Brassed off - What Resonated with You and Why?

Brassed Off

What Resonated with you and why?

Danny and Phil

The part of the plot of this movie that made me think the most were the troubles of Danny’s young son Phil. He is in the point of his life where his responsibilities far outweigh his ability to keep up with them. He is a young man, with a wife and several children, working for a dying industry, and sacrificing his pride working as a clown at parties to supplement his income enough to take care of his family.

The feeling I get from his character is that this is a man who feels he deserves more than what he’s received out of life to this point. There’s an unsure relationship with his father, distress within his marriage because of money problems, and the combination of this with the grim outlook of his future makes the audience feel his pain in what must be the lowest point of his life, punctuated by his attempt to end his own life. It was that action that me feel a little less sorry for him, instead sad.

I’d like to think that everyone can relate to not his actions, but to the thoughts that are going through his head, and the emotional distress he is going through. If you were to go up to any person on the street, have a conversation, and ask them ‘what was the lowest point in your life’ the expression on their face would change and you would suddenly feel the change in their mood as a memory of a time when they felt they’d lost all hope resurfaces.

His character touched me in this way because a few years ago I was in a state of mind where I felt my days were numbered and a sense of worthlessness came over me for a long period. Where every day I’d wake up and try to think of a reason to get out of bed, not wanting to go to work where people could see my unhidden emotions, and thoughts of dying weighed heavily on my mind with nearly every thought that raced through my head. Each day I had to remind myself that things could get better, that the feelings may last for only a small portion of my life, that I had a mother, family and friends that cared about me, that there were others before me who felt the same way and came out of it somehow. Thoughts of suicide were always present, but also present was the will to be alive to see that life can change and that many times things happen in life for a reason we cannot understand at the time. It was this memory that created my sadness for Phil. He had his whole life crashing around him, but in his decision to attempt to take his life he failed to think about what he would be leaving behind. Yes, his wife left and took the children, his financial situation in dire straits, and his future outlook blank, but what becomes of the life of his children had he actually died in his attempt? I think once you have children, your responsibility changes from taking care of yourself first to taking care of the future of the lives you helped create. If I could say something to anyone going through a difficult time it would be to look at the big picture, no matter how difficult that may be. Give life a chance to turn around so, when it does, you have a deeper appreciation for what it means to be alive.

What are some of the organizations you belong to and what are the commitments you have made to them? How do you manage these commitments? What are the trade-offs? What are the choices?

The four organizations that come to mind which I am currently a part of are: Lockwood, World Gym, Penn State, and fantasy sports leagues. Each of these plays a role in my life either in responsibility, personal choice, or both.

The two that are the biggest factors influencing my daily decisions are my commitments to Lockwood, my full-time job, and, most recently, Penn State, where I will spend the next three-plus years earning my MBA.

I am in my fifth year working for Lockwood and I have experienced a lot of change in my professional life during this time. The first few years at the firm my commitments paled in comparison to what they have over the past twelve months. Having no education or experience in the financial industry there was a huge adjustment period before I started to feel comfortable at the company to a point where I could begin helping others. In my current group, Account Maintenance, I started accepting more leadership once some of the senior members of the group moved on to other opportunities. It was then I realized it was time to start leading by example and becoming a more valuable asset to the company. I am now the senior member of the group and it is my responsibility to train all new-hires to perform their jobs effectively by going over procedures and answering constant questions that interrupt my daily duties.