Life May Be Rocky – Keep Swinging

Published October 28, 1979. My wife Susan and I recently went to see the popular movie “Rocky II.” As you probably know, the story is a sequel to Rocky I, and we thought Rocky II was equally good or even better. If you missed either of the Rocky films, the plot in both is about the underdog, Rocky, who prepares and fights the boxing champion, Apollo Creed. The plots may be trite but both movies are extremely well done, as evidenced by the long lines and high box office receipts.

One of the most appealing aspects of the film is that each of us can vicariously identify with Rocky when he confronts what appears to be overwhelming odds against surviving the fight.

There are some interesting parallels between Rocky II and contemporary marriage. Young couples anticipating marriage today also face what seem to be impossible odds at surviving or succeeding in marriage. And every married couple takes a few punches once in a while, may get clobbered, and on occasion may even experience a knockdown.

A husband and wife will have their ability to cope severely tested and, like Rocky, may question their ability to survive. And, couples who have been married several years will also have their endurance challenged, as did Rocky.

Married couples need to learn to fight back at the obstacles confronted in marriage. We must also learn to roll with the punches that frequently come our way rather than faint at the first few blows we encounter. As we become more skilled in our coping abilities, we can spend more of our time planning our offense and thereby avoid many of life’s problems before they arise.

Like the would-be champion Apollo Creed, many married couples get too tensed up before the fight through worry and lack of confidence before they even enter the stadium. And as did Apollo, the husband and wife may stand in their corner of the ring and emotionally psych each other out before the opponent arrives. Or they may spar, emotionally and physically, before the main testing events in life occur.

When opposition arises they are so fatigued they are not capable of meeting the demands in whatever form they appear. Rather than preserve their strength and resources, husbands and wives allow them to dwindle away by letting petty selfishness and minor confrontations undermine the relationship before the major challenges emerge.

Susan and I were impressed with Rocky’s determination to fight,  his training and preparation, his realistic assessment of his opponent, his genuine humor in the midst of oppression, his humility and reliance on spiritual resources, and his tremendous ability to absorb the many punches and blows.

But most important of all, we were amazed at his ability and determination to keep swinging. We braced ourselves as Rocky was nearly knocked out during the early rounds of the fight. But at the end, as with marriage, Rocky survived and eventually won because he got up just one more time than he was knocked down.

The story is told of a man who was driving along the highway in his automobile and found himself following a huge truck. A large canvas covered the back of the truck, and every two or three miles the truck driver got out and beat the canvas with a big stick. This sequence went on for several miles, and curiosity finally got the best of the man in the automobile. He stopped his car and inquired of the truck driver why he periodically beat the canvas on the back of the truck. “Well,” replied the truck driver, “I am hauling four tons of canaries, and this truck only has a two-ton capacity. I have to keep two tons of birds flying, or I get overloaded.”

Some situations may arise in marriage which are overwhelming, and the beating may be too severe. Consequently the towel must be thrown in and the fight ended. But in most instances married couples can confront life’s problems as they arrive if we simply keep swinging and keep two tons of our problems in flight. It is only when we quit swinging that marital problems settle in one by one, and we eventually find ourselves overloaded.

We need to fight more for our marriage rather than in our marriage. That’s the type of swinging every married couple in America needs to do.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please share your thoughts about this article