The first scene is the one that starts the story. A mother ape finds Tarzan as a baby and saves it from a tiger who would eat him. Thus, he starts his journey being raised by the ape family. This scene tells me I also had a beginning in which someone was brave and kind to bring me into this world and protect me from disease and other circumstances that could have ended my life. Someone from the beginning made it possible for me to live, grow strong, and seek my destiny. I honor that person for life.
The second scene happens when Tarzan has grown to be a young man in the jungle. He has still had no contact with humans, so he only knows his ape family and their ways. A leopard one day haunts the ape tribe, so Tarzan defends his people and kills the leopard. All the apes yell and applaud, showing their appreciation for his valorous deed. This act was something the leader couldn't do, so he retreated to allow Tarzan to take over the tribe. Tarzan, however, realized what had happened, so he took the leopard and laid it at the feet of ape leader to show that he was still subservient to the leader, that he wasn't trying to take over his position. This shows me that no matter what our good fortune comes to us to in life, we never are too good or outgrow our roots. I have a family that I never outgrow. I have friends that I developed early in life that I am never to good to talk to again or meet for lunch with. And, I have mentors that allowed me to learn from them, so I could take what they offered, build and mold areas of strength with what each contributed, and live contentedly and productively.
The third scene comes 2/3 of the way through the movie when Tarzan wants to show off his ape family to Jane and her father because he is proud of his roots. The scene turns south on Tarzan when a hunter with Jane and her father wants to kill and capture some of the apes. The leader of the apes looks at Tarzan and says, "I asked you to take care of the family. Now you have betrayed us all." That hurt Tarzan deeply because he had not intended any harm to his ape family. I know that I can easily make things turn south without intention. One time in particular is representative of wishing outcomes had turned out differently. I had mentioned that I would let someone know when I would move, if I ever did. A couple of years passed, but the time came to move. I made the phone call to tell the person I was moving. Although we talked briefly, a meeting was pressing for the other person to attend, so the person said to expect a call later that night or the next day. The call never came. The other person eventually learned of my move and thought I had betrayed my word. Not receiving the expected call at a later time was a game changer. Tarzan was later allowed to mend the relationship with the leader and make it better than it had ever been. Perhaps that will be my story too. I have faith.
It's good to watch those childhood stories no matter what age we turn. They keep us grounded. They remind us of the paths we had wanted to travel whether or not we were actually able to do that.
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