Life Lessons You Can Learn From Matt Damon’s ‘The Martian’

Getting marooned on Mars doesn’t seem scary anymore. Here are a few life lessons the film teach you.

Still from Matt Damon’s film The Martian.

Disclaimer: Please be warned, there are a few spoilers in this article. So read the post only at your own risk.

Directed by Ridley Scott, The Martians is a film about hope and faith.

Hope because humans may just survive on the red planet. Remember Mars is no longer the villain here. Faith because a bizarre Iron Man-like stunt might kill you on Earth, but not in outer space!

Now that NASA has discovered flowing water on the surface of the planet, what else do you need to party on Mars, dear bhai bandhu? Food and good company, maybe.

Now getting marooned on Mars doesn’t seem too scary. If Mark Watney (Matt Damon) can do it, so can you. But we refuse to be some Shiv Khera book.

Before you go all gung-ho and plan your trip to Mars, we suggest you watch the film first. Because more than science fiction, it’s a film about life lessons.

Know Your Molecules

Always pay attention in your chemistry class, because you never know which experiment would come in handy on Mars. As Watney says in the film:

There isn’t a lot of water here on Mars. If I want water, I’ll have to make it from scratch. Fortunately, I know the recipe: Take hydrogen. Add oxygen. Burn. And don’t kill yourself in the process.

Water you waiting for? Head to the chemistry lab, now.

Garden of Knowledge

Don’t ever underestimate the power of a botanist. S/he might not be able to create fancy bombs to kill the enemy, but s/he can grow food to live for a few extra days on the lonely planet. The Martian is a film for all stuck-up scientists, for whom botany does not count as “real science”. Watney, the best damn botanist, teaches you how to “science the shit out of this” by growing potatoes out of... shit!

Disco Deewane

Never in your wildest dream would you associate disco music with Mars. But The Martian does, and it turns out to be the funkiest companion you’ll ever have. The secret behind Watney’s success is Gloria Gaynor’s song I Will Survive that made him groove all the way back to Earth. The film revives the good ol’ funky ’70s and ’80s disco music. This is especially for those born in the 21st century; keep your parents’ old disco music with you because it’ll know how to play to your rescue.

Mera Bharat Mahan

This one is not a life lesson. But something that will make Indians happy. The Mars program director in the film is named Vincent Kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Black African mum and Punjabi Khatri dad we’re guessing, the film doesn’t tell. Yes, Indians are everywhere. And it takes an Indian brain to get a Watney back to Earth.