Ceaseless Struggle, Part 2

Saturday evening I watched The Kingdom. It's an intense action movie that utilizes two cultures, American and Saudi Arabian, as the catalyst for conflict and resolution. It has moments of genuine insight into the two cultures. (ex. Colonel Faris Al Ghazi's objection with Adam Leavitt's foul language) Further, the director Peter Berg goes broader commenting on the plight of humanity. His success in this regard is questionable. It's emotionally charged, but for obvious reasons is limited.
This movie is part of a genre that portrays monumental courage and sacrifice. I admit, I romanticize these heroes who expend all that they have in order to obtain victory. Yet, most of us will never face such dramatic situations in our lives. Rather, we slog through the muck—characterized by those almost imperceivable little battles. It's our responses to these daily interactions with each other while living generally quiet and unobtrusive existences.
In my prior post, I stated my conviction to apply myself to the truly demanding. Likewise, I'm called to a marathon, not a sprint as these movies demonstrate. My expenditure will be over a lifetime. Not one, all-defining battle, but rather those almost imperceivable little battles.

Ceaseless Struggle

Taking in my eight-year-old daughter's swim meet, I'm flooded with a desire to compete. I envision a relentless pace of powerful strokes propelling me forward almost skimming the surface. Immediately, I wonder what venues could provide such an opportunity and just as quickly I'm struck by the sheer number of adult competitions currently available. (running, biking, swimming, etc.) Considering my current reading, Ideas and Opinions by Albert Einstein, all this causes me pause. Einstein was characteristically altruistic. It was the foundation of his "ceaseless struggle". With all this in mind, I'm convinced of the following. 1) Harking back to simpler, easier successes is short-sighted. These successes are beneficial only as the building blocks of childhood. 2) Adulthood holds a responsibility to succeed within complexity and difficulty. It is this resistance that both develops and maintains maturity. Therefore, my conviction is to apply my desire to the challenges at hand, i.e. raising my children, supporting my wife, contributing to my community. In doing so, I gain ground on my God-given potential.