In “Unbreakable”, Bruce Willis’ character David Dunne chooses his relationship over his career. He does so in such a way that, for the rest of his life, he has to suppress his natural gifts. As the years pass, Dunne’s marriage collapses, he becomes an emotionally uninvolved husband and father, and he has disconnected himself from everything.
Dunne moves through life without really touching anything or anyone and he feels an agonizingly deep sadness. Living itself is painful.
- Is it possible to connect to with others while disconnecting from your truth?
- How many people are suffering pain from living in a way that denies their gifts and passions?
Acknowledging, expressing, and living your passions and your gifts is the only way to truly live. Anything less is hollow. If the ‘you’ of you isn’t living, if who you are isn’t experiencing life, then nothing can be real for you.
We make the mistake of thinking that we have to make our living at our passion. If we can’t make money at it, why bother? Luckily, we aren’t the sum of our 40 hour work week.
If you are a dancer, be a dancer. That doesn’t mean you have to go and try out for the Rockettes, then emotionally wring yourself out when you don’t get it. What that does mean is to find a place in your life to truly express that gift, that passion.
If you are an artist, be an artist. You don’t have to have your work on display at a SoHo gallery. If you are doing what you are, fully expressing who you are, then you won’t need validation from others. Connecting with that place within will be its own ‘reward’.
Making a paycheck off your passion is not the determination of whether you are living your gifts. Live who you are.
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April 23, 2008 at 7:44 pm
winterninjaa
Yo are absolutely right my friend. The problem is finding what is you and what you love to do. My problem was finding myself. In the midst of searching for who i really was and what i loved to do, I came to realize that everything i had been doing up to that point had been to seek the validation of me from others. Now i feel free to do what i feel pleases me. Now, i can see the contradiction to the saying do what makes you feel happy from someone that may not see the cup as being half full. Yes, there are some people that just take that to the exreeme and go crazy. With good morals and the right teachings that wont happen. However, i believe that in the society we livin, the true definition of success is to have money, a job, and be a productive member of society. I think that one of thoes is right. You can be a productive member and not have money or a job. Just depend on what you do to contribute. Money is overrated but we “need” money to get “stuff”. If we were not dependant on the value of the the dollar then i feel that we may be led to procure othe skills that may be benificial to each other.
April 23, 2008 at 8:08 pm
jimsmuse
I’m really enjoying these “movie inspired” posts. Very cool idea!
April 23, 2008 at 8:10 pm
SanityFound
Wow, what an amazing way to put it, love it! Your words, so true, it is as if we deny who we are in order to fit in to a glove either society has formed for us, our parents or even our selves feeling that it isn’t worth while… I am happiest when I have a camera in my hands or a paintbrush, I do it for me no one else. The difference is though that when we do do it for a living it can break down the joy because we stop doing it for ourselves… As you said we need to be true to ourselves, our inner real selves in order to feel at one and at peace, happy
Fabulous post, thanks again!
April 23, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Connie
It is a lucky person that earns a living doing what they absolutely love.
Often we work at something that “pays the bills” and our passions lie in other directions. You are so right when you say ” Luckily we aren’t the sum of our 40 hour work week” AMEN!!!
April 23, 2008 at 8:52 pm
marlajayne
How can you be so wise and so young at the same time???? I’m working on a little “project” about this very thing, so your post really spoke to me. I see people day after day after day after day (truly) who are so discontent with their jobs and their thwarted hopes and dreams. What happens so often is that young people don’t really get into their “careers” with that much thought. They “fall into” a job, and if you question them about their happiness with it, they might reply something like, “It’s a living.” What anyone who even halfway thinks about this will someday realize that your way of making a living speedily becomes your way of making a life…and it’s not always such a great one.
I could go on and on about this, but I’ll spare you (today, that is). In the meantime, I’ll have to see the movie.
April 23, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Corey
I have always loved the saying, “Let the world feel the weight of you, and let them deal with it.” Live your passion in some shape or form. Love the thoughts.
April 23, 2008 at 11:08 pm
clary
When we stop acknowledging who we are, what we love, don’t use our gifts and talents or live our passions we become the “living dead” on this earth. Many people are like that today on the pursuit of what doesn’t last or satisfied the heart and soul. You explained it well. I definetely need to see that movie.
April 24, 2008 at 5:53 am
curlywurlygurly
i missed your posts while you were away…welcome back, pi.
April 24, 2008 at 3:58 pm
persistentillusion
@winterninjaa - That’s awesome that you don’t feel the need to seek others’ validation. Have you in fact ‘found’ yourself? Or was liberating yourself from the opinions of others a step towards doind so?
@jimsmuse - Wow, I actually didn’t realize that I was doing that. I guess I felt very cinematic yesterday!
@sanityfound - You are an artist! Do you share your art in any way? (internet, galleries, etc?) Or are you content with just having created or photographed?
@connie - You always get what I’m trying to say. Thank you!
@marlajayne - It’s weird being on just the other side of high school. I remember thinking that the adults around me really had no clue and now I look at the kids and wonder if they realize how important NOW is?
@corey - That saying is a perfect way to condense what I wanted to get across.
@clary - Just a warning - the movie is not a happy-go-lucky type of film. I did find it powerful though.
@curly - In the hizzay!! No doubt.