Big Game (2014)

Big Game is a 2014 action adventure movie that stars Samuel Leroy Jackson (as William Alan Moore, President of the United States), and Onni Tommila (as Oskari), among others.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Some lessons from the movie:

• Your enemies are always WITHIN, not far away. In fact, I don't think one has enemies which are far off. The devil isn't even your enemy!

To be able to take down Air Force One, which has the most efficient counter measures required an inside man, Secret Service Agent Morris (Ray Stevenson), who helped orchestrate the attack, and disabled whatever counter measures that would have repelled the attack. The ultimate purpose of the attack was to kill the President and inspire a fresh war on terrorism. Not only Agent Morris was involved, the Vice President (Victor Garber), who had eyes on the country's number one citizen's position, and Fred Herbert (Jim Broadbent), a former CIA operative, advisor and head of the Terrorist Intel Unit. These three guys held powerful positions, positions that should be occupied by the most trusted of persons; positions that gives the wrong persons the right advantage to succeed in taking down the POTUS. If the plans had been executed efficiently, the POTUS would have been dead, but evil doesn't succeed always.

Let's think about this lesson this way:

In one's personal life, one's enemies are within him. The fears, doubts, ignorance, low self esteem, lack of an open mind that values learning, negative associations and companions, love of negatives, etcetera. These are like those three wrong officials occupying the right positions that should be for the right and trusted persons. Having those square pegs trying to fit into round holes would result in failure and underachievement. One must give the right and trusted officials those right positions before his safety and success can be guaranteed.

Same applies in an organization or a team. If a team is meant to achieve a target by the end of it's journey, NOTHING EXTERNALLY can stop that except "the team is not a TEAM".

• Sometimes, one may be in the kinda situation Oskari was in. He was from a popular family, one whose name was respected in the hunting world. His Dad was a stand out hunter. Oskari loved his Dad, was taught to be brave and strong by his Dad, and he had a great mindset, and actually wanted to be the best hunter in his time just like the Dad. Hunting was seen as the pass mark for strength and success, especially hunting a wild animal. However, Oskari learnt that strength and success isn't only measured by the ability to handle a bow and arrow, nor the ability to hunt a wild beast. He mustn't follow the exact path his Dad took to be successful. He's unique and has his own unique talent and skills and if he can efficiently utilize it, he will equally achieve success like his Dad did. And he did achieve that! He saved the life of the POTUS and got a better and greater recognition for his feat, greater than his Dad. His Dad definitely had the greater strength (if we want to talk about physical strength), but his success was a result of the strength of his character, his determination never to be a failure even when everything seemed to point out his physical weakness. Other men in the community had laughed at him and told his Dad that he doesn't have what it takes to be that strong man the father was and that he shouldn't partake in the hunting ritual that every 13-years old partakes in. He may not be very skillful in the use of the bow and arrow, but he was skillful in protecting the POTUS in the forest, till they got free from those who want the POTUS dead.

You don't have to be exactly like your Dad or a mentor. You're your own person! You're Unique! Don't be pressured or set up by the level of success your Dad or a mentor had. Don't feel like you're competing to beat that mark that has been set. When everything around you seems to be mounting the pressure on you to achieve greater things, don't let it get to you. Be focused on your passion, strengths, abilities. Even if those strengths and abilities are seen as lesser, you can achieve a lot greater with it and get more Glory. It's not always by physical strength; the strength of your character is much stronger than any other strength!

"The forest is a harsh judge. It gives in its own measure. You have to know how to listen to it. And you must fight tooth and nail for the prey. You'll get nothing for free from here"
- Oskari (Onni Tommila)

Seen this movie? What lessons did you learn?