In one poignant scene in L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz written in 1900, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion see before them a great ditch that stopped them in their tracks. It was a very wide ditch and when they crept up to the edge and looked down they could see it was also very deep. The sides of this ditch were so sheer, that it appeared impossible to climb down without serious injury.
The four of them sit on the edge of the great ditch wondering what to do. It appears they are stuck.
Life tests our resolve again and again. Some things come easily to us and some things do not. Some goals are achieved with just a little effort and others require deep reserves of patience, determination, and ingenuity.
Baum wrote, “We cannot fly, that is certain; neither can we climb down into this great ditch. Therefore, if we cannot jump over it we must stop where we are,” said the Scarecrow.
”I think I can jump over it,” said the Cowardly Lion after measuring the distance carefully in his mind.
“Then we are all right,” answered the Scarecrow, “for you can carry us all on your back, one at a time.”
Confidently and courageously jumping and leaping over and over again, the Lion carries each one of them on his back as if he were an amazing stallion. He requires a bit of rest between each marvelous leap because this kind of exertion is unlike anything he has done before. Each leap with one of his companions on his back takes his breath away and he needs time to regain his strength and momentum to do it again and again.
As they go a little farther on their journey to Oz, they come up against other challenges that force them to wisely use their heads and to draw upon solutions. Every time this happens, one of them comes up with an idea that stirs their collective imagination and the obstacle is circumvented. Barriers inspire creative solutions and solutions serve to strengthen their basic character and resolve to succeed. As they continue their long journey on the Yellow Brick Road they are displaying the qualities they each believe they lack.
The imagination opens doors and helps us to see the bigger picture. Transforming problems into solutions strengthens Dorothy’s power and tenacity and inspires the Scarecrow to use the brain he believes he doesn’t have. Defying obstacles opens the heart of Tin Woodman; a heart he fears he has lost. Creating solutions allows the Cowardly Lion to draw upon deep reservoirs of courage; courage that he always worried he was missing. Overcoming obstacles together helps each of them return to a state of grace.
Therefore, one of the most important lessons the Wizard of Oz teaches us is that we need each other. Like Baum, I believe that we are at our best when we harmoniously work together, joining with others in a variety of ways to make life a sacred journey.
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