The Dude....

I've always liked Samuel L. Jackson, the actor. There's always an intensity and a high degree of masochist grit to each of the roles that he portrays (save for that cheesy character of Jedi Master Mace Windu).

So I reached home tonight a little after 9, flicked the tube on, and there he was on HBO; the Dude himself. This time he was Coach Carter, a high school basketball coach with unorthodox means. I hadn't caught this one when it was released way back then; though I did have some inkling that it was based upon an actual person who lived on the other side of the planet. So I planted myself comfortably down on the sofa to be entertained for the next 90 minutes or so (minus the soda, the popcorn and the potato crisps coz hey, this isn't TGV, you know?).

Now, here's the twist for me. At the end of the show, though stellar as Sammy's performance was, I think another character nicked the best lines to the movie. That would probably explain why my thoughts kept wandering back to this one particular scene. It involved what one of his charges in the movie had recited, and I simply couldn't resist the urge to Google it. It goes like this....

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking,
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were all meant to shine, as children do.
It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others."

Now, how's that for a super dose of self-empowerment. Or as a pastor well known to me recently said, "Cowabunga!" ;)