Last night I was listening to music on YouTube, and I came across a song that I had forgotten about. It is actually one of my favorite songs and it is played at the beginning of one my all time favorite movies. While I was listening, I noticed someone had posted a quote from the movie, I remember the scene very well, and the quote is awesome. The movie is Angus, and the scene is between Angus and his grandfather played by George C. Scott. Angus’s grandfather says “Superman isn't brave. He's smart, handsome, and even decent. But he's not brave. Superman is indestructible. And you can't be brave if you're indestructible. It's people like you and your mother, people who are...different, and can be crushed and know it. Yet they keep going on out there every time.” The part that inspired this blog is you can’t be brave if you’re indestructible. It is so easy to stick to what you know, to hide from adversity, to take the safe path through life. People are not indestructible, but we try to make ourselves that way, by only doing those things that we know we will succeed at. We surround ourselves with people that don’t push us, that just accept us and we in turn accept them. We ignore problems in hopes they will go away, we take jobs that don’t challenge us, because we know we will excel in them. It might be the smart way to live life, I’m guilty of it, but don’t you ever get that stirring, that desire to do something brave, or great, something that makes people stop and take notice. Don’t you ever want to push yourself, and get that feeling of accomplishment that fills you up inside? Those people are scattered all throughout history, the colonist that challenged Britain, the first astronauts, world record holders, the list goes on. It doesn’t have to be that huge though. The person who goes back to school after 20 years, the person who speaks out against the majority and says, hey you’re wrong, the person that says, I have no idea how to that job, but I’m willing to try. These people are stepping out of their indestructible bubbles and saying alright world here I am, hit me with everything you have, I’m ready to take it and push back. That is true greatness, that is true bravery, that is who I want to be.
The song by the way is Am I Wrong? ~Love Spit Love
Happy Thanksgiving
Fall down seven times, get up eight. ~Japanese proverb
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Hi Steve, There are lots of people in our country who are having to be brave, resourceful and push themselves out of what they have known in order to keep trying to make a living. I hear these reports on the news in the morning and frequently in the paper. My heart goes out to all of these people because I know that they are struggling, but they are being forced out of that "bubble" that you speak about. They may look back at the experience and be grateful for it. There have been some very difficult times in our history which brought out the very best that people can be.
ReplyDeleteWhile it doesn't show as much as some of the things that you are talking about, I am constantly pushing at the bubbles of my inward life. Facing my demons, dealing with my past, allowing myself to experience the pain.
This indestructible thing is one of the reasons that I can't really connect with the pre-Easter Jesus as God. If he was God (Super-Super-Super Man) how hard was it to choose to follow his destiny to the cross. But a destructible human being like me...now that's a guy that I can get behind!
Thanks for reminding us to find places to take risks and see what might happen!
Well you know that you are my superman. Lovve you~
ReplyDeleteHi Steve! I'm a friend of Nichol's and I enjoyed your blog!
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