The Answer Is Clear When You're Exactly Where You Need To Be

When we feel lost, we tend to look for signs and reasons to reclaim our sense of inner peace. Yet, oftentimes the answer is typically right in front us. In essence, we are exactly where we need to be. In today's episode, we focus on resilience within the present and finding purpose through adversity.

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Transcript

How’s it everyone, my name is Mike Cabuco, and welcome to another episode of the Love Notes for Life podcast, your creative space for amplifying greatness through gratitude. 

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So, while I was visiting Wellington, New Zealand for the World Cup, I had the chance of stopping by the Weta Cave at Weta Workshop. And, for those of you unaware of what Weta does, well they’re the masterminds behind the props and practical effects behind some of the biggest fantasy and sci-fi movies. But there is one movie that they worked on that needs no introduction. It stars a lovable cast of little friends, with one wise wizard, and then throw in the occasional evil eye with a magical ring and you get, yes, you guessed it, the Lord of the Rings based on the original book by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Now, around the time that this film was made, CGI championed the VFX industry, for better or for worst. I mean, maybe at the time, it was reasonable, like when we couldn’t tell the difference between good and not-so-good CGI. I mean, I’m not going to lie, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the Star Wars prequels and the CGI that they used was totally acceptable, in my eyes, in my opinion, but nowadays, it’s hard to deny that CGI has indeed come a long way.

Yet, when Peter Jackson was called to the helm of directing the Lord of the Rings, he fought for the idea of depending less on CGI and, in a sense, pursue a return to form, by incorporating practical effects and tangible props. So, with a little bit of convincing from the studios and a knack for making the most out of a small Hollywood budget, he recruited a humble visual effects studio out of Wellington, New Zealand called Weta Workshop. They were tasked to build an array of practical effects and props and at the time, this whole pursuit seemed like a crazy idea. Now, it was a common assumption that practical effects and building props the old school way was just way too expensive and time intensive. Yet, with only a mere 93 million dollar budget for production cost, the ragtag story of hobbits, a wizard, and one ring to rule them all would generate 880 million dollars in its initial release.

And that, my friends, is show business. BUT nevertheless, what this whole exercise in challenging the status quo proved was that there was a demand for practical effects, real tangible goods, and a return to a classic art form. The partnership between Peter Jackson and Weta Workshop would continue on for the next two films and they would be responsible for making an array of costumes, creatures, and plenty of swords to equip an army to defeat the mighty power of Sauron and to quote Galadriel from the Lord of the Rings, “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”

So, a little funny side story since we’re talking about Weta Workshop. Now, I love rich people. Actually, let me rephrase that, I’m fascinated with rich people, and I mean, not just people who make a decent salary, but I’m talking about rich people who are so rich that they use their money for the craziest ideas. So, there was this guy that commissioned Weta Workshop to recreate the ring from the Lord of the Rings, which is made out of 18K gold, and it costs around $4500. Now mind you, it takes about 4 weeks for the shop to produce this ring and it’s something that’s quite precious as Gollum would like to say. So, once the ring was manufactured, Weta Workshop sent it over to the client and he left them all with a peculiar comment. So, he fessed up and admitted that the reason he wanted to pursue and purchase the ring on holiday was so that he could hire a helicopter to fly over the filming location of Mount Doom in New Zealand, to just toss the ring into it. Now, that seems like an expensive way to be a super fan. Don’t you agree? 

But, nevertheless, after hearing that story, it’s just quite comical to know that if we could go back in time and ask the team at Weta Workshop that, if they could predict a scenario like this could ever happen to them in their lifetime, that they would’ve probably just gave it a good laugh and move on. And it’s a scene that’s best described by a conversation between Frodo and Gandalf:

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

In essence, you are exactly where you need to be.

Oftentimes, we tend to structure our lives as an if-then-else statement which is a logical progression of cause and effect and it’s a routine that we use every day in our lives. If we go to work, then we get paid, else we don’t get paid. If we’re responsible with our money, then we save money, else we end up getting broke. And here’s the best one, if we look right and left before crossing the street, then we have a better chance of not getting hit by a car, else we get hit by the car.

So the bottom line is that we do need direction. We need some sort of course of action to keep us moving toward the destination. But the danger lies when we rely on the destination to define our importance, mental stability, and a sense of clarity within the present. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed we feed too much into this if-then-else statement. Like, say for example, if I don’t perform well at work, then no one will treat me with respect. Or if I treat myself to the occasional vacation, then I will be viewed as someone who spends their money carelessly. Or if I’m prone to making mistakes, then I’m incapable of anyone ever loving me and if I consider myself so broken and so imperfect and so shattered, then really what else is there to love?

You know, it’s so easy to feed into the negativity when the world is filled with plenty of reasons to depend on causality. It’s a dangerous place for the mind to wander into, but oftentimes, when you’re facing despair or an absence of hope, well, it just seems easier to say “if-then-else.” But it doesn’t have to be that. Not everything can be distilled down into an if-then-else statement and expect life to be so mechanical.

So during the height of World War II, a friar by the name of Maximilian Kolbe, continued to defy the German occupation and made it his mission to protect and provide shelter to Jewish refugees in Poland. His charitable action led to his arrest on February 17, 1941, where he was sent to the Pawiak prison only to be redirected to Auschwitz as prisoner 16670. Despite knowing the repercussions of speaking his truth and carrying on in his faith, he continued to act as a priest which angered the soldiers and military officials at Auschwitz.

So around the end of July 1941, after a prisoner escaped, the deputy camp commander rounded up ten men to be starved to death just to prove a point to the remaining prisoners. When one of his brothers were called up, Father Kolbe volunteered himself to take his place and was placed in an underground bunker just to be starved to death. But, even after two weeks, the torture could not degrade Father Kolbe’s faith in carrying out his vocation. He and three others remained alive, which infuriated the guards at Auschwitz. On August 14, 1941, Father Kolbe was sentenced to death by lethal injection. And the observers noted that when the time came, he raised his left hand and calmly waited for the end.

Father Kolbe once said:

"Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving...Without sacrifice there is no love."

It’s tough to know that these events in life actually happened and even more so it’s hard to rationalize the idea that Father Kolbe was exactly where he needed to be. He didn’t deserve to be in that grueling circumstance, but throughout his entire life, it seemed like he was doing what he was called to do despite the difficulties and doubt.

I personally can’t imagine living Father Kolbe’s life and I don’t think I would’ve had the courage to carry out his actions, but what I do know is that he did what he needed to do. And he was there for his community and in confidence, he believed he was exactly where he needed to be.

We all enter this world through life’s lottery. Some of us are born into relatively healthy environments, while others are subjected to harsh conditions and environments that can take a toll on mental health, physical safety, and any hope that the future will get better. Yet, despite our different backgrounds, there are still certain things we can control in the present. And, that no matter how difficult life can get, we can still find a little bit of hope to make things better for us and the world around us.

In our darkest moments, it may feel like you’ve lost your purpose. It may feel like, every day is just another step backwards. And that no matter what you do, life doesn’t seem to get better. But, I think the actions of Father Kolbe is a good lesson that even in the darkest times, we still can make a difference. Despite the never-ending darkness that surrounded Father Kolbe especially during his last two weeks Auschwitz, he was forevermore resilient and would continue to live his life in the present.

I may be far from my destination and my goals, but I can work on myself in the present. I can learn to better not just for myself, but for others. I can live my life like Father Kolbe and be resilient on my path to inner peace. And when something overwhelms, I can remind myself to take steps, rather than leaps.

We are all exactly where we need to be and what you do today will influence where you want to be.

Just like in the Lord of the Rings, Frodo learned that he was capable of the life that he was granted. And even when he had doubts, he had a wise wizard by his side reminding him that life is what we make of it.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

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Thanks, y’all for tuning in to another episode of the Love Notes for Life podcast and I look forward to sharing the mindset of greatness through gratitude. If you’re enjoying the Love Notes for Life podcast, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, and other major podcast platforms. For the latest updates be sure to track the mindset by following me @mikecabuco on Instagram or Twitter.

Thanks y’all for the support and always remember, “There is beauty in knowing that there is only one of you.” Take care.