some lessons within the pages that have great application for all of us. Forgive my tendency to find personal and collective insights in movies and in books, and I realize that most people simply enjoy being entertained, but perhaps even in the entertainment we can glean something that has deeper meaning. Great art, music, literature, theater all provide two overriding characteristics: 1) entertaining in some way, 2) emotionally profound in some way. Great paintings intrigue us and teach us something in the process. This is true for music, literature, and yes even movies. Jurassic Park was great entertainment on the screen with big, scary dinosaurs and lots of energy, but it was also insightful. Perhaps scientists can go too far and create something that no longer belongs on the planet.
In the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, we find a socially dysfunctional young lady who was the victim of abuse as a girl and who is continually abused by the legal system. Because of her stature, because of her edgy lifestyle, because of tendency to withdraw, she is a target for those wanting to exploit her and treat her harshly. Her liberal appearance with tattoos and body piercing further exacerbates her look of being experienced in the world. People without strong compassion and personal morals often substitute someone's experienced look for desire and purpose. Rather than finding the talents within her, she is judged superficially and treated like an animal or a subhuman. Ironically, she is a brilliant genius with skills well beyond that of most executives and intellects.
Lesson #1--Look beyond the obvious and never take advantage of someone's weaknesses.
As a political/legal thriller all three books remind us of the power of governments to affect our lives. Sometimes when a group develops an inflated view of its own role and responsibility, it forgets about the very people in its charge and becomes imperialistic, justifying its existence through decisions intended for the broad collective. So in these books, a power group within the government allowed the abuse of a brilliant but awkward young lady. The turned a blind eye away from the individual under the guise of "what is best" for the country.
Lesson #2--Never destroy individual compassion for the sake of some governmental priority
The media has a grave responsibility to substantiate everything printed. This is due to their remarkable power to affect and shift the thinking of large groups of people. Given that power and responsibility are heavy burdens to bear, these books emphasize the need for the media to support the people over the institutions. Big has the muscle and few look out for the small. With the potential and often reality for corruption at the highest levels, who will advocate for individual, the person without money, without support, without the ability to make a difference. It is incumbent upon the media to seek out and destroy corruption that is hurting the people.
Lesson #3--The media has the power to level the playing field for all of us. Institutional tyranny is rampant and now is the time to end it.
At the same time, too often we look to others to solve our problems, to find a solution to the many things blocking our progress. We live in a world of blame, a culture of pointing fingers, a false sense that we cannot control our future, a hopelessness and despair of our lives. True that regulations, restrictions, obstacles, and economic monsters seem insurmountable to an ambitious individual; and yet, there is still room for resourcefulness, initiative, and creativity.
Lesson #4--Always work toward finding creative solutions to problems and be confident in your ability to overcome the challenges.
While we may choose to avoid the realities of the world, underneath our antiseptic, glossy lives is a tough world for many. A world that includes abuse, pain, perversions, and great fear for those who are powerless to defend themselves. Rather than ignoring the truth, it is time to work together to protect the weak from the corruption of the individuals and the organizations that often invade our lives and hurt so many.
Lesson #5--Keep your eyes open for those who need our help and expose the corruption at every opportunity.
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