(Disclaimer: Mulan doesn't belong to the author. Disney owns Mulan and all other characters in the movie Mulan that are used in this entry.)
It never failed to overwhelm me with a chilling sensation whenever I watch that scene from the movie Mulan wherein the emperor bowed to a lowly woman and in turn, the whole country mimicked the gesture in honor of her heroism. I would always go "Shit!" because for me, to be bowed to and be revered by the whole country like that, lowering themselves in respect to you, and only you, is somewhat a lifetime honor and glory that you can carry, unless of course you tarnish it. As they say, people do great deeds to be recognized but a mere misdemeanor can cause you eternal shame.
Pointing away from what the movie Mulan speaks of (at least that particular scenario), where a small woman does something big and the whole country was saved from being pummeled by tyrants to domination, I mean, it's all big, her doings and the effect, which is all good. But as I have mentioned, let's try to point away from that.
Allow me to explain the core of this entry by telling you a story quite familiar to all of us. I believe most of us are familiar with the story of the father and his son, operating the bridge for the train to pass by, aren't we? Well, just in case, do permit me.
A father and a son were working on a bridge where the local train comes and goes everyday and at the same time, the river where the train crosses is also a channel for small boats and ferries to sail on. They would lower the bridge whenever a train passes by and raise it should a ferry requests passage but not when a train is near and will be crossing the bridge for that would mean that the train would stop and it can't just stop in the middle of nowhere. It should always stop in a station. At least for the boats and ferries, stopping would be no problem. Priority of crossing is always given to the train.
The day was normal; lower the bridge and raise it when the situation suits it. The son was out in the bridge playing along the tracks of the train. The father, was inside sipping coffee while watching his son from the control room of the bridge. Not a moment too soon, a train is fast approaching. The father waved at his son to get out of the bridge and let the train pass by. Sure enough, the son did as he was told and marched towards the end of the bridge. The father looked at the other side of the window to see what train was bounded their direction. It took some time for him to recognize that it was a luxury train cruising along and running towards the other side of the country. He placed his lips on the rim of his cup and suddenly dropped it as he looked at the other window. He saw his son, on all fours on the tracks desperately trying to get a hooked leg out of the rumbling steel. The train's whistle was never louder than it had ever been for the father and the rumbling of the tracks was never tremorous as it had been today. He looked at his son struggling helplessly as he cried calling on to him for help. The father looked at the large red button in front of him and with a trembling hand, placed a finger on it without the pressure to press it.
The father was defeaned by the roaring whistle even though the train was kilometers away from the bridge. He slumped on the floor, silently wailing, not minding the coffee and the broken cup.
Now here's another version of Mulan but the main difference is, there was no bowing, no honor, no glory, no saving China, no nothing. He didn't gain anything but lost everything in this feat, and for what? For morality? Wow! This father should be the modern Abraham, willing to sacrifice his son for the good. I'd really like to take the time to bow and clap my hands to him but sorry, this isn't the point I'm trying to build up.
So what's the point?
The point is, it was never known.
Let's try to put it this way.
A young man, who literally had everything in his life, wanted to commit suicide. Why? His fiance left him for another man, his career was being jeopardized by his best friend and his parents dumped him for being a no good child of theirs. A really sad young man. On a train trip from his town to a nearby country, he decided to commit suicide. He knew that if he jumped from the running train to the bridge and into the raging rivers, no one would know that he died. So he got out of the rear car and climbed the ladder on to the roof of the train. He walked the expanse of the metallic vehicle and stopped on the first car, right above the driver's seat. The bridge was nearing so he closed his eyes and readied to jump. All of a sudden he heard a crying boy. He opened his eyes to see a boy on the tracks who was looking at him with hopeless eyes. A moment later, the boy vanished from his eyes and the train rocked quite violently making him loose his balance and fall to the edge of the first car. He managed to cling on to a protruding handle, who knows why it was placed there, and swayed in the air as the train raced on. The driver of the train curious about the violent disturbance on the train went to open the window and check out what was it that they hit. To his surprise, he saw a dangling man clinging for his dear life on the side of the train. He reached out his hand to the young man and pulled him inside the car. The young man was shocked beyond imagination. He stood there shivering while the driver and the conductors called for the companions of the young man. His parents rushed to him in the first car and hugged him tightly, thanking the driver and the conductors profusely. On his destination on the other side of the country, he received a call from his fiance and asked him if he'd still be willing to be married to her. He agreed without thinking. After a while, a call from his company came in saying he was promoted since his best friend recommended him for the position. He agreed also without thinking. He placed the receiver down and went to the window sill. He heard the train from a distance and realized now, why he had agreed without thinking.
A telenovela story not worth mentioning but in this way, I can state my point clearly.
We all have decisions that we make in our lives. Some are really big and some are small. Sometimes, results from these decisions aren't proportional to what effort we gave. We may have done something colossal but the effect isn't noteworthy while others are minute but monumental in effect. I'd like to emphasize on the small things with great effects.
We may never know how our lives turned out to be and we can't entirely blame it on the palpable decisions that we make or the apparent circumstances that we encounter. Some insignificant decisions that we make like loitering around or taking out the trash or jerking off in the middle of nowhere may look like it doesn't have any impecable or detrimental effects but it may bring something, larger than what we have bargained for. Not now maybe, but it builds up like a small balloon being pumped slowly with air. We'll never know when the balloon'll burst in our faces or sustain it's wondrous shape.
Of course I'm not saying that every little thing that we do has to be reciprocated with a turning point event. We can't be expecting that everytime we piss, we save the universe now do we?
In the story of the young man, I'd like to emphasize how a small thing for everyone, can mean a big thing for you. The whole train never did realize that a boy was sacrificed in order for all of them to be saved and that a weeping father was in the tower suffering from pain unimaginable. While a big decision was made by the father, it's effect on the passengers was just a violent rocking of the cars. But for the young man, that decision rekindled his life. The father could have followed his paternal instincts and raised the bridge, killing hundreds of people, putting into reality that suicidal attempt of the young man, but thought twice of the consequences of that small, instinctive decision. In the end, he chose a decision, paradoxical in effect between him and the passengers of the train.
Let's go back to the young man. Aside from keeping his life, he managed to reconcile with his parents, his fiance, his best friend and get a promotion. Had the boy not been there to be run over by the train, he would have jumped already and would have been mourned over instead of the boy.
The boy was just a passing image for the young man, like a wind that kissed his cheeks for a moment. That wind became the key to his life.
And don't forget that handle.
Pointing away from what the movie Mulan speaks of (at least that particular scenario), where a small woman does something big and the whole country was saved from being pummeled by tyrants to domination, I mean, it's all big, her doings and the effect, which is all good. But as I have mentioned, let's try to point away from that.
Allow me to explain the core of this entry by telling you a story quite familiar to all of us. I believe most of us are familiar with the story of the father and his son, operating the bridge for the train to pass by, aren't we? Well, just in case, do permit me.
A father and a son were working on a bridge where the local train comes and goes everyday and at the same time, the river where the train crosses is also a channel for small boats and ferries to sail on. They would lower the bridge whenever a train passes by and raise it should a ferry requests passage but not when a train is near and will be crossing the bridge for that would mean that the train would stop and it can't just stop in the middle of nowhere. It should always stop in a station. At least for the boats and ferries, stopping would be no problem. Priority of crossing is always given to the train.
The day was normal; lower the bridge and raise it when the situation suits it. The son was out in the bridge playing along the tracks of the train. The father, was inside sipping coffee while watching his son from the control room of the bridge. Not a moment too soon, a train is fast approaching. The father waved at his son to get out of the bridge and let the train pass by. Sure enough, the son did as he was told and marched towards the end of the bridge. The father looked at the other side of the window to see what train was bounded their direction. It took some time for him to recognize that it was a luxury train cruising along and running towards the other side of the country. He placed his lips on the rim of his cup and suddenly dropped it as he looked at the other window. He saw his son, on all fours on the tracks desperately trying to get a hooked leg out of the rumbling steel. The train's whistle was never louder than it had ever been for the father and the rumbling of the tracks was never tremorous as it had been today. He looked at his son struggling helplessly as he cried calling on to him for help. The father looked at the large red button in front of him and with a trembling hand, placed a finger on it without the pressure to press it.
The father was defeaned by the roaring whistle even though the train was kilometers away from the bridge. He slumped on the floor, silently wailing, not minding the coffee and the broken cup.
Now here's another version of Mulan but the main difference is, there was no bowing, no honor, no glory, no saving China, no nothing. He didn't gain anything but lost everything in this feat, and for what? For morality? Wow! This father should be the modern Abraham, willing to sacrifice his son for the good. I'd really like to take the time to bow and clap my hands to him but sorry, this isn't the point I'm trying to build up.
So what's the point?
The point is, it was never known.
Let's try to put it this way.
A young man, who literally had everything in his life, wanted to commit suicide. Why? His fiance left him for another man, his career was being jeopardized by his best friend and his parents dumped him for being a no good child of theirs. A really sad young man. On a train trip from his town to a nearby country, he decided to commit suicide. He knew that if he jumped from the running train to the bridge and into the raging rivers, no one would know that he died. So he got out of the rear car and climbed the ladder on to the roof of the train. He walked the expanse of the metallic vehicle and stopped on the first car, right above the driver's seat. The bridge was nearing so he closed his eyes and readied to jump. All of a sudden he heard a crying boy. He opened his eyes to see a boy on the tracks who was looking at him with hopeless eyes. A moment later, the boy vanished from his eyes and the train rocked quite violently making him loose his balance and fall to the edge of the first car. He managed to cling on to a protruding handle, who knows why it was placed there, and swayed in the air as the train raced on. The driver of the train curious about the violent disturbance on the train went to open the window and check out what was it that they hit. To his surprise, he saw a dangling man clinging for his dear life on the side of the train. He reached out his hand to the young man and pulled him inside the car. The young man was shocked beyond imagination. He stood there shivering while the driver and the conductors called for the companions of the young man. His parents rushed to him in the first car and hugged him tightly, thanking the driver and the conductors profusely. On his destination on the other side of the country, he received a call from his fiance and asked him if he'd still be willing to be married to her. He agreed without thinking. After a while, a call from his company came in saying he was promoted since his best friend recommended him for the position. He agreed also without thinking. He placed the receiver down and went to the window sill. He heard the train from a distance and realized now, why he had agreed without thinking.
A telenovela story not worth mentioning but in this way, I can state my point clearly.
We all have decisions that we make in our lives. Some are really big and some are small. Sometimes, results from these decisions aren't proportional to what effort we gave. We may have done something colossal but the effect isn't noteworthy while others are minute but monumental in effect. I'd like to emphasize on the small things with great effects.
We may never know how our lives turned out to be and we can't entirely blame it on the palpable decisions that we make or the apparent circumstances that we encounter. Some insignificant decisions that we make like loitering around or taking out the trash or jerking off in the middle of nowhere may look like it doesn't have any impecable or detrimental effects but it may bring something, larger than what we have bargained for. Not now maybe, but it builds up like a small balloon being pumped slowly with air. We'll never know when the balloon'll burst in our faces or sustain it's wondrous shape.
Of course I'm not saying that every little thing that we do has to be reciprocated with a turning point event. We can't be expecting that everytime we piss, we save the universe now do we?
In the story of the young man, I'd like to emphasize how a small thing for everyone, can mean a big thing for you. The whole train never did realize that a boy was sacrificed in order for all of them to be saved and that a weeping father was in the tower suffering from pain unimaginable. While a big decision was made by the father, it's effect on the passengers was just a violent rocking of the cars. But for the young man, that decision rekindled his life. The father could have followed his paternal instincts and raised the bridge, killing hundreds of people, putting into reality that suicidal attempt of the young man, but thought twice of the consequences of that small, instinctive decision. In the end, he chose a decision, paradoxical in effect between him and the passengers of the train.
Let's go back to the young man. Aside from keeping his life, he managed to reconcile with his parents, his fiance, his best friend and get a promotion. Had the boy not been there to be run over by the train, he would have jumped already and would have been mourned over instead of the boy.
The boy was just a passing image for the young man, like a wind that kissed his cheeks for a moment. That wind became the key to his life.
And don't forget that handle.
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