(KP-7) What It Takes To Reach Greatness
What I learned from the movie 'Whiplash' | How an IAS officer of Bhandara district made sure that his district becomes Covid-free | A poem by David Whyte
Life Lesson
This week I wish to share with you a life lesson I learned from a movie called ‘Whiplash’.
I wrote a small review of this movie for my fellow writer’s amazing weekly newsletter that goes by the name "moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies". It is a collection of movie wisdom or you can say a catalog of the life lessons or guides to life, that can be found in films.
I don't know how many times I have watched the climax of this movie. The moment where Andrew's father is left dumbstruck and stunned watching his son’s performance forms a lump in my throat and moves me to tears. This performance was like showing the middle-finger to all those people—including parents sometimes—who tell you to forget your dreams and get a normal job like everyone else to earn bread and butter, and to all those people who laugh at you when you pursue your passions and don't settle for an ordinary life. They don't understand that while having a routine job can quench a person's physical hunger, it cannot satiate the longing to become a genius; it cannot give the soul satisfaction.
The movie Whiplash shows us what a human is capable of achieving once (s)he sets his/her eyes on accomplishing a goal. And how against all odds, Andrew shows the 'world' what he is capable of. He just never gave up trying to better himself. Even with a less-than-ideal mentor who is ruthless to the point of being abusive, who doesn't motivate him in the conventional sense, who at times discourages him as well—Andrew succeeds in proving his mettle.
What I learned from this movie is that to become a prodigy or a virtuoso in any field, one must have:
Strong will-power
Determination
Resilience
Perseverance
Stubbornness
Don't-care-what-people-say attitude
Read the full review of Whiplash here.
Feel-Good Positive Story
One of the worst-hit districts during the second wave, Maharashtra’s Bhandara has just become the state’s first COVID-free district, thanks to the three-pronged strategy implementation by IAS officer Sandeep Kadam.
The Bhandara district of Maharashtra, comprising 800 villages and a population of 13 lakh, has set a new record of becoming COVID-free on August 6.
Creating micro-containment zones, relentless testing, tracing, and treating of patients was what worked in favor of the district.
In his own words
People feel that the threat of COVID-19 has long gone, but they have to realise that it is still lurking in neighbouring districts. We will have to continue wearing masks and observe precautions for several days to come.
To read the full story, click here.
Book/Video/Podcast Suggestion
This week I want to suggest to you one podcast that I have been listening to for a while now. It’s called the Tim Ferris Show.
Tim Ferriss is a self-experimenter and bestselling author, best known for The 4-Hour Workweek, which has been translated into 40+ languages. Newsweek calls him "the world's best human guinea pig," and The New York Times calls him "a cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk." In this show, he deconstructs world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, chess, pro sports, etc.), digging deep to find the tools, tactics, and tricks that listeners can use.
My favorite episode is when he interviewed Maria Popova from Brain Pickings.
Quote/Poem
Excerpts from Sweet Darkness by David Whyte.
When your eyes are tired
the world is tired also.
When your vision has gone,
no part of the world can find you.
Time to go into the dark
where the night has eyes
to recognize its own.
There you can be sure
you are not beyond love.
The dark will be your home
tonight.
The night will give you a horizon
further than you can see.
You must learn one thing.
The world was made to be free in.
Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.
Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.
The poem "Sweet Darkness" by David Whyte reminds me of the quote from Stanley Gordon West: “Smile and the world smiles with you, cry and you cry alone.” But being alone can help you find the inner strength to be your own hero, as the characters in these movies find: Everyday Heroes In Movies: Seven Films Where Characters Learn To Be Fierce
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/everyday-heroes-in-movies