"At this very moment, what could possibly be happening at the other side of the world? To other people?"This was my shout out yesterday at Facebook, ,my train of thoughts after watching 127 Hours last friday night at Glorietta 4, in between my regular shift and overtime.
127 Hours, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, centers on the real life story of Aron Ralston who tragically got his arm trapped under a boulder in the Blue John Canyon, Utah. With nobody knowing where Aron has gone to, he is left but to himself, his arm pinned to the canyon wall. The struggle lasted for five days, dehydrated and delirious, he was forced to amputate his right arm with a cheap knife that cuts no deeper than his skin...
The movie was so involving especially to me who recently became a mountain-climber but more to that, Aron's inspirational survival story led me to many questions.
Right now, I am blogging my thoughts, seated comfortably inside our house, but, could there be anyone experiencing the same fate as Aron or even worse? that is not known to his or her family and friends?
I think last month, or couple of months ago, I watched Buried, it starred Ryan Reynolds about a driver who was buried in the dessert, left with nothing but a blackberry phone and a flashlight. This time, his survival was timed only for 90 minutes and he is certainly dead, not by bullets or knife, but by suffocation and being buried inside by sand, no less.
Certainly, this movie is a nightmare for a lot of viewers, to me, is inspiration.
Be it a true story like Aron's or fiction like Buried, which could be based on real terrorist activities, we can only be thankful how safe we are, and how easy our lives are.
It changed me, it really did.
While we rant or whine about the disappointments of our day-to-day jobs, we forget to realize that others are longing to just have a job, some are even desperate. Another movie that is included on my all time favourites is 'Blood Diamond." A story full of dreams and hopes for African people that only wanted no more than peace and happiness. The movie was sensationalized by the conflict diamonds. If you are into precious and expensive diamonds, could you afford to buy a piece that cost a life of an innocent life? If you are a constant asshole in the workplace, will you ever trade that ergonomic chair in exchange for an abusive black people torturing you to find a diamond by all means?
What do these stories tell us? What do they have in common?
All these movies narrates a human life, on varying extents, but shares many lessons, one of which is holding on. For Aron, it is holding on to his life; for Ryan Reynold's character, it is holding on to the possibility of being rescued, holding on to God; for the diamond miners of Africa, it is simply holding on to their dream of a simple life, for the black father is reunion of his family, and sending his son to education, learning English.
A week ago, last 5th of February, by this time, we already settled ourselves at the campsite, the cold breeze freezing our body. Prior to that is a 4 hours walk. My head was feeling pain, or my neck to be exact. I thought my body was surrendering to the high altitudes of Mount Pulag, and my mind was behaving randomly, thinking of dreadful thoughts. However, I decided to hold on to my spirits, what I was feeling was only as of that moment, I was carrying a heavy backpack, I reasoned out. And I was correct, when I unburden my self with the bag, I was relieved of the body ache.
The Climb to Mount Pulag was no feat at all, anybody can do it, as long as the will and determination is there. Your only enemies are your body and mind, if it gives up on you, you can never reach the summit.
During the climb, my mind was preoccupied with my IPF, my grade for Year 2010. It helped me re-gain energy whenever I feel losing it actually. Never in my entire career life that I felt so expectant of my performance rating. Why? Simply because I knew that my Year 2009's IPF was unjustified. It took me a while to absorb a grade of 0.8 and eventually accepted it. I don't say that my outstanding performance on 2010 was to reverse my fate last 2009, no, absolutely not. I performed and outwit myself only, because I know, I am a born competitor, and fortunately, everyone has acknowledged it, even my high superiors.
I got rewarded for an IPF of 1.2, though all of us was expecting 1.3 or higher. Am I justified now? I say yes, 1.2 tells me one thing, I will have to work harder to get 1.3 or 1.4 this year, and I have no reason to slow down.
So, if in the event I started to invite negative thoughts about my work, I will immediately fight it with the success of Aron Ralston, or the movie Blood Diamond.
With God, there is nothing impossible...
