Norman Lear, at 100, on Courage: ‘It’s Hard to Be a Human Being’

Norman Lear, the 100-year-old television legend behind sitcoms from All in the Family to The Jeffersons to One Day at a Time, says getting up everyday is an act of courage for anyone.

“Courage has a lot to do with getting up in the morning,” Lear says in a new clip from the Louie Schwartzberg documentary Gratitude Revealed, which you can watch above. “It’s hard to be a human being, I have not failed to notice.”

Lear is one of several people who discuss the meaning of courage in Gratitude Revealed. If just waking up is courageous, we need a new word to describe the behavior of the surfers who ride massive waves and the cliff-dancers who defy gravity by strapping in to do flips and pirouettes while dangling from oceanside cliffs.

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Gratitude Revealed sets out to tell a transformational, cinematic story of how to live a more meaningful life, guided by gratitude — positing that gratitude is a proven pathway back from the disconnection we feel in our lives.

Schwartzberg’s previous film, 2019’s Fantastic Fungi, is narrated by Brie Larson and combines time-lapse cinematography, CGI, and interviews to explore the world of fungi. Gratitude Revealed has a much wider scope, taking viewers to the extremes of humanity as it sets out to tell a transformational, cinematic story of how to live a more meaningful life, guided by gratitude. The film posits that gratitude is a proven pathway back from the disconnection we may feel in our lives.

Schwartzberg’s other work includes the IMAX film Mysteries of the Unseen World with National Geographic, narrated by Forest Whitaker; the theatrical feature Wings of Life, for Disneynature, narrated by Meryl Streep; and America’s Heart and Soul, for Walt Disney Studios. His “Soarin’ Around the World” ride film is one of the most popular attractions at Disney Theme Parks worldwide. and his three TED talks have over 65 million combined views.

“For over 40 years, I’ve dedicated my life to making films celebrating life and the human spirit,” Louie Schwartzberg says in his director’s statement for Gratitude Revealed. “From a young age, my parents, both Holocaust survivors, appreciated all the little things in life and the blessing of having children. My upbringing taught me the importance of living a daily life full of gratitude.”

After finishing UCLA, he began to film flowers constantly, which he continues to do. But during pandemic lockdowns, he was moved by how much people missed the simple joys of meeting a friend for coffee or hugging loved ones.

“I felt compelled to show my gratitude for our world during such a complex and unpredictable time. I wanted to help people in desperate need of connection, both inner and external, and address the global suffering from isolation, stress, and anxiety due to the pandemic,” he says.

That inspired Gratitude Revealed.

“My goal is to provide an audience with an immersive cinematic experience. Through vignettes of everyday and remarkable people, we find the beauty in humanity and the resilience of the human spirit, and the desire to reconnect with each other.”

In addition to Norman Lear, other participants in the documentary include author and alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra and Buddhist monk and author Jack Kornfield.

“The film provides the audience with a shift in consciousness,” says Schwartzberg, “on gratitude’s vital role in their lives and how they can work towards experiencing more of it daily, as it builds resilience, gives purpose, and health benefits in these troubled times.”

Gratitude Revealed will be released in theaters on Friday, from Area 23a.