Get Knocked Down and Getting Up Even When it’s Tough

This video discussion is a bit different and a bit more on the entertainment aspect. It’s a short clip from the CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Most of what I want to talk about is symbolism. You’re free to watch the whole clip, but you don’t have to. Just a heads up, this is a spoiler for those who haven’t seen the crossover and still want to see it. What I want to focus on is what is in between 2:11 – 2:47.

The symbolism in that time frame really spoke to me after I watched it a second time. For those who don’t know, the individual in the video is Stephen Amell who plays Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow on the TV show Arrow. As you saw, he’s shooting the demons him and the other heroes are fighting in the crossover. After re-watching it, I started to interpret it as an outward appearance of some of the battles we face in our everyday lives.

There are battles that we face on a daily basis, every week, every month, every year. We battle with past pain that we got from other people. We battle various illnesses. Some of us have disabilities that we deal with every single day. We even battle with ourselves. Sometimes we’re our own worst enemy and we’re at constant war with unwanted stress and anxiety, lies, toxic and negative thoughts about ourselves. To me, that’s what those first few seconds of that clip symbolize.

When the Green Arrow gets hit by one of the demons and falls down, to me that symbolizes us getting hit with a new problem, a curveball, an unexpected tradgey, or illness our in life. These types of things hit us with or without warning. Sometimes they upset our world and we can be at a loss of what to do. We can begin to question things that we once thought were true about ourselves, the people in our lives, society, life in general, and things that we had under control.

The next part of the clip shows the Green Arrow getting back up and continuing to fight. When we do get knocked down, we have to push and work to not let what knocked us down keep us down. We continue to battle our problems and work through our struggles. Then the Green Arrow gets hit by one of the demons again, but the second time it’s a harder it. For a few seconds, he can’t get back up and stays down. Those unexpected things and curveballs can hit us hard, and again with or without warning.

To me, this symbolizes that when we do get hit by those things, it may take longer for us to get back up on our feet. We don’t always have the energy to make a quick recovery. Sometimes we can become so broken that we may not have as much energy as we did before. The Green Arrow struggled even more to get back up than he did the first time. As you can see with determination and motivation, and remembering what he was fighting for, he was able to get the energy he needed to get back up. The same can be said for you. You could be fighting for someone you love and care about. Let that support system give you the energy to keep fighting and get up. I do understand that it is easier said than done, but it is definitely possible.

After the Green Arrow gets back up, he realizes he has no more arrows left and a swarm of demons is heading right for him. There are times where you feel like you have used up all your energy and have nothing left to fight with and your problems and struggles just get worse or you just got hit with more of them. Unfortunately some people just give up and succumb to the unwanted stress, anxiety, illness, and depression they’re dealing with.

The Green Arrow however looks at the swarm and you can see the fire in his eyes that he is not going to give up no matter what. Even though the odds are against him, he’s fighting for the safety and protection of billions of innocent lives including his friends, family, allies, and loved ones and that’s what gives him the energy to continue to fight.

Remember you have a support system of friends, family, and loved ones as well. They want you to succeed. They care about you and believe you can do anything. They believe that you are strong. The odds may be against you, but you have to keep fighting even though it’s tough. When there’s a will there’s a way and there’s always a way. It may take a little while to find a solution and what works for you, but I know you can. Hope and faith are very powerful; cling on to them and hope for the best.

Lastly the Green Arrow drops his bow and charges the swarm of demons. I won’t spoil what happens next because this clip doesn’t show the aftermath of the battle. The dropping of the bow to me symbolizes that the tools and techniques you were using before may not have worked or are no longer working, so now you have to find another approach in dealing with your problems and struggles.

The Green Arrow charging the swarm of demons to me symbolizes that the gloves are coming off and sometimes you have to tackle your problems head-on no matter how tough they are. By doing this you’re showing that though you may be hurt and weak, but you’re not going let your problems or struggles take control and rule your life. If you have to take baby steps, that’s perfectly fine. In time, those baby steps will build-up and one day will show you that you have made great progress in your battles.

Wrap Up

For 36 seconds there was quite a bit to talk about. I know this post is different than my previous ones, but I hope you understand the symbolism I was trying to explain. Some people understand things better through symbolism and through visual aids. We can get lost in our minds when dealing with various things and we can get nowhere in finding solutions or ways to live and cope with our problems and struggles. Remember you’re not the only person in the world who is struggling and up to their neck with problems. Your friends, family, acquaintances, co-workers, boss, fellow students, church members, teachers, etc are fighting battles of their own. Some of them may not wish to not talk about them. I’ve been knocked down and I’ve gotten back up numerous times. There are times where it has taken me a while to gather the energy and get back up. I have done it, so now you know there is one person who can do it. If I can do it, you can do it. That’s the end of another video discussion. Remember you’re not alone and you have worth in this world.