Do You Have The Courage To Be Indiana Jones?
Published on 25 Jun 2008 at 9:35 am.
8 Comments.
Filed under Courage Series, Feature Articles, Personal Development Strategies, Spirituality & Inspiration.
I’ve always loved the Indiana Jones movies. My all time favorite is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. When the lastest one came out - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I raced to the movies with high hopes it would be great. After waiting almost 20 years since the last one, I left the movie with a smile. Watching Harrison Ford’s character brilliantly battle his way through seemingly impossible situations and triumphing over his adversaries is not only entertaining, I’m also inspired.
We see Harrison Ford appear as a bookish, mild mannered professor teaching archeology to University student and watch him transform into his Indiana Jones persona with his trademark clothing, hat and bullwhip. The hero of the story had appeared to save the day!
Here are some things Indiana Jones can teach us about courage:
1. Adapt and improvise. In each movie Indie seems to be caught in impossible situations and almost killed dozens on times. (Yes we know he’s the hero and meant to survive, or….maybe not????) Do we see him flinch in fear and resign himself to his doom? No way. His mind races for options and solutions as he improvises and adapts, signaling the invitation for his companions to join with him. His resilience and courage helps him to be victorious.
How often do you retreat and give up when things look bleak and seemingly impossible? Do you have the courage to say, “oh yeah - I don’t accept that” and invite your creative nature to kick in. Do you engage the support of others to be a part of innovative solutions?
2. Stand up and fight for what you believe in. With his trademark hat and bullwhip in hand, archeologist and adventurer Indie stands up to the German army, the Russians, and the Thuggee to defend and save the people he cares about and to protect precious artifacts from falling into the wrong hands. With a strong moral and ethical code, he is steadfast in staying true to his values and who he is despite the temptations and dangers.
How far would you go to protect and defend the people and things you value most? What would you be willing to overcome to champion yourself? What would you say no to or yes to in order to remain true to who you are?
3. Things are not always what they seem. One scene that consistently stands out in my mind that has left the most vivid impression is in my favorite - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I’ve heard many people refer to the same scene because of it’s symbology and inspiration. Indie stands on the edge of the mountain looking across a crevice to the doorway to another mountain. He must cross to the other side to find the Holy Grail so that he can save Sean Connery’s life. He must take a leap of faith. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and puts one foot out into nothingness and a wooden plank appears beneath his feet so that he can cross to the other side safely. WOW. What a powerful metaphor!
Are you willing to take a leap of faith without knowing the outcome? Would you surrender and trust because everything inside you says, “Go for it! Do it,” even it if seems crazy?
4. Trust your instincts. How often have we seen Indie relying on sheer instinct and wit to survive? He seems to move with certainty even when he is in foreign territory. Split second decisions, fast reflexes, and following his intuition are recurring themes in his character.
How often to you follow you intuition and instincts? How willing are you to trust yourself and your choices because your heart and spirit says YES?
5. Face your fears. We’ve watched Indie repeatedly deal with situations that required courage. Trapped in a hole with snakes (which he abhors) and finding a way out, landing a plane without landing gear, surviving the opening of the Ark without disintegrating, all of the disgusting bugs Spielberg comes up with in each episode that Indie has to deal with…. Each time the odds were against him, he rallied and did whatever he could think of to survive no matter how scared he was. Several times I saw him draw strength and courage from his anger to fight back, refusing to give in to the situation. Other times, it was his desire and need to survive or save others that gave him courage to override his fear.
What do you do when you feel fear? Do you face it head on or retaliate? What gives you courage to overcome your fears? What or who are you willing to fight for?
You must be willing to be a participant in your life experiences rather than sitting on the sidelines. Life is a journey that requires courage passion, intuition, instinct, a sense of humor, resilience, courage, prowess, inner strength, commitment, innovation….. to show up to claim the life you are meant to live. While most of us do not face life-threatening dangers on a daily basis, our own fears, beliefs, thoughts, and actions create our life dramas and joys that make up the reality we experience. Approach each day as an adventurer - with a curiousity and passion for the possibilities and miracles waiting to unfold.
Do you have the courage to become the hero of your own life story?
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Have a great day!
Cheers,
Lorraine
Gamy Rachel on 26 Jun 2008 at 8:40 am: 1
Hey Lorraine,
We share the same love for Indiana Jones movies
It’s a must watch for me, and I always enjoyed it. I can watch it many times and still love it.
I love the movies so much I even bought the Indiana Jones play station game to play on my TV. It is very interesting to play.
Hugs,
Gamy
lorraine on 26 Jun 2008 at 10:32 am: 2
LOL - a play station? Sounds like fun.
I love the recent one and that scene I wrote about - taking a leap of faith is such a comfort for me when I am feeling fearful.
Hugs,
Lo
Brennan Kingsland on 26 Jun 2008 at 3:48 pm: 3
I love the Indiana Jones movies. I always root for him to overcome the bad guys.
But I would never make a good Indiana Jones ’cause I’m not gonna leave the good ole USA EVER AGAIN!
If I have battles against bad guys to fight (and I do), I’ll do them here.
lorraine on 26 Jun 2008 at 9:44 pm: 4
As the hero, we expect him to beat the bad guys don’t we Brennan?
There are many ways we can champion the hings we believe in and with the internet available, we can make a positive impact from anywhere in the world. YEA!
Have a great weekend
Lorraine
Evelyn Lim on 26 Jun 2008 at 11:37 pm: 5
I haven’t watched it as my husband, my movie partner, has been away for the last one mth. Glad to read about your review. May just catch it when he gets back.
I especially like the metaphor that you shared. It is very powerful and has much meaning to me. Do I dare take the plunge to venture into unchartered waters? Hmm…
lorraine on 27 Jun 2008 at 5:10 am: 6
That’s why the metaphor of his taking a step - a leap of faith is so powerfull for me to recall Evelyn. How often do we feel called to venture into the unknown and trust ourselves, God and others without seeing what lays beyond the present moment? I used that metaphor to remind and encourage me that if the urge, push, desire…inside is so strong and my inner guidance and knowing is yelling - you go girl! then I must take the plunge. Isn’t that how we foster faith?
Blessings,
Lo
kindness on 3 Jul 2008 at 8:29 am: 7
Hello Lorraine!
Just Stumbled Upon your blog - I’m glad I found you. I’ll be back for more…
lorraine on 3 Jul 2008 at 8:31 am: 8
Come back anytime! I appreciate the Stumble!