
There you are, Peter.
Do you remember the movie Hook with Robin Williams as a grown up Peter Pan? Williams in the film plays a burnt out, stressed out, uncaring father who does not remember that he became the man he currently is. He was Peter Pan. The movie Hook is about the journey of Robin Williams who plays Peter Banning ( grown up, burnt out peter pan )rediscovery of his true identity as Peter Pan. In the movie, he flies to Neverland to rescue his children from Captian Hook.
On his way to becoming the real Peter Pan, he is still completely oblivious of his identity apart from Peter banning. In the clip below after spending a full day training with the lost boys to whip the old banning into pan shape, he collapses in a sandlot between the lost boys who are still unsure of him. I’m sure they are asking these questions — Can he lead? Is he the pan ? will he be able to beat Captin Hook?
All banning wants to do is rescue his kids. At that point, one of the lost boys walks up to him and takes Peters cheeks into his hands. The lost boys watch in hushed silence. He touches Peters’ face and catches a glimpse of the real peter pan. — At that point he recognizes who he truly is. “ oh there you are Peter” The other boys gather around, looking intently, touching his face, knowing him for who he is, and saying “ there you are peter, peter there you are. Seeing someone for who they are changes everything. When you have forgotten who you are and where your home is, there is nothing sweeter than the hands of encouragement reaching out to remind you of your true identity.
The video clip below is a scene where one of the lost boys see’s Peters real identity, but he still has no idea of his own true identity.
Can’t, you see how powerful it is seeing someone through a lens of hope? In the scene above Peter Banning is still unable in all his strength to believe and remember who he is. The community of the lost boys is powerful here because it brings hope to a hopeless situation. In real life, it’s not so black and white. We are on a journey to always become something. For better or worse we have the ability to choose who we are becoming but sometimes we are dead tired, and it’s tough to see anything different than whats right in front of us.
We are all in part becoming who we are. However, the truth is this, in the midst of our dreams, aspirations, goals and our need to be in control we sometimes forget that core of who we are or what we can be. Sometimes in the midst of doing life, we forget how to be the best version of ourselves. Banning was so busy creating a life he wanted that he missed the very thing he was created to be — the Pan.
Loving one another sometimes is as simple as showing up and being present. However, to show people hope, we need to be able to not only show up but allow ourselves to be open to seeing people past their current situation.
Another thing that grabs me in this scene is how Banning despite being “seen” as his true self by the lost boys is that he was still unable to see himself for who he truly is. That’s another thing about being a human. You can’t change the fact that sometimes you are so close to yourself that it’s difficult to see your next steps. Sometimes it takes something outside of yourself to show you how capable you are. You can stretch someone’s face and tell them what you see in them until you are blue in the face, but that will not change how they see themselves.
Like Peter Banning becoming Pan, we all have blinds on the windows in our lives that keep us from seeing outside to all we can be. We all are capable of becoming so much more than we are but sometimes seeing past our current abilities requires someone to show us where the windows are, open up the blinds and allow us to see outside. Seeing past these blinds and through the windows give people hope to see further. It doesn’t change them, but it helps show them more of what they are capable of being. Seeing people this way allows us to communicate hope to people who are hopeless. May we have the courage not to run when we see windows of truth in others and who they are created to be.
And that’s the power of the community of the lost boys. Part of Peter becoming is belonging to the lost boys. I think the truth is we are all fighting our fights and sometimes becoming the better version of ourselves requires we see people through a lens of hope. Peter might have never become the real Pan without the lost boys.
What are some simple ways you can show up and open the blinds in someone else’s life? Are there any people in your life you are close to that have windows with blinds?
