Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

Alright, a......

No, No, won't write that, too obvious. There's more to Mr McConaughey than that infamous quote.

This is a memoir punctuated with the lessons he learnt from life, and every time MM finds something that allows him to move forward, he sees that as a green light and on he goes.

I don't think there are too many people who could have experienced his childhood and then come out the other side so well balanced, but there are no victims in here. Despite the physical violence between his parents and the use of corporal punishment meted out to the three boys in the family, MM considers he was bought up with strong values that made him who he is today.

He learnt he could do wrong, even steal, but when questioned by his father he must never lie. Once when he and a friend went to Pizza Hut and left without paying, the other boy's father called to let MM's father know what had happened. MM was given two chances to confess that he knew the food wasn't paid for and they didn't intend paying for it, but when he lied for a second time, his father lunched towards at him and punched him square in the face.

'I deserved it. I earned it. I asked for it. I wanted it. I needed it. I got it.'

The lesson was learned and he never forgot it.

Now he is a father himself, MM doesn't employ these methods on his own children, but he accepts what happened happened and he wants no sympathy for it. His parents showed him the value of hard work and he put time and effort into his studies and later earnt himself a place at law school. He wasn't there very long before he decided he would rather be an actor and go to drama school and when he rang his father to tell him, his father decided he was old enough to make up his own mind and simply advised him: 'Don't half-ass it.' and he didn't.

The book is punctuated by notes from MM's diaries kept over thirty five of his fifty years, and even his early diary entries were thoughtful with an eye to self improvement. This is an entertaining read but there are also some takeaways to help us all open up a few greenlights as we proceed.

Comments

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