I recently watched this rare great movie, a rather old one, “The Field of Dreams” is an American classic combining themes of family, fantasy, faith, reconciliation, destiny, disappointment and redemption. The one theme I’d like to focus on today is its metaphoric depiction of how by losing our dream we come to ‘find our higher purpose in life’.
The main plot is about Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), a novice corn farmer who becomes convinced by a mysterious voice that he is supposed to construct a baseball diamond in his corn field... 'If you build it, he will come'.
Later in the movie Kevin Costner seeks out an old man, Dr. Archibald ‘Moonlight’ Graham played by Burt Lancaster. This fictional character in the movie is actually based on a true life person by the same name, and except for a little artistic license with the dates it pretty much tells a true story.
'Doc' Graham used to be a baseball player as a young man who had worked extremely hard to get into the majors of the game. His whole life’s dream had been to play professional baseball and he did everything to try and realize his dream, his passion.
Finally, he made it to the big league and the whole season went by without his being able to play. At the end of the season, in the eighth inning the coach finally selected him to play. He was so happy he couldn’t believe it. He ran onto the field waiting his turn to bat, waiting for someone to hit the ball to him, but nothing happened.
Graham played the bottom of the ninth in right field but never came to bat. That game turned out to be his only appearance in the major leagues. His turn to bat never came and the next year, without giving him another chance they sent him back to the minor league. By this time, he just couldn’t take it anymore so he quit, and went on to pursue and complete a medical degree in the University of Minnesota, got his license and began practicing medicine in Chisholm, Minnesota.
He said to Kevin Costner of his one-time appearance in the major league, “You know we just don’t recognize the most significant moments of our lives while they’re happening. Back then I thought, well, there’ll be other days. I didn’t realize that that was the only day.”
Kevin Costner thought about what an incredible devastating pain it must have been for ‘Doc’ Graham to have been that close to his dream and not touch it. He said to Doc, “Fifty years ago, for five minutes you came within... y-you came this close to your dream. It would KILL some men to get so close to their dream and not touch it. God, they'd consider it a tragedy.”
But Moonlight Graham gracefully replies, “Son, if I'd only gotten to be a doctor for five minutes... now that would have been a tragedy.”
Playing baseball for 5 minutes was not a tragedy! Playing baseball for only 5 minutes was not devastating. What would have been a disaster, what would have been a tragedy is if he’d been a doctor for only 5 minutes. You see, if 'Doc' Graham had hit that baseball; that would’ve been the bigger disaster. Because then he never would’ve come to live in Chisholm, he never would’ve become a doctor and he never would’ve got the chance to save lives as he did… Now, that would’ve been a bigger tragedy.
In other words, not getting his dream of playing baseball enabled ‘Moonlight’ Graham to realize his destiny of becoming a doctor and serving the people of Chisholm for fifty years.
The true-life Graham served from 1915 to 1959, and was the doctor for the Chisholm schools. The Graham Scholarship Fund, established in his honor, provides financial assistance to two Chisholm High School graduating seniors each year. The award is given to one boy and one girl, $500 to each. For many years while practicing medicine, 'Doc' Graham made arrangements to have used eyeglasses sent to his Chisholm office. On Saturdays, in his own time, he would have the children of the Iron Range miners, from Grand Rapids to Virginia, come to his office, have the their eyes checked and then fit them with the proper set of glasses, all free of charge.
Graham died in Chisholm in 1965. He is buried in Rochester, Minnesota.
In the movie, 'Doc' Graham goes on to say, “Well, you know I... I never got to bat in the major leagues. I would have liked to have had that chance. Just once! To stare down a big league pitcher. To stare him down, and just as he goes into his windup, wink. Make him think you know something he doesn't. That's what I wish for. Chance to squint at a sky so blue that it hurts your eyes just to look at it! To feel the tingling in your arm as you connect with the ball. To run the bases - stretch a double into a triple, and flop face-first into third, wrap your arms around the bag. That's my wish, Ray Kinsella. That's my wish. And is there enough magic out there in the moonlight to make this dream come true?”
On hearing this Kevin Costner arranges for 'Moonlight' Graham to have one last chance at experiencing his dream of playing baseball. He brings him to the field that he had built and organizes a game with famous baseball players such as “Shoeless Joe Jackson”. Finally, 'Moonlight' is going to get a second chance to play professional baseball, to realize his dream.
As he steps onto the field he feels young again. But just as they begin to play, just at that opportune moment there came a loud scream from the stand.
Kevin Costner’s daughter had been knocked off the stand by accident and she falls and hits her head and starts turning blue. Realizing the danger his daughter was in, Kevin Costner starts yelling, “We need a doctor, we need a doctor”. 'Doc' Graham hears the desperate call for a doctor just when he is about to swing the bat. He is about to finally realize everything he had dreamed of in his life, and he says,” I’m a doctor!”
He starts running full blast to save the child but then he stops to look down at the foul line in front of him; the line that divides the field of dreams from the other world - and he realizes that if he crosses this line he can never go back. He can never live his dream again. He does not hesitate anymore, as he steps across the line to save the child’s life.
Once again, ‘Moonlight’ Graham loses his dream, but lives to fulfill his destiny. The moral here is very simple. Inside each one of us are dreams and desires that we have for ourselves, for our lives, those things that we feel are important in our lives. But there is also our destiny, the call for us to go beyond our desires to become something greater, something more! To give of ourselves in ways that we have never given before that would give us the greatest sense of fulfillment to complete our life purpose. The sum total of our lives so far has prepared us for this moment. Let us seek to find the meaning in every experience, however painful, however much it doesn’t go according to the plan or vision we have of our lives.
Dr Archibald ‘Moonlight’ Graham saved lives. Let us live to save lives starting today, starting with our own life. Wow! Phew!
Now, do you wonder why I loved this movie so? Mind you, I am still working hard to get my son to watch it. He run away once he saw how old the film was, how faded and jaded the colours were. But I am still working on him! On that note, I did try to get them to watch loads of Meryl Streep’s movies and he point blank refused to watch “Kramer versus Kramer”. He screamed to his sisters, “Run! This film is so old that Meryl Streep is young!” Lol!
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