Last week I saw a patient with a complaint of depression and the lack of joy in her life. She felt guilty for having "everything" but enjoyed none of it. She has done everything that is expected of her and it did bring her a certain amount of success, but she felt like she is trapped all the same. In the same week I watched the movie Rush (2014) for the second time. The coincidental timing of the two events caused a surprising insight.
Rush is more than a great racing story. It is an analogy of the internal human struggle between the mind and the spirit. The rivalry played out between Nikki Lauda and James Hunt not only mirrors this struggle beautifully, but it amplifies it for the whole world to see. Lauda is methodical, calculating, and cautious while Hunt is carefree, living in the moment, and impetuous. They are, in fact, each other's complement. They inspire one another...pushing each other's limit...to the point of putting their lives on the line.
Their rivalry was more than just an adversarial relationship. It was also a mutually inspiring one. Lauda's crash in 76 would not have happened if Hunt didn't infuriate him so much. On the flip side, Lauda couldn't have had his miraculously come back without Hunt chasing his tail for the championship. They are in fact each other's soul mate.
The internal struggle between the mind and spirit is no different than this classic rivalry. It brings to mind the classic image of the Devil standing on the left shoulder and an Angel standing on the right...except that there is no Devil. It is only us...or more specifically, the two halves of us.
Each of us is being challenged every moment of our lives to make choices that fall somewhere in between these two polar opposites. We shouldn't feel that we need to be a Lauda all of the time, doing what's only expected of us. Nor do we need to be a Hunt all the time in order to enjoy life. Life is an ebb and flow process, an up-and-down cycle, and an in-and-out act of breathing. Each moment of the life is a unique event, never seen before and never to be repeated again.
Choose what feels right at each precious moment regardless of what is been expected of you.
A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends. Baltasar Gracian
P.S. If you want to see a wonderful analogy of Love and Fear, see Warrior (2011).
Rush is more than a great racing story. It is an analogy of the internal human struggle between the mind and the spirit. The rivalry played out between Nikki Lauda and James Hunt not only mirrors this struggle beautifully, but it amplifies it for the whole world to see. Lauda is methodical, calculating, and cautious while Hunt is carefree, living in the moment, and impetuous. They are, in fact, each other's complement. They inspire one another...pushing each other's limit...to the point of putting their lives on the line.
Their rivalry was more than just an adversarial relationship. It was also a mutually inspiring one. Lauda's crash in 76 would not have happened if Hunt didn't infuriate him so much. On the flip side, Lauda couldn't have had his miraculously come back without Hunt chasing his tail for the championship. They are in fact each other's soul mate.
The internal struggle between the mind and spirit is no different than this classic rivalry. It brings to mind the classic image of the Devil standing on the left shoulder and an Angel standing on the right...except that there is no Devil. It is only us...or more specifically, the two halves of us.
Each of us is being challenged every moment of our lives to make choices that fall somewhere in between these two polar opposites. We shouldn't feel that we need to be a Lauda all of the time, doing what's only expected of us. Nor do we need to be a Hunt all the time in order to enjoy life. Life is an ebb and flow process, an up-and-down cycle, and an in-and-out act of breathing. Each moment of the life is a unique event, never seen before and never to be repeated again.
Choose what feels right at each precious moment regardless of what is been expected of you.
A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends. Baltasar Gracian
P.S. If you want to see a wonderful analogy of Love and Fear, see Warrior (2011).
