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Every day we are bombarded with more and more outrages. Our nation and world are on fire, and we’ve learned that we’ve been betrayed on just about every level imaginable, not the least coming from our own wicked hearts.
So amongst this raging inferno, why am I writing essentially a movie review?
For the same reason we may go to church, spend time among loved ones, and pray–because amongst the profound physical challenges in our world, feeding our spirit has never been so important.
Plus sometimes–after a day of work, or on a day off–we need some R & R… Nobody can or should work nonstop. This too is good for our spirit.
A good movie can be entertaining, but also educational and even quite inspiring. I saw such a movie recently. It was the story of a high-wire artist who set out to walk between the summits of the Twin Towers in New York City.
Sounds absolutely crazy, right?
This was the dream of a French man named Philippe Petit.
The movie is The Walk, made in 2015 (the “walk” itself occurred in 1974) and I highly recommend it.
There was also a documentary made about Philippe and “the walk,” called Man On Wire, which I have not yet seen, but heard is quite good, perhaps even better than The Walk. It’s hard to beat a good documentary, at least for me.
Philippe also wrote a book about this experience called To Reach the Clouds: My High Wire Walk Between the Twin Towers.
I don’t want to oversell the movie. So often a movie comes “highly recommended”… “don’t miss”… “run, don’t walk”, etc. Perhaps you will not see what I saw. It’s hard to tell. We’re different.
But–without giving too much away–I was just blown away about the sheer audacity of the endeavor. What kind of faith does it take to even attempt such a feat?!
And what kind of feat have we been delaying in our own lives? What kind of dream?
This is one thing that I believe is quite sad about today’s world–the wall-to-wall insanity is always beckoning us to react to it, to immerse ourselves in it, to pull us away from our unique gifts.
There is such beauty inside us, and all around us, yet we are constantly being pulled into either joining or judging the ugliness.
What I saw
Besides the obvious message of faith vs. fear, The Walk also showed that with adherence to Philippe Petit’s vision also came relentless determination, the building of a team to achieve it, the willingness to do painstaking research and methodical planning, suffer enduring patience, and putting it all together–follow through with the plan.
This is not about getting caught up in whether Philippe’s “walk” was a foolish risk (Philippe refused a safety net–one miscue from over 1,300 feet would obviously result in a horrific death). I’m not advocating anyone try to copy his feat at some other stratospheric location, although there are always thrill seekers who are drawn to that kind of thing.
But I am advocating that you see the lessons (principles) that Philippe followed in pursuit of his dream.
Some years back, I saw an acrobatic horse show produced by Cavalia–it forever changed my perception about what was possible for humans to achieve.
Watching The Walk brought that realization back to me.
The Walk and 9-11
The tragic “elephant in the room” in any discussion of the Twin Towers is the eternal specter of 9-11. The connection I see between Philippe’s “walk” and that fateful day is a contrast between the possibilities of life, and the impossibilities death brings.
Philippe discussed his reaction to 9-11 HERE.
So if you choose to take this step and see The Walk or the documentary, Man On Wire, please let me know your reaction, and what stuck with you. Thanks!
Patrick Rooney is the Founder of OldSchoolUs.com. He communicates clearly and fearlessly during perilous times about natural health, success, and freedom. To reach Patrick, email him at [email protected].
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