Though I didn't see the movie Street Smart, it reportedly was the catalyst for name, face and voice recognition for Morgan Freeman. The year was 1987 and Freeman was 50 years old at the time.
I didn't see that movie, but I did see Driving Miss Daisy that was released two years later. Today, any movie featuring Freeman has credibility as worthy of a watch. Take for example, Shawshank Redemption, Lean On Me, Million Dollar Baby, The Bucket List, and Invictus. Of course, the list of notable movies goes on and on.
I'd say of Freeman that his is a radio voice. There is something soothing about the sound, and he captivates your interest based on the voice recognition. I discovered the movie Invictus by a pop-up on my phone many years ago. It was entitled "Invictus: 'How do you lead and inspire your people?" I had an extra few minutes and I stood in the copy room of the office building in which I worked and watched the clip. I was both energized and fascinated by the story of Nelson Mandela. It was like music to my soul. As it turned out, I watched the short clip three times.
In the brief five minutes that I initially had available to watch and process the profound words shared by Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman), to Francois Pienaar (played by Matt Damon), in the movie Invicitus, I found myself mesmerized by the profound wisdom shared.
Following his release from prison after 27 years of imprisonment for standing up against a government responsible for human rights abuses, Mandela chose to move forward with his life. He did so without a spirit of bitterness. In fact, he stated, "As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison."
How does one refute his logic? Mandela later said of himself, "I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death."
The movie Invictus tells the true and inspirational story of how President Nelson Mandela joined forces and solicited the assistance of Francois Pienaar, captain of South Africa's rugby team to conjointly work toward uniting the country through the "universal language of sport".
As the two met for tea, Mandela stated, "The English have given us many things including rugby, but afternoon tea, that is the greatest." He then looked at the rugby captain and said, "You have a very difficult job." "I do?" questioned Pienaar. Mandela affirmed, "I have a trading business. Captain of the Springbok, is a very difficult job". Pienaar replied, "Not compared to yours Mr. President". Without skipping a beat, Mandela replied, "Well, no one is trying to tear my head off while I'm doing mine".
Mandela then asked Pienaar, "What is your philosophy on leadership? How do you inspire your team to do their best?" The captain of the rugby team looked a little perplexed by the question, but responded confidently, "By example. I've always thought to lead by example, sir."
Affirming Pienaar's response, Mandela responded, "That is right. That is exactly right, but how do we get them to be better than they think they can be? That is very difficult, I find." Without waiting for an answer, Mandela muses, "Inspiration, perhaps. How do we inspire ourselves to greatness when nothing less will do? How do we inspire everyone around us? I sometimes think it is by using the work of others."
Sitting his tea down, Mandela said, "On Robben Island when things got very bad, I found inspiration in a poem." "A poem?", asks Pienaar. "A poem, just words, but they helped me want to stand when all I wanted to do was lie down". He then added, "But you didn't come all this way to hear an old man talk about things that make no sense".
Obviously, reference was made to the poem "Invictus" written by Ernest Henley. I really like the closing lines of the poem: "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
Perhaps Mandela expresses it best when he said, "Courage is not the absence of fear — it is inspiring others to move beyond it. It always seems impossible until it's done. The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
As the brief video clip of Invictus comes to a close, Mandela muses, "We need inspiration because in order to build our nation, we must all exceed our own expectations."
It was only a five-minute segment of my day, but I found it inspirational. Actually, for the remainder of the day I wondered how I could move beyond the status quo and be better than I am. Perhaps we'd all benefit if we made that the focus of each day.
All My Best!
Don
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