I once saw a movie about baseball. It was the bottom of the ninth inning. The protagonist was an aging baseball pitcher. He was playing what could be the last game for him with no one from the opposing team scoring. His team, had a score of one. All he had to do was throw three more outs. But boy was he tired. And the bases are filled. The pressure was on.

The coach of the opposing team pulled a surprising move. He called his cocky as hell rookie to bat. For the rookie, who hasn't even set foot in the field all playoffs, the only pressure was how he'd appear on camera.He did not understand the stakes at play. He swung and scraped the ball so it bounced high in the air.

I don't remember how the game ended, but what stayed with me was the idea of a coach choosing an oblivious rookie to play when the fate of the season was on the line and go against what was going to be a historic game for a baseball legend. Human beings are easily impressed. We are fazed easily by the success of others. If this inspires us to be better, then good. But if this instead debilitates us of any possible development, the idiot rookie is better off. Cyrus from Matrix' once said, "ignorance is bliss". In this case, ignorance is better.

There is a fine line between giving due respect and stopping in your tracks whenever there is a hint that you could progress farther than predecessors you admire. It is possible, the very people you admire only achieved as much as they did because there was no one for them to look up to. Of course, having no one to look up has a completely new set of challenges. For one, you're not even sure what you desire to attain is even possible.

But everything you do will be fresh in your eyes and in the eyes of many. Even discouragements could be interpreted as envy.

I talk too much. What I really wanted to say is no matter what field you are in, don't bother with trying to be someone you aren't. It's a cliche, I know. But think about it. It'll be be counter productive. The unique combination of the 'you', the 'here' and the 'now', could mean either success or failure. The problem is, if it means success and you've replaced the 'you' with 'somebody else', you rob yourself of what's supposedly yours.

Check out the guys who gave us Star Wars. They look like a bunch of hooligans. But they became the 'who they are supposed to be' while they were in the 'where they should be' during the 'time that they should be there'.

(Seems it can't be posted in webpage. Too bad. If you wanna see it, you'll have to leave my site. Here's the link: 57 57 )