Underdog

Abe Lincoln once said, ‘the best thing about life is, it comes one day at a time.’, and that’s the worst thing too. Problems when they arrive, don’t go away soon, they linger on and we are painfully aware of each passing moment. We despair. With each passing day, hope slips away. Shadows looms large with no light at the end of the tunnel. We want to give up. Hang our boots. Just accept failure. In these times, his words inspire me, speak to my heart,”it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”. I wipe my tears, pick up my sword, and join the fight.

Two scenes stood out to me from Rocky Balboa. The first is where a dissatisfied Mason goes to his coach Martin.

 

Martin: You got everything money can buy, except what it can’t. Its Pride. Pride is what got your ass out here, and losing is what brought ya back. But people like you, they need to be tested. They need a challenge.
Mason ‘The Line’ Dixon: But you know that ain’t never gunna happen, there ain’t anybody out there Martin.
Martin: Theres always somebody out there. Always. And when that time comes and you find something standing if front of you, something that ain’t running and ain’t backin up and is hittin on you and your too damn tired to breathe. You find that situation on you, that good, Cuz thats baptizim under fire! Oh you get thru that and you find the only kind of respect that matters in this world, Self respect.

Life tests our limits. Everyday is a battle. We are pushed to the corner. Winning or losing is not in our hands. But, the choice to fight is. And, when we fight, irrespective of the outcome, we gain respect – our respect – self-respect. We take pride in the fact that we stood up for what believed in. We start believing ourselves.

And, the second one is

 

Rocky Balboa: Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and no matter how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!

My experience has taught me that life is very indifferent – neither fair or unfair. It’s too unpredictable and so is luck, who knows which direction the winds of good fortune will blow? And, god’s grace? I could never bring myself to kneel before the almighty to ask him to give me this or that, lest I be disappointed. Faith is a gift I’m yet to receive. Probably I’m a very egoistic person, but, I could only ask him one thing: Courage. Courage to pick myself up when I fall. In those times, I tell myself, ‘I can take this, I’ve handled worse than this. I can manage. It’s how much I can take and keep moving forward.’

When we take the road less travelled, resistance from society or our families takes a huge emotional toll on us. We go through the ordeal of fighting “expectations” of everyone. Friends, family who stood by us abandon us for “letting them down” and “not listening to them”. We’ve put all of them at unease when we chose to follow an unconventional path; our own calling; and not the one “expected” of everyone, the “safe & best” path they chose for us. When I find myself in these crossroads, I have only myself to fall back on. And, I say to myself, ‘This world is a very mean and nasty place and no matter how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.’ Rise, find yourself, find your destiny.