We Don't Need the Wizard

In May of 1900, Lyman Frank Baum published his first children's book. From his desk at the Chicago Evening Post, Baum spent time with his illustrator, W.W. Denslow, to bring his work to life through pictures. It was the story of a young girl from Kansas, Dorothy, who, along with her dog, Toto, is lost following a powerful cyclone. She then meets interesting characters searching for something missing in their lives. 

In 1974, Dewey Bunnell of the rock band America wrote a song titled “The Tin Man,” which became a major hit. One of the lyrics is rather profound: “Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man — that he didn’t already have.” The key words here are “already have.” Bunnell saw right through Baum’s hidden message. The Wizard had no power, had nothing to give any of the characters — other than a reminder. Bunnell’s one simple line reminded us that some 74 years ago, Baum wanted children to believe that no magical Wizard was awaiting them in the world to supply what they thought they were missing. Baum wanted to reinforce that each of us has intelligence, compassion and courage in abundance and that we all can accomplish our goals. Following the yellow brick road was a way for Baum to tell us to look inward to solve what’s missing, not head down a long winding path to nowhere.

We all love to rewatch The Wizard of Oz for the music, the scenery and most of all, the subliminal message. But we can also use it to remind ourselves that we have everything we need — that we don’t need magic or a visit to a God-like figure to get on the right path. When we take on challenges that might scare us, we need to forge ahead without looking back. When we see a friend in need, or anyone requiring our attention, we can take the time to show compassion. And most of all, as long as we stay life-long learners, we’ll have the intelligence we need to handle life’s problems. 

We don’t need to look somewhere over the rainbow. Baum wanted us to look inward, to be positive and to know that we have everything we might need to achieve all of our dreams. 

Please forward and share this email with your friends and family.