Wednesday 23 November 2011

The Chosen One

Shiva (Meluha), Harry Porter, Neo (The Matrix), Frodo ( Lord of the Rings),Spiderman.... the one thing that is common with all these characters apart form the fact that they are fictitious and that they are all reluctant heroes, the one thing that runs common through all their stories is that none of them believed they were " the one". They had ordinary lives, were usually not so popular or successful in their daily lives. Apart from the fact that underdogs make great stories, there is something deeper in these stories.

All these people became who they did, because of the people around them who believed. They believed regardless of appearance, how rustic one was how how puny, how unlike the perceived Hero these characters are at the beginning of the story. They are full of self doubt. They don't think they have it them to deliver what is expected from them. Yet these friends, these believers do not waiver. The support, they carry the burden for their friends no matter how many times they are put in the line of fire.

These characters become Heros by the end of the tale because they keep trying. They have noble virtues. They believe in love, in friendship, in doing the right thing, they push their limits not for personal glory but for the very friends who are cheering them from the wayside. They become heroes because they dare to go against society, go against what they perceive as their own weaknesses. The all long for acceptance, love, harmony yet when life challenges their status quo they stand up and do what it takes. Ayn Rand's first book was rejected by 12 publishers , no less. Today her books are one of the most widely sold books across continents. It took a modest, plain looking Abraham Lincoln for united States of America to be what it is today, the largest democracy.

Yet for every Neo, Every Frodo there is a Morpheus , there is a Samwise Gamjee, to help them forward. There is a Chanakya behind Chandra Gupta Maurya. A coach, a guide, a friend or a mother, a wife or a lover, there is always that one pillar of strength that keep you going, who believes in you when you don't. It take two for one to reach glory. The believer  and The chosen One...

We  all want heroes, for our nations, in our personal lives, a lot of us even want to be a hero our self, how many how ever want to become that side aide, that person who is the person behind the success of another. How many of us would rejoice in the fame, popularity, wealth of another, our sacrifices gone unnoticed, no rewards or recognition.

I do know of several women, who do this everyday. They receive no gratitude, no recognition, nothing in return. They watch their lives pass by, no personal dreams or goals, content in the growth of their spouse. No malice, no jealously, no pettiness....my mother is one such woman. I am often lead to ponder which role is tougher, the Hero or the person behind, who is the actual chosen one?


2 comments:

  1. heroes of all sorts ,are not born, they are just souls who do do their divine bidding unwaveringly and in this process becomes a hero ... be it your own mother or spiderman . But, there are times , more often than not , that these lives serve as a beacon to the other wandering souls , giving them purpose and reason to exist... this thought is most eloquently portrayed in the passage above :)

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