Finding Meaning in The Incredibles

What sustains people through difficult times is a sense of meaning, not happiness or wealth. In The Incredibles, Bob had to learn to find the same level of meaning in being a husband and father as he did in being a superhero. How do you find meaning in your life?

[VKDante]

The incredibles is the Fantastic 4 movie we deserve.

[MatthewOfGilead]

A good contrast to the 'everyone is special so no one is' is in My Hero Academia if you care to watch it.
Even if everyone has a power, there will still be those who rise above. And even if people have great powers, they can still be left behind. It is your outlook and work ethic that sets you apart.

[cobaltprime]

This reminds me of a quote from transformers. “We must never lose sight of the fact that upon this earth we are titans. And such power must be used wisely.” -Optimus Prime

[davidkonevky]

A character that also reinforces this thought even without having superpowers is Edna Mode. She had a special talent that drove her into becoming one of the best in her craft, and when heroes became illegal, she lost what once made her feel complete, she didn't have a canvas to paint on. She had to settle for fashion shows and supermodels, but she was never satisfied because she knew it wasn't her full potential.

[shanweeboy]

Man, I hated participation trophies as a kid. They had the opposite effect on me. It was a physical reminder that I failed.

[simonebulletti]

Syndrome never stopped and looked for meaning in HIS life. He never take into account what makes him "incredible" in his own way. That's because he lives in a world in which superpowers are considered the only thing that can make one special, and that's a natural tendency to conformity that society has.
He became a villain because nobody teaches him to accept himself. And this is something powerful and relatable for lots of people. That's what makes him a fantastic villain: you live every day on your skin the reasons that push him over to the dark side.
I would have actually loved a path to redeption and growth for this character.

[kristenskousen]

Out of Frame is possibly the most beautiful series of videos I've ever seen on YouTube. Brings a tear to my eye. Please keep this going!

[theirongiants]

Bob Parr's character arc is one of the best one I have seen from Pixar. Bob is just a man reminiscing about his "glory days" and while being on this journey of almost a mid-life crisis he learns to be a man. A man who's there for the family. A man wanting something fantastical finding something fantastical and then finally learning to be a true man is just really good character writing.

[amfcapone]

A similar message appears in Spider-Man 1, the Green Goblin comments that people love to raise individuals above themselves, and then to see them fail, die trying. We raise them up and then bring them down.

[dudeinco]

Powerful stuff. Personal responsibility for one's own life and success is a rare message these days, and because it involves hard work, one that no one wants to hear.

[nathanielster]

The point you make about Mr. I struggling to intigrate being a father and husband into being a superhero is a serious issue for our society. We need more stories of adventurous families. Anyhow, great thoughts...keep me coming!

[cloudwolf]

I love your Out of Frame videos, Sean. Keep up this INCREDIBLE work.

[devinmould]

Currently, I'm in my first semester of film school and also want to pursue music making in the hope's of bringing those two things together. There have been times where I started questioning myself in my career path, and whether or not it was worthwhile compared to something else. But, I realized that the only thing that I could ever work hard at were the things I loved, that being film and music.
This truely resonated with me, and made me realize that everyone can change the world by doing what they love to do.
Thank you ❤

[Chujutsu]

Reminds me of how I have made software tools that my peers at work have praised for how convenient it has made their jobs. It also reminds me of how I have taken the task of teaching my colleagues at work how to code so they could make their own tools

Enriching the lives of others has given my own meaning. Even funnier is that I had hated teaching others when I was still in school, but I had learned when I became a professional that it was something that I could do. Coding and teaching were things that were uniquely mine in my department at work, and I can only hope that I have not squandered my blessings

[frakspikes]

also its awsome that all the kids have a name naturally linked to their powers
like: dash - super speed
violet - ultra violet (the "invisible" light)
and jack-jack - a managerie of super powers, making him a jack-of-all-trades

[ashleypenn]

That final notion is Biblical, you know. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."

[r.pmahoney]

I’m a high school student who really enjoys target shooting and studying the history of firearms development. Being a resident of the US, you can probably see why this makes it difficult to follow the advice you give in this video. The one thing I’m genuinely good at, and the one thing I genuinely derive unfaltering joy from, immediately brands me as being a threat by its very nature and connotations. So now what?

[Kitkat-]

Syndrome was my hero as a kid. He fully realizes his own abilities in the same world where standing out is often forbidden. He became fabulously rich and successful off of his own talents and even gave himself superpowers. Not only that, he was willing to empower others by sharing his gifts with the world. He was an entrepreneur and a stunning success story, only brought down by his toxic obsession with revenge.

[friendlysociopath]

Everytime i start to think that I'm Good at something, i always met with a person that is much better and also much younger than me.

[tripleaaaa]

"Meaning is a jumper that each of us must knit ourselves" --Exurb1a