Tag: brilliance (page 1 of 4)

Monsters and Doctors: Can People Really Change?

The theory of Monsters and Doctors came to life after watching a thriller series.

I watched this series this year and it got me confused for weeks after I finished watching it.

The series was about a young brilliant neurosurgeon who risked his career to save the life of a critically wounded boy. Nine years later, the boy now a charismatic young man reappeared to the surgeon, admitted to being a serial killer and disappeared again. The brilliant neurosurgeon felt guilty, deciding to kill this young man even though he was the one who saved him earlier.

Monster. That’s the name of the series.

What is this Series About?

In its simple fictional characters, Monster tackled complex realistic questions. Throughout the series, the characters showed that the line between good and evil is not always clear. Power in the wrong hands always corrupt those around it. And actions meant to do good can have devastating outcomes.

Much of the core battle in Monster is the ideological war between Tenma and Johan.

In the story, Tenma is the young brilliant neurosurgeon and believes all life is precious. Johan is the boy who was saved but grows up to believe all life is meaningless. Tenma represents the good side of humanity while Johan is the bad one.

The story becomes more interesting because of the sides they belonged to.

After Tenma’s first encounter with adult Johan, the doctor abandons his career to right his wrongs. Tenma believed it was his duty to pursue and kill Johan to make amends for the havoc being wrought about his former patient. Meanwhile, Johan continued to kill people and wants to break Tenma psychologically by making him a murderer.

Yet at the end, there is a twist.

Understanding the Original Monsters and Doctors

Hypothetically, if I asked you to choose between Johan and Dr. Tenma, who will you pick?

With this brief character overview, it is so easy to choose Dr. Tenma. He saves people and is a doctor. The doctor is the good guy.

However, there is a short story in the series that briefly explained the nature of Johan:

The Nameless Monster

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a nameless monster.

The monster was dying to have a name.

So the monster made up his mind, and set out on a journey to look for one.

But the world was such a very large place.

The monster split in two, and went on separate journeys.

One went east.

The other headed west.

The one who went east came upon a village.

There was a blacksmith who lived at the village’s entrance.

“Mr. Blacksmith, please give me your name!” said the monster.

“I can’t give you my name!” replied the blacksmith.

‘If you give me your name, I’ll go inside you and make you strong,” said the monster.

“Really?” said the blacksmith, “If you make me stronger, I’ll give you my name.”

The monster went into the blacksmith.

And so, the monster became Otto the blacksmith.

Otto was the strongest man in town.

But then one day he said, “Look at me! Look at me! The monster inside of me is getting bigger!”

Munch munch, chomp chomp, gobble gobble, gulp.

The hungry monster ate up Otto from the inside out.

Once again, he was a monster without a name.

Next, he went into Hans the shoemaker.

However…

Munch munch, chomp chomp, gobble gobble, gulp.

Once again, he went back to being a monster without a name.

Then, he became Thomas the hunter.

But soon…

Munch munch, chomp chomp, gobble gobble, gulp.

Back he went to being a monster without a name.

The monster next went to a castle to look for a nice name.

He came upon a very sick boy who lived in that castle.

“If you give me your name, I’ll make you strong,” said the monster.

The boy replied, “If you can make me healthy and strong, I will give you my name!”

So the monster jumped right into the boy.

And the boy became full of vigor.

The king was overjoyed.

He announced, “The prince is healthy! The prince is strong!”

The monster became quite fond of the boy’s name.

He was also quite pleased with his royal life in the castle.

So he controlled himself no matter how ravenous his appetite became.

Day after day, despite his growing hunger, the monster stayed put inside the boy.

But finally, the hunger just became too great…

“Look at me! Look at me!” said the boy, “The monster inside of me has gotten this big!”

The boy devoured the king and all his servants.

Munch munch, chomp chomp, gobble gobble, gulp.

The castle was lonely now with everyone gone, so the boy left on a journey.

He walked and walked for days.

And then one day, the boy came upon the monster who had gone west.

“I have a name!” said the boy, “And it’s such a wonderful one at that!”

But the monster who went west replied, “Who needs a name? I’m perfectly happy without one. After all, that’s what we are – nameless monsters.”

The boy ate up the monster who went west.

At last he had found a name, but there was no longer anyone to call him by it.

Such a shame, because Johan was such a wonderful name.

What happens at the end of the series?

In the final episodes, Johan eventually comes face-to-face with Tenma and urges the surgeon to shoot him.

Tenma doesn’t go through with it, and then a drunk guy arrives and shoots Johan instead. The police show up on the scene. As it happens, Tenma is the only surgeon qualified to save Johan’s life.

Despite having embarked on a long, painful journey to eliminate the monster he had created, Tenma saves Johan’s life and ends up choosing good over evil yet again.

Monsters or Doctors

The Monster Series Poster – Monsters or Doctors

Are you part of the Monsters or Doctors?

Monster is a complex and thought-provoking series.

Maybe it can be a good watch for you. Just FYI, it has a slow burn with sentimental flashbacks but staying true to the end is worth it.

And then there are also old philosophical questions of the moral nature of mankind:

Can People Really Change?

Are people born good and they are later corrupted? Or are there some who are born evil? Can a person be completely evil and irredeemable?

Most importantly – Are we monsters or doctors?

It’s up to you to interpret.

Tai Lung: Never Crumble When Things Fail

Tai Lung is a complex villain in a simple story.

The wisest lessons can come from the simplest stories. In 2008, DreamWorks produced a timeless movie, “Kung Fu Panda,” which highlights the dreams of a clumsy giant panda named Po, as he tries to learn Kung-Fu while saving his village from the rampage of the savage snow leopard Tai Lung.

Rewatching Kung fu Panda made me realize this movie had everything.

A great storyline. Well-developed characters. Memorable lessons.

And the greatest lessons of the movie are learned with a focus on Tai Lung, the main antagonist of the story.

Who is Tai Lung?

The Leopard, The Legacy

Understanding Tai Lung

Whether as an upgrade of Tigress, a direct counterpart of Po or as Shifu’s fallen student, Tai Lung was a great villain.

Before the beginning of the movie, Tai Lung was in prison, and we get to know more about him from his escape from prison.

His ferocity. The quickness. His ability to make clever decisions. And his full mastery of kung fu.

As the story goes on, Tai Lung takes on the furious five (a group of his former kung fu master’s greatest students). He overpowers them with ease. His domination was so epic that Po trembled with the fear after hearing this encounter.

Yet in the final battle, this ferocious snow leopard loses to an easygoing big fat panda. Not because Po was quicker or stronger. Tai Lung lost because of three fundamental ideals

Read this to the end. There is a lot to unpack.

The Dangers of Pride and Entitlement

Shifu trained Tai Lung at the Jade Palace, raising him to believe he would become the Dragon Warrior.

However, when Oogway (Shifu’s master) denied him the title, the snow leopard revealed his true dark nature. He rampaged through the Valley, which led to his twenty-years in prison.

Tai Lung’s seething rage and fury did not fade, even after spending so many years in prison. His pride and arrogance did not leave him. Tai Lung’s entitlement mentality made him become the worst version of himself.

We see it clearly on his first encounter with Po:

Tai Lung: Who are you?
Po: Buddy, I... am the Dragon Warrior!
[bows over, panting from the stairs]
Tai Lung: [incredulous] You?
[laughs]
Tai Lung: He's a panda! You're a panda! What are you gonna do, big guy? Sit on me?
Po: Don't tempt me.

The eventual downfall of Tai Lung came from his denial and underestimation of Po.

Tai Lung also did not learn humility. And this virtue he lacked led him to crumble under the weight of expectations.

Crumbling Under the Weight of Expectations

This weight was not entirely the fault of Tai Lung.

Shifu filled his student’s head with the idea that he was destined for greatness. And gaining the dragon scroll was meant to be the physical representation of greatness of his years of kung fu training and mastery. Shifu also seemed to move on and never visited Tai Lung during his 20-year incarceration.

I know it’s not easy but Tai Lung should have moved on as well.

His next goal should have been simple. Focus on growing and improving yourself mentally, rather than seeking more strength and waiting for appreciation. Yet, Tai Lung allowed the weight of expectations to crush him.

Because of this weight, the former kung fu prodigy failed to understand and overcome the curse we are learning next.

The Ferocious Tai Lung

The Ferocious Antagonist of Kung Fu Panda

The Curse of Seeking Validation

Next to Oogway, Tai Lung is virtually the most skilled and dangerous Kung Fu Master alive.

The snow leopard had immense physical strength, was able to punch and tear his way through numerous armored opponents. He was a kung fu prodigy from childhood. The prodigy was the first student to master all one-thousand scrolls of kung-fu.

Yet he had a fatal flaw.

This flaw is perfectly seen in the snow leopard’s dialogue with Shifu after his prison break:

Tai Lung: [growls] I rotted in jail for 20 years because of YOUR weakness!
Shifu: Obeying your master is not weakness!

Tai Lung: You knew I was the Dragon Warrior! You always knew! 
But when Oogway said otherwise, what did you do? What did you do? NOTHING!

Shifu: You were not meant to be the Dragon Warrior! That was not my fault!

Tai Lung: Not your fault? Who filled my head with dreams? 
Who drove me to train until my bones cracked? 
Who denied me my destiny?

Shifu: It was never my decision to make!
[gazes at Oogway's shrine and picks up his staff]

Tai Lung: It is *now*. Give me the Scroll!

Tai Lung’s ultimate goal was to be the Dragon Warrior and be handed the Dragon Scroll, which he firmly believed was his destiny.

Despite his heartless and insensitive exterior, Tai Lung was naturally unassertive and insecure as well. He never believed in himself to start with, and needed the Dragon Scroll to believe.

Ironically as long as he could not believe in himself, he could never win against Po.

Believe in yourself

As an adult rewatching Kung Fu Panda, there are questions gleaned from the movie to understand yourself better.

  • Can I stay humble when winning?
  • Am I afraid to change my path when it is no longer sustainable?
  • Do I still search for other people’s approval to validate my success and experiences?
  • Are these dreams mine or someone’s else?
  • Is anybody denying me my destiny?

There are so many questions to ask yourself.

The answers are right there in front of you. It comes no matter what you do. It is like what Master Oogway said: One often meets his destiny on the path he takes to avoid it.

Just believe in yourself. Don’t fight or seek it in someone or something else.

 

Locked In: 6 Reminders for how to Finish the Remaining Year

For someone to be locked in is an act or instance of becoming unalterable, unmovable, or rigid.

But this is opposite of what we do when it is the middle of the year. Whenever we get to July in any year, there is always the tendency to slow down. Or go with the flow. After all, what was not done from January to June might not happen in July or the rest of the year.

Please don’t think like this. The year is not over. We are in halftime. You still need to maintain momentum. Staying locked in is an important process in doing your best this year.

Stay Locked In

Stay Locked In

I love how Topsy-Kola Oyeneyin (TKO) puts it. This is from her newsletter.

If the first half was challenging or disappointing, that’s okay; it’s an opportunity to start afresh. If it was great, congratulations! Now is the time to build on it – don’t lose focus.  Either way, don’t fixate on the current score; you’re playing for the entire game, not just the half, and the game isn’t over yet.

This is like how football players get to rest for a few minutes after the first half and before the second half begins. In those minutes, their coach comes to encourage his players to ensure they get the victory they need.

It is July, and you are in the same position too. So, before you go back in full gear, here are 7 reminders on how to stay locked in for the rest of the year.

  1. Be consistent

Don’t abandon the goals and dreams you wrote at the beginning of this year.

Keep transforming your goal into simple regular habits by building rhythms and routines that work for you. Create and maintain checklists that break down your goals. Then take notes to measure your progress.

When you consistently work towards a goal, you are more likely to succeed.

2. Maintain Focus

This is what allows you to completely concentrate your entire being on a specific activity to achieve it.

When doing your daily tasks, be present in the moment. Treat everything you do as important. From big things to the little things.  The better you focus when you do the little things, the better you’ll do in big stages.

Stay focused and keep moving forward.

3. Build privately

This is what I call a magical life – build in secret, celebrate in public.

Living a magical life for the rest of the year is learning a secret recipe to success. Your life is hidden in plain sight yet accessible only to a chosen few. Don’t confuse noise for success. Take deliberate quiet actions, rather than announcing your intentions to the world.

This is a rare art form you must learn to adopt.

4. Increase your chances of getting lucky

Life is in cycles and seasons will always come back and go.

This means you will have several opportunities in life to experience breakthroughs. Before these breakthroughs arrive, work hard and learn to recognize and act on opportunities. This is how you create your own luck.

Because Luck happens when preparation meets opportunities.

5. Love People

85% of your financial success comes down to your personality and how you treat people.

Be friendly. Don’t criticize, complain or condemn. Give honest and sincere appreciation. Always show empathy and put yourself in people’s shoes when communicating with them.

Learn to love people, not the way your school mates, novels and movies taught you, but the way your creator tries to teach you everyday.

6. Keep leveling up

You are the main character in your life. Act like it. I love how this quote put it:

Become the greatest your bloodline has ever seen. Then pass it down.

The quest is simple. Improve yourself. Prioritize your health and goals. Take actions daily and build relationships.

That’s 6 already, but there’s a 7th culled from Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

The Fear of God is important… to ensure that while you plan on finishing this year strong, you are also looking at the bigger picture (your life) as well.

Stay Locked In, my friend. The world awaits your legacy.