Three Inspiring Stories...Amazing People
A story can do a lot to a man. It can make him angry and turn violent. It can make him sad and cry. Every once in a while, though, there are stories that inspire us. These are great stories that tell of man's heroism, his fight against adversities and triumph over others. These are stories of the resilience of the human spirit, its ability to withstand the atrocities of life. With their stories should come the hope for everyone of us to stand for life. Today, anywhere one looks, there is nowhere a place not touched by the hard and cruel realities of living in modern time. On one end of the spectrum are the rich and the famous basking in the opulence of what life brings to them. We cannot blame them, because they labored hard for the comfort and status they are now enjoying. Sadly, on the other end are the miserable poor, the underprivileged who continue to wallow in poverty. It may not be their choice but they are free to step out of the grim shadows of too much squalor...anytime.
Captain Richard Phillips is any ordinary family man. He is the captain of the ship which was seajacked by the Somali pirates. As reported, he maintained his calm demeanor when the pirates went up the ship and started harassing her crew, mostly Americans. The pirates could have been clearly out-numbered, but clearer minds prevailed. They wanted these lawless people to face the consequences of their wrong decisions. But when push becomes shove, the pirates in a turn of unexpected event decided to let go of the rest of the crew when Captain Phillips voluntarily offered himself to them for ransom money. Without any hint of cowardice, the good captain offered his life in exchange for the safety of his comrades. What a noble act! He was with the Somali outlaws for a number of days, floating aimlessly in the vast ocean until the US navy seals killed his three captors. He was a hero but did not want to be acknowledged as one. He made his country proud of him, his employer and most especially, his family.
When Susan Boyle got up the stage for Britains Got Talent, a lot of people in the audience smirked. When she further on answered that she would like to be another Elaine Paige, even Simon Cowell raised his eyebrows. She was looked upon on stage as another talentless prankster. Life indeed could be so unfair...yet surprising. Susan felt her choice of song, I Have a Dream from Les Miserables, so fitting for the occasion. And then she opened her mouth and out came a voice that stunned everyone and made the audience cower in shame. I saw her performance during that round, and anyone definitely can get blown by it. Why was she laughed at at first? Unfortunately most people judge the book by its cover. Susan Boyle just does not have the look that sells album covers; however, she is not supposed to sell her looks, she is supposed to sell her voice. With her childhood passion of someday becoming a singer, this 48-year old amazingly talented woman will not allow her look to stop her from pursuing her dream.
When Oscar de la Joya announced his retirement from professional boxing, Manny Pacquiao gave the sport of pugilism its new face. The Pacman comes from a broken family survived all alone by a determined mother. He could barely finish high school and indeed was not able to pursue college education. He was poor in worldly possession but not in spirit. He knew he could be a good boxer. He liked boxing so much that he searched for that elusive opportunity that would someday gave him the break to become one of the best prizefighters in the world. His dedication, hard work and strong faith enthroned him to where he is now - the best pound per pound boxer of the world. The unknown poor boy from GenSan is now famous. He is now rich and lives with all the comforts modern living can afford. He has now the material possession but he still remains humble. He shares what he has; he becomes the people's champ. He inspires all to continue on pursuing their dreams. Landing on the Time top 100 most influential people is a feat which Manny Pacquiao so deserves.
Three seemingly different stories - different people of different nationalities. They are all in one, however, in inspiring us to keep on hoping, to keep on dreaming, to keep on fighting, for life is indeed beautiful, can still be beautiful. There are lessons we can learn from these three extraordinary people. Be brave in spirit not just in action. Captain Phillips survived because he did not allow fear to overcome him. He remained calm and focus, and emerged the hero, very much alive to tell his story and inspire us more. Let us also persevere and pursue our dreams with passion. Let us not be affected by what is outside, what is around us. What matters most to Susan is her dream and the faith that she can achieve it, not how much people rebuffed her looks and appearance on stage. Above all, humility makes us all win in life. Captain Phillips did not want to own the honor. He attributed the success to the US Navy Seals. Susan is now enjoying Internet popularity, but she still remains her humble self. Manny ranks higher than Schwarzenegger and Angelina Jolie in the Time list, but he did not make so much fuzz about it. Three ordinary people who live extraordinary lives. The beacons for souls lost in the modern world. Theirs are stories that one cannot help to retell and retell to inspire us all, to tell us all of the triumphs of the human spirit.
A story can do a lot to a man. It can make him angry and turn violent. It can make him sad and cry. Every once in a while, though, there are stories that inspire us. These are great stories that tell of man's heroism, his fight against adversities and triumph over others. These are stories of the resilience of the human spirit, its ability to withstand the atrocities of life. With their stories should come the hope for everyone of us to stand for life. Today, anywhere one looks, there is nowhere a place not touched by the hard and cruel realities of living in modern time. On one end of the spectrum are the rich and the famous basking in the opulence of what life brings to them. We cannot blame them, because they labored hard for the comfort and status they are now enjoying. Sadly, on the other end are the miserable poor, the underprivileged who continue to wallow in poverty. It may not be their choice but they are free to step out of the grim shadows of too much squalor...anytime.
Captain Richard Phillips is any ordinary family man. He is the captain of the ship which was seajacked by the Somali pirates. As reported, he maintained his calm demeanor when the pirates went up the ship and started harassing her crew, mostly Americans. The pirates could have been clearly out-numbered, but clearer minds prevailed. They wanted these lawless people to face the consequences of their wrong decisions. But when push becomes shove, the pirates in a turn of unexpected event decided to let go of the rest of the crew when Captain Phillips voluntarily offered himself to them for ransom money. Without any hint of cowardice, the good captain offered his life in exchange for the safety of his comrades. What a noble act! He was with the Somali outlaws for a number of days, floating aimlessly in the vast ocean until the US navy seals killed his three captors. He was a hero but did not want to be acknowledged as one. He made his country proud of him, his employer and most especially, his family.
When Susan Boyle got up the stage for Britains Got Talent, a lot of people in the audience smirked. When she further on answered that she would like to be another Elaine Paige, even Simon Cowell raised his eyebrows. She was looked upon on stage as another talentless prankster. Life indeed could be so unfair...yet surprising. Susan felt her choice of song, I Have a Dream from Les Miserables, so fitting for the occasion. And then she opened her mouth and out came a voice that stunned everyone and made the audience cower in shame. I saw her performance during that round, and anyone definitely can get blown by it. Why was she laughed at at first? Unfortunately most people judge the book by its cover. Susan Boyle just does not have the look that sells album covers; however, she is not supposed to sell her looks, she is supposed to sell her voice. With her childhood passion of someday becoming a singer, this 48-year old amazingly talented woman will not allow her look to stop her from pursuing her dream.
When Oscar de la Joya announced his retirement from professional boxing, Manny Pacquiao gave the sport of pugilism its new face. The Pacman comes from a broken family survived all alone by a determined mother. He could barely finish high school and indeed was not able to pursue college education. He was poor in worldly possession but not in spirit. He knew he could be a good boxer. He liked boxing so much that he searched for that elusive opportunity that would someday gave him the break to become one of the best prizefighters in the world. His dedication, hard work and strong faith enthroned him to where he is now - the best pound per pound boxer of the world. The unknown poor boy from GenSan is now famous. He is now rich and lives with all the comforts modern living can afford. He has now the material possession but he still remains humble. He shares what he has; he becomes the people's champ. He inspires all to continue on pursuing their dreams. Landing on the Time top 100 most influential people is a feat which Manny Pacquiao so deserves.
Three seemingly different stories - different people of different nationalities. They are all in one, however, in inspiring us to keep on hoping, to keep on dreaming, to keep on fighting, for life is indeed beautiful, can still be beautiful. There are lessons we can learn from these three extraordinary people. Be brave in spirit not just in action. Captain Phillips survived because he did not allow fear to overcome him. He remained calm and focus, and emerged the hero, very much alive to tell his story and inspire us more. Let us also persevere and pursue our dreams with passion. Let us not be affected by what is outside, what is around us. What matters most to Susan is her dream and the faith that she can achieve it, not how much people rebuffed her looks and appearance on stage. Above all, humility makes us all win in life. Captain Phillips did not want to own the honor. He attributed the success to the US Navy Seals. Susan is now enjoying Internet popularity, but she still remains her humble self. Manny ranks higher than Schwarzenegger and Angelina Jolie in the Time list, but he did not make so much fuzz about it. Three ordinary people who live extraordinary lives. The beacons for souls lost in the modern world. Theirs are stories that one cannot help to retell and retell to inspire us all, to tell us all of the triumphs of the human spirit.
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