I have been thinking a lot this week about Rocky. I'm not sure why exactly. I should tell you that Rocky is in my top ten movies of all time. If you have never had the privilege of viewing this wonderful film, I urge you to stop reading right this second. Solicit whichever movie rental service you prefer and watch this movie. I'll wait.
And yes, KC Mitchell, there will be spoilers.
First, a brief history. I saw Rocky when I was in college. I signed up for this unlimited movie rental program and started going through all the movies I had always been told to watch but never had the time for. Aliens, Goodfellas, Akira, those sorts of films. I usually don't like sports movies. I never saw the appeal of Raging Bull although De Niro killed it in that one. Still, I rented the 1977 classic Rocky and by the end I was whimpering like a child. I went back to the store and swapped for Rocky II. I watched all five original movies in five nights.
I remember being stunned that Rocky did not win his first fight with Apollo Creed. All that work and training. All the obstacles he had to overcome. That montage! And yet he still loses the big fight at the end. Why? How could this have happened?! Well, I think the answer to such questions has presented itself to me recently.
I just had a job interview for a big promotion and as I'm writing this, things are still up in the air. I work overnight and my interview was in the middle of the day. Understand that this job will drastically affect my life. So I was a bit distracted afterwards and I couldn't sleep. I sometimes let a movie play in the background while I'm trying to rest and something drew my attention towards Rocky Balboa, sitting dusty on my shelf.
Once the movie started, I could not turn my attention away. These movies are mostly a series of inspirational speeches strung together by small events that carry the plot forward. With each dramatic monologue I became more and more emotional. Rocky has a million to one shot at winning this fight. He's the underdog. No one expects him to succeed. I could not help but draw some similarities to my own situation.
So what was it that made the Italian Stallion so great even though he lost in the end. Stalone has a great quote in Balboa:
"It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."
You have to imagine him yelling this and punching the palm of his hand. I love this quote because it shows us what is ultimately important to Rocky. He just wants to prove that he is worth something. As he often says, he wants to be able to stand toe to toe. Go the distance. There is a great scene in the first movie where Rocky is standing in the arena just before his fight with Creed. He's not there worrying about whether or not he might lose the fight. He is just noticing that on the poster for the fight they have mixed up the colors of his boxing shorts. I love watching Rocky stand there in awe of what is happening in his life.
Getting jobs, fighting that big fight, being the underdog, I often wonder about these situations in terms of faith. In churches there is this idea that if you have total faith for something to happen then it will happen. Believing God for that job or that new car. This is prevalent in secular thought as well. If you keep telling yourself that it will happen then you will get that parking spot right up front. Etc...
While I know that faith is an important part of a belief in God, I don't quite see things the same way. I don't think God just does things because we believe He will. However, I do believe God can do anything. I have faith that God is capable of fixing all my problems if He chooses to. But, you and I are more likely to go through some tough trials before that happens. That is part of spiritual growth and I think God wants that for us. He can see the bigger picture. He would rather us grow than be spoon fed.
Rocky is such a compelling character not because he knew he would win his fight. It's more accurate to say he knew he would not win. But, what kept Rocky moving forward was that he knew he could win. He could stand toe to toe. He also knew it would be a long road before he got to that place. In the end, even though Rocky loses to Creed, he proves that he has what it takes. And in Rocky II, after more hard work and another great montage, he becomes the champ.
As for me, this job is a long shot. There are a lot of odds stacked against me and I may or may not be selected. Even so, despite the odds, I believe that I could get it. And if it doesn't happen then I'm proud knowing that I had an opportunity to stand toe to toe and go the distance. My hope is that I never quit moving forward. As Rocky would say, "That's how winning is done!"
