Hunger

  Hunger; it’s something we've all felt. Whether it is for food, for knowledge, for money, or for power, all of us have felt it gnawing at our insides. Perhaps this is why Katniss Everdeen became such an admirable character in the Hunger Games; because she fed that hunger, and kept it alive. Because she didn't stop striving, never settled for half-way, and fought until that fire had been quenched. As we look around us, or sometimes even at ourselves, we see hundreds of people every day who have not satisfied that hunger. People who have given up on their hopes and dreams because they seem impossible or too hard to accomplish. These are the people who have settled for less than what they deserve. This is the woman who has given up her ideal of a good man for someone who abuses her. This is the man who gave up his dreams of his own company, and now flips burger's at McDonalds. This is not to say that these things should not be used as stepping stones to one's dreams, and in many cases they must be. But to give up your dreams entirely for something mediocre, just because those dreams seem unrealistic, is a terrible thing. Even though those dreams may seem out of reach, or too hard to grasp onto, determination will split the odds. And let me tell you, the odds are never completely in your favor. If you don't take the risk, you will never know what could have become of it. So why wait to pursue those dreams?

  My mother always told me about having "a fire in your belly," and once you have it, you should never let it out of your sight. Although money, education, status, and many other things may stand in the way, constant pursuit will eventually lead to a good outcome. 

  What inspired me to write this was the credits page of the recent movie "Iron Man 3." Seeing all of those hundreds of names of people who all contributed to its making was spectacular. When someone watches the movie, they don't generally think about the guy who designed the costumes, or manned the camera. They get wrapped up in the main characters and the plot. But to think that even the second assistant of the second camera man would make it onto the credits is amazing. Imagining what it must feel like to be that second assistant, who was only a tiny fraction of the making of the movie, but still have been a part of it all must be wonderful. And then the watchers must wonder; did they make it all the way up the ladder from flipping burgers at McDonalds? Probably. This is an example of someone who was probably a no-name low-life who lived among you and me. Someone who the neighbors knew as Joe, or Bill, or the guy who always over-watered his lawn. He lived among us. And yet he became part of such a great thing as an epic movie. These are the kinds of people who we should all be. The kinds of people who never gave up on their greatest dreams, and chased them with all their heart.