The Ultimate Gift"The Ultimate Gift" tells the story of a financially reckless young man named Jason who is promised an "Ultimate Gift" in his grandfather's will on the condition that you complete 12 seemingly simple tasks called “gifts.” The film, based on the best-selling book of the same title, "The Ultimate Gift" by Jim Stovall, allows us to sympathize, chastise and commemorate Jason in one breath as we watch Jason transform from trust fund kid to philanthropist. . The film forces the viewer to ask whether wealth and prosperity really determine human happiness. Through his tasks and journeys as he explores the 12 gifts, Jason is inspired by the people and situations around him and surprises everyone with his treatment of the "ultimate gift." The six gifts I have selected are work, money, friends, learning, problems and family. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before receiving the gift of work, Red Stevens, Jason's grandfather, tells his grandson via a video will that Jason will ultimately receive 12 consecutive gifts leading to a "supreme gift." At the height of his selfishness and greed, Jason becomes irritated by his grandfather's tedious will provisions and continues to be motivated by the possibility of acquiring a large sum of money. His first assignment, working on a ranch for his grandfather's friend Gus, is given to him so that he can learn that success and financial prosperity come after hard work and are not "owed" to him by his grandfather. A direct quote from the work, “He who loves his work never toils,” expresses how a person devoted to his craft wholeheartedly and with the best intentions will reap spiritual, not financial, benefits of purpose in the eyes of the Lord. I consider myself a hard worker, even though I'm not perfect, and I subject myself to laziness from time to time. One vice of mine would definitely be my occasional laziness, as it distracts me from my current “job,” school, and hinders my academic abilities. I would say that the “job” I would like to have in my life would simply be to be in control of it. I feel like I've let ridiculous things get in the way of my studies, even though I know it's the most important thing in my life right now. The gift of money in “The Ultimate Gift” turns out to be quite interesting. The lawyers from his grandfather's ranch decide to give Jason a certain amount of money during his trials, only to ask him to find someone else who needs it more. Per his grandfather's request, all of his accounts, cars, and house are taken away from him, and he is forced to recognize the hold that money has on his life. Surprisingly enough, giving money as a gift, a concept impossible for the initial Jason to understand, quickly became a priority once he received the “ultimate” gift. The quote: “Money is nothing but a tool. It can be a force for good, a force for evil, or simply be inactive,” expresses money as a driving, all-consuming force and how people come to worship it instead of God. Once all of its possessions are lost earthly, Jason soon learns that it is more important to give money than to receive it in excess and spend it with materialistic intentions. Jason sees that there are people like him, who have lost everything that matters to them, who don't even have a proper bench to sleep on at night. He sees the impact he could have had on the homeless, poor, or destitute as a young heir and addresses the importance of charity. Fortunately, I think I have learned this lesson. I always make sure toparticipate in any church activity related to helping the less privileged and always find a way to help in my own way. I often feel quite happy after participating in any of these charitable activities, whether it's delivering a hot meal, a care package, or cleaning up after a heavy rainstorm. As a united people, we must recognize the conflicts of the poor and the sick and take it as a national responsibility. I am grateful that God has allowed me to recognize the hardships of the less fortunate, because there are many rich people who don't. The gift of friendship is of great importance. Once Jason's worldly possessions are removed from his life, his own friends saw fit to no longer associate with Jason. Instead, the lawyers for Red Steven's estate ask Jason to find a true friend. Considering this nearly impossible, Jason wanders around the park until he comes across a young girl named Emily who agrees to pretend to be his "real friend". Little did Jason know that the "fake" relationship he had formed with the girl would change the course of his life forever. The quote, “He is a rich person, indeed, who reckons wealth not in gold but in friends,” could not ring truer in Jason's situation. It was Emily who made him realize and validate the twelve gifts and appreciate the overall joy and gift that is life. The qualities of a true friend, I believe, are love, support, grace and tolerance. With unconditional love we can appreciate the depth of the relationship and reciprocate the care and priority our friends place on us, while support serves to guide our friends and give them confidence in whatever they do. With grace, we learn that friendship only grows with adversity, and subsequently, we learn to dedicate our lives to those we love. Tolerance, overall, requires accepting our friends for all that they are and could be, and allowing ourselves not to judge them or make harmful assumptions. The gift of friendship can fill the void in a lackluster life and give it the color and substance God intended. The gift of learning is introduced into Jason's life when he is sent to Ecuador to bind books and deliver them to the villagers, who welcome him and are eager to learn all they can. Red Stevens, although he never received a formal education, saw great importance in reading and expanding knowledge. As Jason observes the villagers and their enthusiasm in exchanging books, Jason discovers that knowledge can transport anyone out of their present situation and give them hope for a better future. Red, explaining, "Education is a lifelong journey whose destination expands as you travel," did not directly try to teach Jason, but to make him appreciate education and its power so that can teach himself. When I'm asked what my favorite topic or book is, I can't answer because I can't be tied to a specific material. I continue to draw inspiration from every source, topic, or text I come into contact with, because there is something to learn in everything. Choosing a favorite topic or book would prove impossible for me considering I am fortunate to have just about every form of knowledge on any topic at my disposal (the gift of technology!) That being said, I have no idea what I will study in college. I know God will put something in my path to guide me in the right direction, happily, into the rest of my life. The gift of problems, ironically, is itself a sensational gift. In the film, we see Jason shed his wealth and subsequent anger, but he himself also realizes that he is.