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The Chosen 2853 Views


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Description:

You are the chosen one...to watch this video, at least.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

The Chosen, a la Shmoop. You have been chosen... to watch this video.

00:15

It probably comes as no surprise . . . . . . but there were a whole lot of people

00:18

who got to this planet before you did. They came up with languages . . .

00:22

. . . customs . . . . . . and traditions . . .

00:25

. . . that are still pretty popular today. In The Chosen, Danny Saunders wants to honor

00:31

his past . . . . . . and the traditions that he loves . . .

00:33

. . . without losing his dream of studying psychology.

00:40

But Danny's father wants him to become a rabbi and take over as head of his Hasidic dynasty.

00:47

Sounds great.

00:48

Danny's a stone cold genius. And while Rabbis are supposed to be the best and brightest,

00:53

there still remains one small problem: Danny doesn't want to be a rabbi.

00:58

Danny's dilemma makes us wonder . . .

01:01

. . . what is our real duty in life? What do we owe ourselves? And what do we owe others?

01:08

Should we put aside our own dreams for the greater good of our community?

01:12

Or should we follow our own path regardless of the consequences?

01:16

There's quite a bit about our lives that are chosen for us.

01:20

Our parents get us going in many ways -- they help mold our religious and political views,

01:24

encourage our good ideas, while discouraging our bad ones...

01:27

Or maybe it has nothing to do with choice. Maybe it's all just fate.

01:34

In that case, we should just accept the path that the universe has chosen for us . . .

01:37

. . . and stop whining. But what if our dreams are just too strong

01:43

to put on hold? Shouldn't we be able to pursue them without

01:48

worrying about letting our community down? After all, despite what some people say . . .

01:55

. . . we only get one life.

01:59

Danny didn't want to hurt his father, or dishonor his family or his religion...

02:02

. . . and he hoped his dad would come to be proud of him, even if he was being a bit of

02:07

a rebel...with or without a cause. So the big question here:

02:13

What should you do if your dreams conflict with those of the people who are counting

02:17

on you?

02:18

Should you just go with the flow and not make waves . . .

02:20

. . . or should you hunker down and take a stand?

02:26

Honoring the past doesn't mean we have to live in

02:28

it . . . . . . even if that's what some people want

02:31

to do.

02:32

So, can we find a way to serve our people and ourselves?

02:38

Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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