Lessons about Our Callings in Good Will Hunting

In my “Callings” class last week, we had the opportunity to watch the film Good Will Hunting, which chronicles the journey of a young, highly gifted South Boston man’s troubled life and his opening up and moving on into the world. Because of his troubled upbringing, he’s become jaded and self-defeating in many, if not all, of his endeavors. He’s the only one in his way, as he continuously shoves all the positive forces of his life out. His best friend, Chuckie, desperately wants Will to leave everything behind and go do something with his life (e.g., accept one of the big job offers he received) because he has the opportunities and abilities to do so—he says, “…You don’t owe it to yourself man, you owe it to me…It would be an insult to us if you’re still here in 20 years… hanging around here is a f***ing waste of your time.” There’s no doubt that Good Will Hunting follows Will in his journey to greater meaning in life. To me, it beautifully describes his story of discovery, one where he finally realizes that he deserves a better life and realizes his potential.

This movie gets to the core of the question: what should we do with our lives and who should we be? As Will repeatedly tried to run away from the path opened to him by his extraordinary mathematical ability, his friend and his therapist argued and pushed back, refusing to let him say no. Sometimes our callings choose us more than we choose them—some may know this more than we do, leading us down the right path (even if we don’t recognize it yet), as was seen in Will’s case. I’d argue that Will was living an emotionally safe existence until Sean got him to find the courage to abandon that identity to achieve real fulfillment. He was a master at avoiding any real connection or vulnerability, as can be seen when he told Skylar that he didn’t love her as an excuse for him to reject his real feelings and be alone. Sean says many beautiful things during this film, but one really captures this journey: “…You wouldn’t know about real loss, because that only occurs when you lose something you love more than yourself , and you’ve never dared to love anything that much. I look at you, and I don’t see an intelligent, confident man…I see a boy…there’s nothing you can tell me that I can’t read somewhere else. Unless we talk about your life. But you won’t do that. Maybe you’re afraid of what you might say…it’s up to you.” Skylar, Sean, and Chuckie keep hammering Will with the same message/ultimatum: stop hiding your real feelings and who you truly are and live your truth. 

I think there’s something to say about how after years of working in construction, Will thought he knew who he was. This speaks to how our callings can change…or can remain undiscovered and unrecognized. Will doesn’t think he deserves a greater life than the one he’s living, which dominates how he responds to, thinks about, and acts toward any given situation. Trust plays an important part in this film as well: trust in others and trust in oneself. After Will let Skylar into his vulnerable, emotional side, he pushed her away—then, he gave in and found everything he had been searching for. The answers to his problems couldn’t be found in books, but they could most definitely be found in love. To me, that’s what makes this film so special. 

I keep reflecting on the film, and I keep thinking: if one were to live in a world filled with nothing but education, the education would mean nothing in the end. We all need more that makes us feel something. Also, sometimes it takes shuffling back from one identity to the next in order to reach the conclusion you’ve always known but could never truly face. But, I would argue that we have more than one identity, which can apply to different domains of our lives. We can't truly be defined by one thing. We must do what gives us the most joy and meaning in life. In the end, the meaning of life is to give life a meaning, right?