You know the ‘Die hard’ movies with Bruce Willis. Invariably, at the end of the film, after a hefty dose of violence, he is the big hero. Have you ever noticed that at the beginning of the movie he breaks down completely? His relationship with his wife is on the rocks, his daughter won’t talk to him, and he’s fired. A good portion of the beginning of the film is consumed to create a bleak picture of the situation he is in. He’s hit rock bottom. Period.
Then the middle part. Slowly it becomes clear what it is he has to “defeat”. The struggle begins, which is usually unfair. Several times he even gets to the point where there seems to be no hope. Yet he perseveres and eventually wins. Now he is a hero. And like a miracle, his daughter wants to talk to him again and his wife loves him again – of course.
Strange that Bruce first has to go all the way into the gutter to end up, after a bitter struggle, where he could have already been in the first place.
Strange that when we start working on ourselves we seem to have to go deep into the pit first. That when we have to cry or share a tucked-away feeling, we are suddenly praised as heroes.
I don’t think we need more heroes, but men who are in touch with their feelings. And give that feeling priority over what is the norm.
Note: I’m not a native speaker, so bear with me here.