David Hoffmeister: The movie Family Man is a glimpse into a spiritual awakening experience where all potentiality is revealed and Love is the only choice. Jack Campbell is a wealthy, autonomous, fast-lane investment broker, who believes he is living the high life. He has no idea what he is in for when the Spirit intervenes and gives him a glimpse of an alternative, relationship-focused life that requires him to develop patience, tolerance, and acceptance of what is.
Essentially all seeming lifetimes are simultaneous. Jack is given a glimpse into possible, alternative outcomes in the world, highlighting the contrast between seeming success and seeming failure. He must become willing to lose everything and let go of the familiar in order to follow Spirit’s plan. Familiarity breeds inertia. When you engage on a Spiritual journey in a conscious way and call upon Spirit, saying, “Help me!” every trace of inertia in your mind will be lifted into awareness and you will be faced with it, inertia after inertia, until you let go, and stop settling.
You don’t even know that you have settled until you are shown a spiritual contrast and it becomes intolerable to go through the motions of a limited life. The two purposes of the world have no meeting point. One is for seemingly maintaining an illusory self and the other is for a total dismantling of everything you think you are. One will lead you to heights of happiness, the other will lead you absolutely nowhere. We are all rooting for Jack’s dismantling as his pride takes hit after hit. In the end all Jack can do is follow his feelings and say, “I’ve seen what we can be like together and I choose us!”
A Course in Miracles says, “All are called but few choose to listen.” T-3.IV.7 The ones who don’t answer the call of the Holy Spirit are choosing to sleep, to forget, and to remain unaware of life even though life is the only option.
This movie is perfect for showing the helpfulness of family for opening up to love and commitment, and putting something other than self-centered goals first. “I choose us!” is the acceptance of the relationship that is given now, of choosing the present and trusting that everything else will be taken care of.
