Pursuit of Happiness

The other night, I watched the movie called Pursuit of Happyness. It was a great movie. The network started the with a story about the man, Chris Gardner, portrayed in the movie. Before the movie started, we had learned all about Chris Gardner's life and the outcome of his life. In saying that, my husband and I were still at the edge of our seats. The challenges that Chris Gardner was faced with aside from being homeless is enough to make any of us quit. Every step he took forward, he ended up taking three steps back. He still pushed forward with his son as his major influence.  What interested me the most is how we really don't "know" most of the people we meet or work with or even our own family. Chris got an internship to learn how to be a stock broker and none of the other interns nor his bosses even knew what Chris was going through on a daily basis. They saw him as "one" of the  20 interns working for 6 months for the one position that was open in the firm, not the homeless man with a son living on the streets. He had a goal to make a life for himself and find happiness. If his colleagues knew where he was sleeping every night, in a homeless shelter or a subway bathroom with his 4 year old son, what opportunities would they have actually given him? Or would they have been empathetic and helped him out? I suppose we will never know.

So, as I meet someone new or see someone that seems different to me, I try think about what their story might be. Maybe the story I make up is that of a trashy novel or Lifetime movie and is not as complicated as the reality of it but it helps me to be more accepting and empathetic.