The first was an interview with Ben McBean, the soldier who came back from Afghanistan with an arm and leg blown off by a mine. Now quite simply: hew was smiling! It's hard enough to find anyone smile these days, let alone from someone who had something life-changing happen to them only two weeks previous. It is so easy to get knocked off course when things 'happen to you', and get swallowed up in a motley of grief, helplessness and self-pity. Often, bad things are a chance to apportion blame and be bitter. Yet Ben McBean wasn't. He was proud do have served his country, met his prince, done his bit and come out alive. He, in under two weeks picked himself up, adapted to his condition and is now planning for his future (next year he wants to run a marathon with his artificial leg). A lesson for us all.
Secondly, on 'the One Show', they did a feature on Bletchley Park; the place where they cracked German codes during the Second World War. After reviewing what went on there, they looked at a couple who worked there met and got married, and are still together now and smiling broad smiles. Now, people that worked there, not only weren't allowed to talk to people outside about what they were doing, they weren't allowed to talk to each other. This is because everyone played different roles, were all small cogs in the wider machine; and the success relied on everybody concentrating on their own jobs. Not knowing the 'bigger picture' helped to keep what they did there a secret.
Now, that Bletchley Park was such a big secret for so many years is amazing in itself. I just can't imagine that happening now; someone would 'leak' things to the newspaper they found unfair, would tell their mates the important job they do or something similar. But not only this, we found out the couple that got married didn't talk to each other about what they did at Bletchley Park for 35 years! Only when the whole thing became public did they talk to each other about it. Not only was this secret not an obstacle to their relationship, I think it was a sign of their love that they didn't. They didn't need to 'bare all' , they were secure enough in realising that they both served a higher purpose, individually and collectively. I could say more, and what I have written doesn't sound that beautiful, but I don't want to philosophise or make assumptions about their life. I think the facts should speak to each person individually and each person should see how they 'hit' him or her.
- Face everything with a positive attitude
- Consider what service you can give to others
- Live your life with a 'higher purpose' in mind
- Smile a broad smile.
No comments:
Post a Comment