The Epitome of Hope!

THE EPITOME OF HOPE!

I watched one of my favorite film called "The Shawshank Redemption" last night. Favorite is in the sense that this films is just not a film it is an emotion , it is an ray of hope, it is an boon for each and every one who struggle  with his/her life at some extent (Especially those who battling with depression or bipolars or OCD or any other stuff ). The lessons I learned from the movie are elaborated below with numerics.

In the movie, Andy Dufresne - an ex banker is sent to the brutally oppressive Shawshank penitentiary for murders he did not commit. As we live our lives we too must face situations that are not of our making. But as Andy says to Red at the end of the movie.

“Remember hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things… and no good thing ever dies

When you get in the path of the tornado it is unimaginably tough. It can crush you. But as the movie portrays, even when your options are severely limited, you can succeed. The difference between whether you succeed or fail is what you do after you’re knocked down. It’s about getting up even when you are beaten. To stay alive Andy had to hold firm to who he was and what he believed in, despite mistreatment, despite sexual abuse, despite bleak and unjust circumstances

1. Becoming “institutionalized”

In one scene, Brooks, an inmate that has been at Shawshank for 50 years gets paroled. He goes nuts and is afraid that he will not make it on the outside. The inmates question why Brooks does not want to leave and Red, Andy’s best friend, puts it to them straight.

“The man has been institutionalized.This is all he knows, on the outside he is nothing. I’m telling you these walls are funny, first you hate them, then you get used to them, enough time passes and you depend on them.”

Some men (and women) have had the same job for many years and fear that they have nothing to offer outside the walls of their current position. They also live with the daily fear that they will be laid off. They wonder if they have become irrelevant. This is a scary place to be. We must keep learning and growing to avoid these kinds of fears.

2.Perseverance and patience

When Andy takes over as prison librarian and wants to expand the library, the Warden says there is no money and there never will be. So, he humbly asks if he can write the state senate for funds and the Warden magnanimously says:

“Sure, you go ahead and write your letters, and I will even mail them for you”

Andy writes one letter a week for six years. Finally, he gets a check for $200.00 and a letter that states we consider this matter closed. Not satisfied, he continues writing two letters a week till he gets a check of $500.00 donated per year to the prison library. In the face of all the problems he had to deal with, he never stopped trying. His focus was always on the dream regardless of the situation he was in. This is uncommon persistence and patience.

Almost everything in life that’s worth doing isn’t done in a day, or a week, or a month. The achievements that we’re the proudest of – the ones that really define the course of our life and define us as a person – take years and even decades.

3. Be respectful even when treated unfairly

Despite horrible treatment at the hands of the Warden, the Captain and the Guards, Andy was always polite, and was even there to help them. He respected the hierarchy and circumstances he was under, even if he didn’t believe in it, and worked with the situation he was in rather than against it. Now he did buck the system occasionally, but that behavior had its price.

Being respectful, when others believe it is their right to treat you shamefully, is difficult. They may never realize their fault, but you still must do what is right, regardless of their actions. Always serve others selflessly. The joy of knowing you are the reason behind others happiness is priceless, like the time when Andy gets the beers for his friends, so they can feel like free men.

The joy after successfully escaping from prison(In pic Andy Dufrense)

 4.True friendship is the salve for the soul 

Without friends, it’s difficult to meet life’s challenges, but those friendships must be real. If there’s one thing that doesn’t waver in Andy’s life, apart from his own will to escape, it is Red’s friendship. They stood by each other throughout their tough times, and ultimately it helped both survive.

It can be very hard to build new relationships when you’re an adult, at least outside of the type of workplace friendships that people often have. Yet, time and time again, it is that handful of lasting strong relationships that help us out of problems in life.

The secret to building that kind of strong social network, filled with friends who have your back and whose company you enjoy, is to give of yourself rather than just taking. Give without question and without expectation, because that is the foundation of strong relationships.

5. Be valuable in all circumstances

When Andy stood up on that roof, faced the captain of the guards, and tried to help him, he did it because he saw an opportunity buried in a landmine of risk. He knew that if he didn’t take that chance, nothing would change. Life presents us with lots of opportunities. Most of them aren’t perfect – they aren’t the ones we expect or dream of – but they’re there, ready to be picked.

If you want to succeed, take advantage of those little opportunities as often as you can. Train yourself to become aware of them,because sometimes they are hard to see.

Note: I do not want to share the story line, and highly recommend you to take time and watch the movie. If you have already seen it, great. And if you plan to watch it, do come back to share what you learned.

Quote :

 The more seriously you take yourself, the unhappier you’re going to be- Naval Ravikant

Love

-Gaurav 🙏