To Be a Gentle Giant
What defines a person lies in their character, not status.
Hey friends, It’s Saud. Welcome back to Touching Base.
This is a little passion project of mine where I like to share the tangible things in life. It may be that you’ve had a lot of work this week, and you’re searching for something small to digest in your downtime.
Media(m) for change
Peter Cullen’s Audition
I recently stumbled across this interview making the rounds online shortly after the release of Transformers One. Optimus Prime in particular is known to be voiced by legendary voice actor Peter Cullen, a staple across the franchise’s media since forever.
Peter was at a convention, telling the story of how he got the part that changed his life forever. As he recalled, the character’s demeanor was inspired by his own brother’s (Larry Cullen) advice, who told him that if he wanted to audition for the role of a hero, he had to be a real one - not the hollywood hero stereotype. Simply defined by one’s characteristic.
Be Strong Enough to Be Gentle.
It’s a simple enough mantra to say, but an even harder one to follow. When one is graced with the opportunity to have power, how often can they have self-restraint and use that strength to make a change for others rather than themselves?
Yutori Corner
Fieldnotes from SA
Over the summer i had the opportunity to go volunteer and teach at a state school in South Africa, an experience that i will never forget. During that time, i got to learn more about the country and build a personal narrative around it.
With its rich and divisive history, I was fortunate to integrate myself into it’s culture by living in a community, interacting with locals and submersing myself in its customs and traditions.
Along my journey, i got to hear about different perspectives from people of all ages, both young and old, pre and post-apartheid.
Having ventured into its different provinces, i can truly say that South Africa is truly a diverse nation with a united front, spearheaded with integrity and heart despite its difficulties in the past.
Upon reflection, its modern reforms are still quite contemporary, and resonating with people’s struggles and adaptations to change truly delivers a wider understanding of the world, especially as an outsider and a bubbled early 20’s student from a South East Asian Middle-Eastern upbringing.
Reconciliation
One memory that hits me the most is the time we were invited to our caretaker’s mother’s house. This woman would have experienced living under apartheid and everything that’s changed since then. Up to this point, my friend and I were still only picking up a few words and phrases in the local Tshivenda language, so it was still quite difficult to converse with locals. Despite this, this woman would still host us under her roof.
My friend told me afterwards that it felt jarring and surprising to see how hospitable she was towards us. For context, this friend of mine is a white South African. This hospitality felt weird for him knowing probably what this woman had to go through in her life, but it taught us a valuable lesson about attitude. That no matter how much you’ve been put down in life, don’t reciprocate that energy onto others and treat them with respect.
Nelson Mandela focuses on this when leading his nation through reconciliation, working together to correct the legacy of past injustice. Our small moment at this woman’s house shows just how a little kindness goes a long way.
The best way to understand yourself is by challenging your own values and belief system, only then will you appreciate and understand your stance as an individual in an ever-connecting world.