I have referenced the Tom Hanks film Cast Away in this space on numerous occasions. Most people would opine that, despite an Oscar nominated performance by Hanks and being directed by the incomparable Robert Zemeckis, it is a flawed movie…good but not great. I wouldn’t argue with that assessment, although much like 1993’s Groundhog Day, which elicits similar lukewarm reactions from most, I see beneath the surface and view it as quite profound.

For reasons unknown to me Cast Away is randomly on television with some regularity, and more than two decades after its release I am still drawn to it as often as life allows. It was during a recent viewing that I was struck by something that I had previously overlooked.

I don’t think I’m spoiling much at this point in revealing that Hanks’ Chuck Noland survives for several years on a remote island, and is rescued from the sea after a daring escape. On his way home Noland’s best friend tells him that his fiancée Kelly had moved on, that she is married to another man & has a child. He tells Chuck that everyone thought he was dead and they’d held a funeral for him, including a casket. Obviously there was no body, so Chuck incredulously asks what was in the coffin.

If you’ve seen the movie you’ll recall that Chuck is a VIP at Federal Express, and the value of time is a key theme. His life is quite hectic & busy, with everything running on a very tight schedule. That is contrasted with his solitary, decidedly idle stay on the island. At any rate, his buddy informs Chuck that folks tossed different items into his empty coffin…items that seem to represent his life. Photos. Pagers. Elvis Presley CDs (Chuck is a big Elvis fan).

The idea that our entire lives can or should be represented by “stuff” is somewhat disturbing. Hopefully most of us are remembered more for things we did or accomplished, how we made people feel, what we produced, and our personalities & character. However, Cast Away does provoke a fascinating thought process. If…if…you were to perish in a horrific accident and your body not recovered, what would be in your empty coffin?? What items do you think people would choose to honor your memory?? If your friends & family did attempt, in their grief, to summarize your existence with “stuff”, what would those things be?? And if you’re being honest with yourself are you satisfied with the answers?? Though it is never expressly stated, one can fairly assume that Chuck Noland probably wasn’t happy to hear than anyone summed up his life with a pager. How sad.

I’m not trying to be morbid. That’s never been my thing. However, I have pondered my legacy and probably spent too much time caring what other people think of me (the answer to that, for most of us, is that others rarely think of us at all). There are two key differences between Chuck Noland and the rest of us. First, obviously…he is a fictional character. More importantly though, within the context of the present exercise, is that Chuck Noland, against all odds, logic, and mathematical certainty, received a do-over after several years of pondering his life & regrets in utter solitude. Conversely, we are unlikely to ever find ourselves marooned on an island, and even less likely to be rescued in that circumstance. However, we do have an opportunity to start fresh every additional day that God gives us. So think about it. What would be in your empty coffin?? And would you like to change those things??