Episode VI: may the Force be with you
finally. my last installment to my Star Wars tribute. wow. has it been two weeks already?
i've been wracking my brain on what my 6th post will be about. the usual and predictable topics came into mind:
o favorite scenes
o favorite characters
o it's good to be ________ [insert any SW character]
o favorite quotes from the prequels
o favorite scenes from the prequels
o classic trilogy vs the prequels [now, i don't even want to go there...]
o favorite Yoda-isms
o what to do when Darth Vader comes after you [hhm. maybe i SHOULD make an extra post on this...hehe]
but eventually i realized that it's high time i share about the things i've learned from watching the series. you see, Star Wars may be science fiction, but there are a lot of "light bulb moments" that i've picked up from the stories...
Luke: I don't, I don't believe it.
Yoda: That is why you fail.
by far, the most significant lesson i've learned from Star Wars. i've watched The Empire Strikes Back so many times but this exchange between Luke and Yoda only struck me a few years back, while i was watching the classic trilogy VCD set that i just bought. as i watched Luke desparately struggle to lift the X-wing using his mind power, i had a weird "light bulb moment." suddenly, instead of Luke, i saw myself sitting defeated on the mud. i had a flashback of all those X-wing fighters that i tried to lift in my life. and all those times that i've failed because i just didn't believe i could do it. it was freaky but it left me teary-eyed. i was glad i watched the film alone or i had to make up a good excuse for my crying bout ["blasted contact lenses..."]
weird as it was, that moment encouraged me. you see, that year i was having second thoughts about shifting careers. my stint in IT left me burned out, but i was too scared to delve into teaching. i've never taught preschool kids before. and i had to turn my back to my job of almost 5 years and take that plunge. it felt so good to be in my comfort zone, sheltered from the prying eyes of the world and criticisms of the people who matter most. but each time my mind wandered and my daydreams turned to seeing myself being surrounded by children, i had to do something.
of course, Yoda wasn't the only one who actually pushed me to finally get my act together. i had a support team...and Oprah was one of them (hehe). to make a long story short, i quit my job as an programmer/analyst and entered into the crazy world of preschool. and the rest was history.
No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.
this is a by-product of the first lesson. many times in the past, i've hesitated to do things that i wanted.
"it's too risky."
"what if i fail?"
"that's just not me."
"are you kidding??"
just like my earlier realization, this gave me my much needed kick in the butt.
i always knew Yoda was smart. :)
Yoda: You must unlearn what you have learned.
i've learned that an open mind is more important than a high IQ. no further explanations needed.
Luke: Your thoughts betray you, Father. I feel the good in you, the conflict.
[then in their last scene together...]
Luke: No, you're coming with me. I'll not leave you here. I've got to save you
Anakin: You already have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister, you were right.
when i first saw these scenes, i wanted to shake the living daylights out of Luke. your father is Darth Vader! THE Darth Vader. the heartless resident Sith Lord and killer of Jedi Masters. i could not believe he actually wanted to save his dad [which ultimately brought me back to the first lesson...].
but in the end, Luke was right. there WAS good left in his father. and what saved Anakin Skywalker? Luke's faith in him. he was the only one who believed that his father could still have a change of heart.
how many Darth Vaders have i known in my lifetime? it's difficult to have faith in people who are not lovable. but i've learned that every person is created in God's image and likeness...and that makes every person good. it's just a matter of reaching out to those "special people" and finding the good in them. not that i claim to be an expert on this [i'm still a work in progress]. but i HAVE seen some people undergo miraculous transformations just because somebody had faith in them. definitely unbelievable [again, back to the first lesson...see a pattern here?]
C-3PO: His high exaltedness, the Great Jabba the Hutt, has decreed that you are to be terminated immediately.
Han Solo: Good, I hate long waits.
C-3PO: You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea, and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlaac.
Han Solo: Doesn't sound so bad.
C-3PO: In his belly you will find a new definition of pain and suffering as you are slowly digested over a thousand years.
Han Solo: On second thought, let's pass on that, huh?
in times of trouble, it pays to have a sense of humor.
this is one of the Pinoy traits that i will always love. some people may always say that we should fix our eyes on the problem and look for a solution. they're right, actually. but it never hurts to have a good laugh while we're at it. that's what keeps us healthy and sane...or makes us insane. [well, whatever works for us, right? ^_^]
there you have it. the important lessons i've learned from Star Wars. hope you've picked up an insight or two as well.
i had a splendid time making my "episodes." though the series has ended, my blog has not. there are still more posts to come! [bwahahahaha!]
"May the Force be with you." :)
i've been wracking my brain on what my 6th post will be about. the usual and predictable topics came into mind:
o favorite scenes
o favorite characters
o it's good to be ________ [insert any SW character]
o favorite quotes from the prequels
o favorite scenes from the prequels
o classic trilogy vs the prequels [now, i don't even want to go there...]
o favorite Yoda-isms
o what to do when Darth Vader comes after you [hhm. maybe i SHOULD make an extra post on this...hehe]
but eventually i realized that it's high time i share about the things i've learned from watching the series. you see, Star Wars may be science fiction, but there are a lot of "light bulb moments" that i've picked up from the stories...
Luke: I don't, I don't believe it.
Yoda: That is why you fail.
by far, the most significant lesson i've learned from Star Wars. i've watched The Empire Strikes Back so many times but this exchange between Luke and Yoda only struck me a few years back, while i was watching the classic trilogy VCD set that i just bought. as i watched Luke desparately struggle to lift the X-wing using his mind power, i had a weird "light bulb moment." suddenly, instead of Luke, i saw myself sitting defeated on the mud. i had a flashback of all those X-wing fighters that i tried to lift in my life. and all those times that i've failed because i just didn't believe i could do it. it was freaky but it left me teary-eyed. i was glad i watched the film alone or i had to make up a good excuse for my crying bout ["blasted contact lenses..."]
weird as it was, that moment encouraged me. you see, that year i was having second thoughts about shifting careers. my stint in IT left me burned out, but i was too scared to delve into teaching. i've never taught preschool kids before. and i had to turn my back to my job of almost 5 years and take that plunge. it felt so good to be in my comfort zone, sheltered from the prying eyes of the world and criticisms of the people who matter most. but each time my mind wandered and my daydreams turned to seeing myself being surrounded by children, i had to do something.
of course, Yoda wasn't the only one who actually pushed me to finally get my act together. i had a support team...and Oprah was one of them (hehe). to make a long story short, i quit my job as an programmer/analyst and entered into the crazy world of preschool. and the rest was history.
No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.
this is a by-product of the first lesson. many times in the past, i've hesitated to do things that i wanted.
"it's too risky."
"what if i fail?"
"that's just not me."
"are you kidding??"
just like my earlier realization, this gave me my much needed kick in the butt.
i always knew Yoda was smart. :)
Yoda: You must unlearn what you have learned.
i've learned that an open mind is more important than a high IQ. no further explanations needed.
Luke: Your thoughts betray you, Father. I feel the good in you, the conflict.
[then in their last scene together...]
Luke: No, you're coming with me. I'll not leave you here. I've got to save you
Anakin: You already have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister, you were right.
when i first saw these scenes, i wanted to shake the living daylights out of Luke. your father is Darth Vader! THE Darth Vader. the heartless resident Sith Lord and killer of Jedi Masters. i could not believe he actually wanted to save his dad [which ultimately brought me back to the first lesson...].
but in the end, Luke was right. there WAS good left in his father. and what saved Anakin Skywalker? Luke's faith in him. he was the only one who believed that his father could still have a change of heart.
how many Darth Vaders have i known in my lifetime? it's difficult to have faith in people who are not lovable. but i've learned that every person is created in God's image and likeness...and that makes every person good. it's just a matter of reaching out to those "special people" and finding the good in them. not that i claim to be an expert on this [i'm still a work in progress]. but i HAVE seen some people undergo miraculous transformations just because somebody had faith in them. definitely unbelievable [again, back to the first lesson...see a pattern here?]
C-3PO: His high exaltedness, the Great Jabba the Hutt, has decreed that you are to be terminated immediately.
Han Solo: Good, I hate long waits.
C-3PO: You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea, and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlaac.
Han Solo: Doesn't sound so bad.
C-3PO: In his belly you will find a new definition of pain and suffering as you are slowly digested over a thousand years.
Han Solo: On second thought, let's pass on that, huh?
in times of trouble, it pays to have a sense of humor.
this is one of the Pinoy traits that i will always love. some people may always say that we should fix our eyes on the problem and look for a solution. they're right, actually. but it never hurts to have a good laugh while we're at it. that's what keeps us healthy and sane...or makes us insane. [well, whatever works for us, right? ^_^]
there you have it. the important lessons i've learned from Star Wars. hope you've picked up an insight or two as well.
i had a splendid time making my "episodes." though the series has ended, my blog has not. there are still more posts to come! [bwahahahaha!]
"May the Force be with you." :)
1 comment:
dear aby ...you're post made me teary-eyed. ay, mali! kala ko eto yung advise column ;D he he he. i bet you were crying when you were writing this. nevertheless, you inspire me, as always ;D
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