If you believe something is possible, then it probably is; if you believe it isn’t then it probably won’t happen. The Galatea Effect could as easily be called the Brigadoon Effect (“If you love someone deeply enough, anything is possible–even miracles”), but what it boils down to is this: we are all capable of far more than we know. If it matters, if we want it, if we work for it, if we commit to it, we can encourage, cajole, drive, lift each other to incredible heights.
And in a small church, everyone who shows up is influential. And if you walk around defeated, so will they. As I said on Sunday, we have to work toward our own happiness–because when we put our backs and shoulders behind what matters to us, it changes our own world and everyone else’s, too.
I don’t know what film this is from, but it’s a fantastic scene–well worth the seven minutes to watch it:
give it your best. We CAN do it.
May 5, 2009 at 6:36 am
Thanks for the link to this video Leela! I wrote a blog using it. Sam
June 30, 2009 at 6:11 am
I have mixed feelings about this video. I liked the part where the camera moves away from the young man as he has crossed into the end zone. It made me think of how important it is to take the long view when dealing with a struggle.
I was a little disturbed by the coach’s behavior; yelling in the boy’s face and insisting that he continue even when he wanted to stop. This young man could have had a heart attack or something. He was clearly suffering. Do we have to suffer so much to achieve our goals? Do we have to be abusive to ourselves or others in order to offer encouragement?
July 13, 2009 at 11:06 am
@Carol:
In watching this clip I tried to put it in context–sports coaching is a very specific thing, and the movie is set in a specific place and time. It’s true that there are risks in pushing ourselves, or in agreeing to be pushed by others. There are also, as the clip shows, rewards. I have had teachers who assigned more work than I thought I could complete and mentors who encouraged me to do things I did not think I could do, but I believed in them and they believed in me and because of them I was prepared for college. Because of them I learned to write well. Because of them I am many of the worthwhile things I am today. Growth is not always comfortable or easy, and it doesn’t always come from encouragement. Sometimes it comes from being pushed. It is always up to us to decide whether we are going to keep going or whether we are going to stop and walk away. When we stay engaged even when it hurts we make a choice to risk pain for the possibility of transformation. This is often how love works.