Friday, June 20, 2008

The Movie That Changed My Life

By: jojogeronimo@gmail.com

I happened to chat with a friend of mine lat week in Hyehwadong. We've been friends for six years now. We've shared a lot of good times and troubles when we were still both working as workers in a computer embroidery factory. He's still the same as ever, funny and a true friend, ready to be there by your side in times of needs and hardships. He's still working at the same company and earning more money than when we were together. He promised not to change workplace for the rest of his stay in Korea. He also told me that it helped him a lot, in terms of financial needs, if he would stay in one workplace instead of changing place from one to another. The last time that we've met was when I decided to go back home in the Philippines to live with my loving wife and two (2) trouble-making kids (hehehe..joke lang, my kids are the best and we are so proud of them). Our friendship goes back when both of us were politically active. Every Sunday, we see each other with some of our close friends. We see to it that we expressed our opinions and frustrations, including hatreds on the present political situation of our country. I, myself, would be in rage every time the President Estrada speaks in front of the camera and presents his program of governance and vision of uplifting the life of every Filipino. The more he boasts of his performance and economic programs, the more I got furious. It was a kind of anger that is boiling inside, ready to stand on stage and roar out the lies and deceits of the speech. Deep inside I'm boiling like a pot of Kalbitang soup in anger. Woow, that was really exhausting! It is like getting out of my inner self for a moment and shouting out the anger in an open sea, then going back to myself finding my body and mind in total depression and frustration to the government. As a result – it's like a bull in the mind of a human being, or rather, a body of a human being in the mind of an angry bull.

We've lived our lives for quite sometime in such a situation getting angry to someone we don't know, fighting someone we don't see, shouting our anger to the air and declaring war to the invisible enemy. Until one day, a movie entitled, "Cinderella Man" starring Russel Crowe took my attention and sunk in my mind. It hit me like a solid punched from Manny Paquiao…BOOM. It changed my mind, my thought, my belief and my way of life. In the movie, Russel Crowe made a lot of sacrifices before he achieved success. He's fighting poverty by his hand. He was a professional boxer who achieved success, lost his belt and regained it during the time of depression. He was a family man, a dedicated father and a loving husband who is willing to swim against the tide in order to survive his family. He begged and worked like a horse in order to keep his promise to his son not to send them away whatever happens, despite of the worst depression and outright poverty, his determination helped him to overcome the challenges and hardships of life. He never complained in life, he never blamed anybody for his poverty, he never quitted in times of trials, he never gave up when he is beaten and never stopped loving his family in times of difficulty and hopelessness. He was so sure of his direction in life. He don't bend and hesitate in his decision and purpose in life.

There are more stories in the story of his life. There are more lessons and inspiration to learn especially for someone whose purpose in life is to serve and love his/her family. His story is the real meaning of definiteness of purpose. His character and attitude in life portrayed the true secret of achieving success and happiness. Watching his story would surely help you find the right road to trace in order to get where you want to go.

Going back to the story of our friendship…now that we are totally different in our beliefs and concerns, the friendship will remain but the belief and principle differs a lot. He still strongly believed that the government is the culprit for the hardship and poverty he's experiencing, and I respect his unwavering principle. But for me, I've chosen my own destiny. And by doing so, I also choose the kind of thinking that will support my chosen path. You can't win a battle if you don't know who and where is the enemy. We can't win a fight if the truth is - our self is the one we are fighting. We need to define our life and clearly define our direction. We need to write it down and act fast, as fast as we can. The real battle is within our inner self. That is the place where the war begins. We create our own hatred, we create poverty into our life, we create our own success and failures…we attract what we focus on in our life. What we are today is the result of our decision in the past, and what we are going to be would be the result of our action and decision today.

After watching the movie, I think I could easily describe what happened to my inner self. By quoting Anthony Robbins in his book, "It's in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped." Yes, I've made a decision in life to change my destiny and design my own journey. A journey where I know the kind of road I'm traveling. Although the road is rough and far, being in control of the situation instead of the situation controlling me, I know the journey would reach its destination no matter how far it is. I respect the decision of my friend, and assured him that I will also be here by his side every time he needed my help. And again, although our roads in life are different from each other, I still learn a lot from him.

My friend, we may have different directions to travel, our journey will begin the moment we decide….. goodluck, wishing you the best!

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