By Jun Marfori
Quietly reflecting over the Lenten Holy Week, I was led to watch the award-winning 1959 film, Ben-Hur, where I was “blessed” with some thoughts that tide over not only one’s spiritual journey, but one’s encounters with change, which typically characterize our current and future encounters in all our circles. The book’s author, Civil War General Lee Wallace, stands tall in his time, when one goes through the dialogue, and to me he continues to tower above many, in foretelling success principles which apply today.
Messala, incoming Tribune, now commands the roman legion in the province, and replaces the incumbent Sextus. Messala shares the disappointment of Rome. Sextus shares of the presence and proclamations of prophets and a man performing miracles (Jesus), intimates that he is almost touched, deeply, and exclaims “How do you fight an idea?” Messala then says “with another idea…..”
You fight an idea… with another idea…Outside of the profoundly spiritual and beautiful purpose of the film, one can reflect on the significance of the brief exchange, in the context of continuous change, and the non-stop, seemingly endless disruption we live in. For our current reality is marked by pervasive, developing, enabling technology, and ideas of dramatic change, innovation and vision – and their collective ability to dramatically sweep through all landscapes and change the way we think, speak and do things, real-time.
And driving all these at the very essence, is the mindset; for fundamental is where our mind is at, and therefore how we manage ourselves. We need to compel ourselves to ask – how often are we entrenched in our “old ideas?” How frequently do we “disrupt” ourselves from our current mindset, to create, innovate, “new ideas?”
The future is now. The past was seconds ago.
So, do you want to be “affected” or “to effect,” to sit still or move forward, to be “swept away,” or drive the current?
Do you wish to stay with old ideas, or create and win with new ideas?
Do I choose extinction, or innovation?