But there are even more reasons to love E. T., because the beauty of this remarkable film is much more than skin deep. It is timeless not only for the reasons listed above, but because of what it teaches us. Beneath the surface of a great adventure story lie the same valuable lessons that we can learn in the process of becoming familiar with our personality preferences and those of the people around us. In fact, it could be argued that the initials E. T. might actually stand for Essential Truths rather than Extra - Terrestrial!
One lesson that both the movie E. T. and the
Myers - Briggs(R) personality assessment teach us is not to judge a book by its cover. Another way of putting this is not to reject someone just because he or she is different. I mean, let's face it. E. T. is ugly! His appearance at first is repulsive and frightening because he is so very different from anything a human being has ever seen. But as all of us who've seen the movie know, he is handsome and lovable on the inside, and Elliott (later joined by his mother, brother and sister) has the sensitivity and patience to ultimately see this. As the movie progresses and more and more of E. T.'s personality is revealed, he even starts to look cute to us! Truly beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Peter Coyote's character, Keys, also becomes less scary as we get to know him.
Here's a good question to ask myself between bites of popcorn while watching E. T. Do I take the time to see beneath the exterior of people who may at first turn me off or scare me because they are different? By different I am referring only to normal, healthy differences in energizing oneself, taking in information, making decisions and viewing the world. Perhaps I have classmates or co - workers whose preferences for Introversion or Extraversion, for instance, are the complete opposite of mine and I find them hard to understand and/or get along with. Perhaps I find them unappealing at first, not in the physical sense as in Elliott's initial response to E. T., but in the behavioral sense, as if they are from a different planet!
Will I make the effort and exhibit the patience, as Elliott does, to see beyond and try to understand those personality preferences which I find confusing and unattractive? Like E.T., these people just might have a lot to offer me, and I will miss out if I am in the habit of rejecting anyone whose approach to life is different from mine.
Another Essential Truth revealed in this film has to do with going beyond acceptance to friendship. Elliott could be selfish and try to keep his new friend here on earth with him and if I recall, he does ask E. T. to stay. But he knows E. T. wants to go home and ultimately will not be happy remaining on earth, so he helps E. T. achieve his goal.
When a friend whose personality preferences are very different from mine has a dream or goal that I find very hard to understand, and perhaps don't like or really approve of, how do I react? Do I make fun of my friend's dream, say it has no value, or say he or she could never achieve that goal? Or do I accept that my friend's personality, needs and dreams are different from mine and help him or her to fulfill that dream, however incomprehensible it may be to me?
My goal is to look beneath the surface and treat the E.T.s in my life with the tolerance, open - mindedness and friendliness that Elliott does. Maybe if more of us would do so, fewer people in this world would feel like E. T., stranded far from their home planets and wistfully thinking it's about time to phone, and then go, home.
Isn't that how we'd all like to be treated? After all, everyone is someone else's E. T.