Conan the Barbarian: Trust

Conan the Barbarian is my favorite movie of all time. I know it’s an old Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, but just look a little deeper. John Milius,  the director snuck in some pretty deep concepts into this bloody movie, that can be applied to our everyday lives. These are the lessons that I took from this classic.

 

 

Trust

Conan’s father teaches his young son about trust.

 

Greed 

The Riders of Doom show up and destroy Conan’s home village only because they desire steel and power.

 

Loss

Thulsa Doom takes away everything from Conan, even his mother. He is like the unstoppable world, he is Doom. He does give Conan something however, a desire for revenge. A purpose.

 

Work

Pushing the wheel makes Conan strong, but how many of us feel the same way. Going in circles, getting stronger without realizing it.

 

Worth

Although cruel and misguided, he found some of his worth in the pits.

 

 Creed

 

Chance

Luck and chance play a bigger part in our lives than we think. Even the mighty Conan would have died a slave if it wasn’t for chance. By finding his sword, he found his way.

 

Friends and debates

Conan finds value in others and begins to see the world in new ways.

 

Indulgence

Sobotai shows Conan the world with all the pleasures and traps that await there.

 

Success 

Sorry can’t find the clip. Conan and his friends become rich after raiding the tower of the Serpent. He finds that this is almost as trying as the wheel.

Influence and Power

Conan gets his riddle answered and finds out how the world really works.

 

Failure

Conan loses it all, but finds out that friends are worth more than he thought. He would not have made it without them.

 

Love and Loyalty

Valeria brings Conan back from the dead, she fights off death itself out of her love for him.

 

Defiance

Although on a mission from King Osrich to retrieve his daughter, Conan is only there to defy and confront Thulsa Doom. It costs him Valeria in the end. Reckless acts of defiance can cost you much.

 

Religion’s Worth

Conan prays to Crom for the first and last time. Whether his prayers and answered or not is up to you to decide.

 

Shattered Trust

As his father’s sword breaks and Conan learns the truth about what he can trust.

 

The emptiness of Revenge

Without his hate of Thulsa Doom what will become of Conan, what will be his purpose?

 

Purpose

With all the things that defined him now stripped away, Conan must reflect and find a new purpose for life.

 

As I said earlier, I have always found great value in this movie. It was never just a bloody sword and sandal movie for me. This came out when I was young, and my family was going through some really hard times. I lost my dad and felt alone in the world. Something within this movie inspired me and kept me going. If you have never watched it, you should. It is very well made and it holds up well even 36 years later. I hated the sequel and the remake because they lack all of the lessons. I hope you can find your own Conan the Barbarian to inspire you.

Ojisan