Morris E. Goodman – The Miracle Man changed my life for the worse, for the better, and it confused me so, so incredibly much.
If you haven’t seen this movie – or if you don’t want to watch it (which is probably accurate for most people on the Internet), it’s about a man who becomes totally bedridden after a plane crash. His doctors tell him that he’ll stay like this his entire life, but he proves them wrong and walks again.
What really irks me about this movie is that it’s used everywhere to bring inspiration and motivation. Every single rehabilitation center I went to showed us this video about this man. It was as if they didn’t have anything else to show us except this video. Yes, his positivity, his willpower, and his determination are great – more than great, but there are other videos!
When I first saw this video, I was overwhelmed by his determination. Instead of getting motivated or inspired, I was demotivated. I kept thinking, “How will I ever be this determined? I cannot do that. I won’t be able to do that. Oh man, what have I gotten myself into?” These were my exact thoughts.
All this movie shows is a man who is fighting for what he wants, but not the process of acceptance for what’s happened – because to get over something, it needs to be accepted and I think that’s really important. I became upset and depressed (not actually clinically depressed, but immersed in an excruciatingly sad state) because I didn’t think I’d be able to do what he did. I didn’t believe in myself. I kept comparing my injury to his, and kept telling myself that I won’t be able to walk. I told myself that my dreams were over. This video gave me suicidal thoughts because I didn’t think I had it in me to be like him.
Then I started getting confused. I asked myself, “Why am I comparing him to myself? We are two totally different people with different bodies and different injuries, although similar, but totally different. Why can’t I just focus on me?” That’s when I realized that I was looking at it the wrong way. I was trying to be someone that I’m not. Minus two doctors, most doctors had never said I wouldn’t walk, all my therapists said I’d walk if I put in the effort, but more than that I need to believe in myself.
His determination was his belief that he’d walk one day, and he showed us that in the video. That’s when I realized that I was lacking belief and trust. I didn’t think I’d ever walk because his video made me upset. I kept thinking that I was worthless and would never be like him – and that’s true, I’m not him. I’m Virali. I’m someone different. I’m meant to write my own story.
That’s exactly what I did. I started writing my story, thanks to the many different feelings I had about The Miracle Man. I started believing that I could walk, I started trusting myself and started making more positive decisions about my life, and this helped me. Sure, I may not be walking yet, but I’m improving, and that improvement will help me walk, one day.
His determination angered me, confused me, and made me a better person.
My life, my thinking, my attitude, and my behavior changed because of The Miracle Man.
Featured image credit: Morris E. Goodman – The Miracle Man