The Power of an Idea

The Power of an Idea

Creedy: Die! Die! Why won't you die?... Why won't you die?

V: Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.

The above quote is from the movie “V for Vendetta”, a highly esteemed film that I had the time to watch recently.  If you haven’t had time to watch this idea-challenging film, I would recommend you do to so, stat.

Here is a brief plot summary from the helpful folk at Empire.com:

In the not-too-distant future, Britain has become a fascist, totalitarian state, its population cowed and apathetic. But the nation receives a wake-up call when mysterious masked terrorist "V" blows up the Old Bailey and calls for the citizens to rise up against their oppressors.

V=Villain?

The film has many other challenging and thought-provoking quotes to be certain, yet the above particularly stood out to me for its simplicity. How many times have we wondered before sleep, in an important meeting or during school about one recurring idea stuck in our head? It could have been the lyrics of melody of a song, the harsh censure and criticisms of parents and teachers or the taunting or praise of our peers. Whatever, it was that one idea would stay in our mind no matter how we tried to ignore or distract ourselves from it.

Nevertheless, here is my take on this quote and situation. We are confronted with many ideas during a single day. How many do we reject and discard due to sheer whimsy and pure laziness. Having the time to reflect on the multitudes of discarded ideas I discarded with excuses of school, I’ve realised that I never truly followed through with any of them.

What makes V so successful in his plot to blow up parliament and liberate the people in the film his is own steadfast determination and focus on his idea-freedom and the ability to supplant and instill the self-same idea into his protégé-Evey so to aid him even after his physical death.

In my own life, the two have been sorely lacking. For example, we once had the idea to make rechargeable phone cases via solar power to solve the problem of Smartphone battery drainage. However, this fell through quickly enough as other fripperies of life overwhelmed my friends and me. Why? Because there was this lack of focus, we had not the experience or the hard work put in to bring the idea to life, nor did we actively seek and find ways to solve and counter this. Each member of our group had other priorities and this was nowhere near the top of our list. Our determination waxed and waned depending on deadlines and teacher reminders. With this, it is easy to see the weakness of the idea within us; it couldn’t or didn’t take root, and without that let’s not even think about it being bulletproof and full of life under a mask of schoolwork.

Ideas, raining upon me...how many am I absorbing?

So, what is my point by outlining my entrepreneurial failures? That it takes real focus and determination to unleash the power of an idea.  Like V, the 20 years of waiting, planning led to one final night of action, likewise it is with great effort and determination that leads to great results and great influence.   

May your own Ideas live long and prosper!

Leaving the Old… Embracing the New…

Leaving the Old… Embracing the New…

I’ve graduated high school.

The thought should be welcoming, liberating as I have finally escaped the cushioned confinements of scholastic rigour and the miseries of the IB-International Baccalaureate, into real life!

Non?

No.

Sitting here now, before my laptop, reflecting and reminiscing back to my high school life I am confronted by how brief it all was. Truthfully, I miss the scheduled timetables and exams, of knowing when, where and what I had to do and how to do so. I miss the structure and security of school where I had a purpose, a goal to reach for and accomplish tasks to complete and tick off.

Now, with the holidays around me I have none of the above. Instead, I am faced with days filled with free time to do as I please, it is definitely a bit unsettling yet two weeks into my post-high school life I’ve come to realise something.

It’s weird though, because I’ve also only been “free” for two weeks. However short the time may be, it has brought about a series of reflections that, if I were a high school student struggling through the excruciating last year or any year for that matter, I would want to know.

I’ve realised that leaving high school is not easy, but it will be the easiest of all departures.  Leaving high school will be yours and my own first step away and beyond. We will have to leave many things, people and places behind in our lives, be it school, university, family, work, loved ones and lastly life itself. This is only the first marker in the long line of future departures in life.

I would say leaving high school is not just freedom.

The period between high school and university is a time for reflection and thought.

It’s funny: two months ago I had envisioned myself in a brand new world of freedom and opportunity, a place to try new things and be crazy, wild, a place where the hobbies of a childhood fantasy would finally re-flourish after being brutally crushed by the impossible demands of high school life.  So eager for this to happen, I engaged myself in all sorts of social activity-visiting old friends at my previous schools, organising brunches, movie dates, exercising, and going on a movie and TV binge-watching spree.

However, time and reality prevailed. Once this flurry of activity settled down I had time for thought. With many of my friends going back home overseas I realised I had to find my purpose, create my own structure as the list of activities were whittled down. For me, my sense of “structure” as opposed to holiday “limbo” was to find my own purpose. Therefore, I set off to satisfy my desires for my one great love, reading the great and little known classics.

So, take some time to think back on your fondest memories with friends and teachers. And then seal them away, not to forget them but to realise that to move on, to be truly ready and prepared for university and to open yourself for new experiences, I realised I had to accept closure on certain parts of my life. Go back and visit your teachers, say goodbye and take a walk around the campus.  

Finally, it’s a statement of adulthood, a realisation that you’re fit enough to tackle what exists in the real world, as opposed to the candy-floss flavoured fantasy you created 15 years ago.

If you are like me and struggle with some of these problems, this question from my mother might help:

“When you become an ambassador, are you really going to worry about leaving high school everyday?”