A Beastly Change

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I feel like everyone is a little bit afraid of the unknown – moving to a new town, becoming an older sibling, starting a new job, all can be scary. I was watching the movie “Beauty and the Beast” and the mob song was playing; those song lyrics got me thinking about what the villagers were so afraid of when they sang: “We don’t like what we don’t understand, in fact it scares us and this monster is mysterious at least.”   These villagers had never known of the beast before and they surely didn’t take the time to learn about him or get to know him like Belle did. They judged the Beast by his looks, including those claws and horns, and he was also big and hairy. Belle was the only villager who decided to give ‘different’ a chance. By looking past his grouchy ways and his bad manners, Belle overcame the barrier of meeting someone different and didn’t judge. In contrast, Gaston showed the villagers images of the Beast on the magic mirror and told everyone the Beast would attack and hurt them if they didn’t stop him. So, what he didn’t understand or take the time to learn, he simply….made up.

Belle knew right away that he was not like anyone she’d ever met and even though he scared her a little, she was able to get past that and give him a chance. She learned that he was a gentle giant who really just needed a friend.

I love this story – can you tell? Because of Belle! She didn’t look at things the way that everyone else did. She didn’t allow others’ thoughts and opinions to stop her from doing the things she loved, like reading books and being an inventor like her dad. She wasn’t hung up on her appearance like the other girls her age. Belle cared about reading and experiencing and inventing. She understood what it was like to not fit into the mold. The Beast loved her because she was the first person not to fear him, and to look past the things about him that he could not change.

A lot of people feel scared of things they don’t understand. To that I say, don’t be afraid to give the unknown a chance. Sometimes the unknown becomes a wonderful and interesting part of your life. Who wants to be on an endless loop stuck on replay? Not me! When I go to work every day, I see both new and familiar faces. I love that about my job.

Change is scary, especially when it comes at you in an instant. But before you grab your torch and pitchforks to attack anything you don’t feel you’re ready for yet, try to have an open mind and give it a chance.

I hope this blog will help you to try embracing any change that comes your way. Try listing the positives before you list the negatives when it comes to something new!

 

Thanks for reading!

Sarah

Sarah Matincheck

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