Emannuel's Gift...

I make the assumption that it’s easy for those who have suffered, gone through an ordeal or bear a scar on their soul, to find a life purpose, a passion, something for which their soul aches to the degree that they devote every ounce of energy to it. I’m envious of these people. They obviously operate, in an empowered way, from those wounds. Instead of succumbing to the wound and letting it have power over them, they disable the crippling effect of it and use it to press on for change.

Of course, I could be wrong. These mighty individuals might have just as much of a difficult time as I feel I am having but when I see movies like this one, it doesn’t seem that way. I am truly floored by, and in complete awe of, Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah. This Ghanian man, born disabled and destined to be the lowest of the low in his country, turned the foregone conclusion of his life on its head and sparked a movement of change in his country – and it all started with the simple act of riding a bike.

It’s no mystery I’m looking for an inspiration, a passion; something to fuel the fire but my life has been devoid of struggle, trauma and hardship from which to draw that motivation.

Make no mistake: I’m Not Complaining About That!

I’m just concluding, in a public forum such as this, that I am not someone whose purpose will come from a wound or trauma. More than likely my moves will be guided by an inner sense of values and principles. Of course, I could be wrong about this too. It seems that nothing is a sure bet these days.

In the movie Fight Club, Brad Pitt’s character spouts of a monologue whose content reflects what I’m getting at:

We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives.

Lest you think I’m suggesting that the wisdom of life come from a movie centered on pugilism, or that my passion might be the plight of white upper-middle class males devoid of trauma; rest easy. I’m not saying that at all. I’m merely articulating my most recent musings on this topic and suggesting you take in these films, as well as the others on my Required Watching list over there to the right.