After several months of waiting, Avengers: Infinity War is finally here! I actually did not have any plans at all of watching it during the opening week. But, since I got a free ticket from my sister, I took the chance to don a pair of 3D glasses on IMAX. It was my first time watching a film on IMAX and I must admit that I got uncomfortable.
But, enough of that! Instead, let’s re-focus on the film. With Infinity War, we see the good guys, obviously the Avengers, and the bad guy, Thanos. We see the Avengers trying to save the world, trying to keep Thanos from completing the Infinity stones. I even heard the gasps and sobs from the audience when some of the protagonists died. I heard the claps when (spoiler alert!) Thor arrived at Wakanda with a new weapon in hand along with teenage Groot and Rocket Raccoon.
Everyone seems to root for the good guys. Who wouldn’t? However, have we considered Thanos’ perspective? Have we tried seeing the entire picture in Thanos’ point of view? Here are a couple of things that we can and cannot learn from Thanos.
1. He has strong beliefs and acted on them.
Thanos came from Titan, Saturn’s moon. Upon seeing the increase in the population leading to the “destruction” of the place he lived in, he came forward with the idea of genocide. With this idea, he planned to extinguish half of the entire universe’s population as sacrifice for the bright future of the remaining half. This is a belief that is pretty much shared by several people, including that of Adolf Hitler and Bertrand Zobrist of Dan Brown’s novel Inferno. While this ideology is not humane at all, Thanos strongly believed in it. Most importantly, he acted on this belief. He made it his destiny to fulfill this ideology that is why he set out to collect the six Infinity stones.
Many people today often sway in their beliefs. Once their beliefs are questioned, they easily jump off the train and go to the other side. It is quite normal for a human to sway in his beliefs especially when presented with facts and evidence. But, those who remain steadfast in their beliefs often end up getting what they wanted in the end.
Thanos also taught us to be resilient. The whole team of Avengers is against him but he was still able to collect all Infinity stones and snap his finger at the later part of the film. Whatever you set out to do, as long as you are not hurting anyone though, do it!
2. Thanos is dead set on his goal.
This can either be a bad thing or a good thing, depending on your goal. In the movie, Thanos wants to collect the 6 Infinity stones, kill half of the universe’s population and then retire. He is so dead set on this goal that he thinks it is necessary to hurt others just to get want he wants.
On the other hand, if we put this into our perspective as humans, setting a goal and being firm in achieving it can help shape our success. We must set our own goals in life and take the necessary steps to achieve them. But, we must remember not to trample upon any other individual’s rights nor hurt anyone who we see as a hindrance to achieving our goals.
3. He is a father capable of loving…
Gamora is Thanos’ adopted daughter. As we all know, Gamora joined Star-Lord’s team and became his love interest. But, this does not stop Thanos from loving Gamora. The adopted daughter thought that Thanos does not love anyone but himself. This was proven wrong when they reached Vormir.
As humans, it is innate in us to love and be loved. This does not only refer to erotic love but also encompasses familial love and even love for country. We are all capable of loving and, when expressed in a positive way, can lead to world where people respect and help each other.
4. …but also capable of great sacrifice.
Upon reaching Vormir, getting one of the Infinity stones require a great sacrifice. Thanos sacrificed the daughter he loves, Gamora, to get the stone. Tears were flowing from his eyes, knowing that the daughter he loved since she was a child has to go.
In the reality of life, people sacrifice one thing to get something. There are parents who sacrifice their bodies, working really hard or even two jobs daily just to get their kids to school. There are children who study a lot, not even giving time for fun, just to graduate and eventually help uplift their family’s lives. But, unlike Thanos, we must see to it that we do not sacrifice good values just to get what we want.
There is a part in all of us that is like Thanos, one way or another. What differentiates us from him is the kind of path we decide to take, no matter what you are going through right now.
How about you? What is your take on the film?