I love movies. Especially the ones with a message. Very few directors know how to make a movie that conveys the message without overpowering the story. It is an amazing art but not so important to my own story tonight.
I just returned after watching the movie “Big Miracle”. It is a (true) story about three whales that get trapped under ice off the coast of Alaska and need to be rescued. The story unfolds like an avalanche, starting small and then gaining momentum of global proportions. As with most stories this too has several characters. Each character is a story in itself. One is trying to improve her image, another is trying to build a new image, another is trying to do the right thing but within the limits of what he deems as appropriate, others are trying to make the most of the situation financially, and then there are one who is actually at the heart of it. This story is about those one or two people who keep the heart of an issue beating and alive. It is about those who risk being labeled crazy as they attempt to keep us sane about where our priorities need to be.
This movie’s director was not the taciturn type who conveys the message in a subtle way once or twice during the course of a couple hour movie. He was instead the type who believe in bombarding the message at every step possible, and then some more. It was evident every few minutes that there were many parties involved - from a little boy living in Alaska to all the way to the ambitious man in the White House - each seeking to strengthen personal gain through participation.
There is, however, this one girl who is not there out of self interest. She was one person who was there because she loved the Whales. For it is ultimately them, who the story is really about. At first I found the girl quite annoying since she reminded me of all the annoying people who carry a chip on their shoulder acting as if they are the world saviors while everyone else is pushing the world towards its doom.
However, as the story unfolded I noticed something different. I noticed that no matter how many hours, days or weeks had passed until the event started, she never lost her way. I noticed that she was always about the same one thing from the beginning to the end - to save the whales. I noticed that she did not just talk, she acted, even at the risk of her life towards her commitment. I realized that she was committed to saving the whales. I realized that she was not in for herself but for them. I realized that she was truly selfless.
Another funny thing I noticed - she was the linchpin that held everyone and everything together. Her devotion inspired great things in people around her. I also noticed that when the goal is clear the decisions were easy and obvious. In fact they were no decisions at all since the choice was just that evident. It was only when either our fear or our self-interest intervened that we became confused about what needed to be done. When it became a question of ‘what about me?,’ it was then that we were not really clear about what needed to be done or how to go about doing it.
I learned a big lesson today. Behind every action there is a driver. That driver is either that of fear or that of greed or that of love. The fear and greed drivers are about the self and they want to use every person and situation to quench the fire of inner insecurity. The driver of love alone acts from a place of total abundance and concern for the well being of another. The driver of love knows nothing about self preservation or about self interest. For love there is no other but just one.
It is thus important to ask of all situations - who is it really about? Who really suffers if we fail? Whom are we really failing by not coming together? When we decide to not serve or serve half heartedly based on our convenience, who is really losing? When we put our convenience ahead of another’s need, who loses? And when another loses at our gain, is it really a sustainable win for us?
At the heart of all our efforts it is imperative to keep asking the question - who is it really about? Who is it really about? Who is it really about? And if through our thoughts, speech, and action we seek to bring about a world of joyous togetherness, if we are to be a force of change, if we want to inspire others to great action, if we wish to have a fulfilled life, it had better not be about us as an individual.
Your next thought, word, action - who is it really about?
In the end, the commotion, the effort, the engagement was not about the environment or about the whales or about saving lives. It was about answering to the fear and the need for help in another being, who no matter how big or strong, was vulnerable. It was about acknowledging our own timidness and limitations and yet consciously coming together in an effort to test the limits of our capabilities and of our courage. It was about comforting another in their pain with a strong conviction of "I'm here for you", even when the conviction may be rooted in fear or self-doubt. It was about conquering our own inner fears so another can take heart.
