Yesterday I rewatched the 1992 Hollywood classic The Bodyguard, with Kevin Costner as Frank Farmer, Carter and Reagan’s former bodyguard, a cold-hearted professional, and Whitney Houston, playing the spoiled popular singer Rachel Merron, a bitch as she describes herself when introduced. The bodyguard is surprised, to say the least, by the carelessness of the singer and her entourage amid death-threatening letters and even a maniac’s secret break-in at her house. After formally agreeing to security, the star and her managers go out of their way to help the villain. Frank’s attempts to streamline this chaos and hide Rachel from the predator behind a “wall” are ignored, sabotaged and ridiculed, saying, “Your paranoia is annoying." In parallel, Rachel tests Frank’s professional boundaries by trying to turn the bodyguard into a servant.
As is usually the case, the reality is the best teacher for someone who is deaf to advice. The singer needs to survive a series of dangerous incidents for her bodyguarding to rise to the top of the list of priorities. What emerges is what I call an actualized request. It means that the person has lost all illusions and has finally realized what a dead end she or he is in. Standing in a quagmire up to her or his neck, the only wish is to get out of it by any means necessary. The sole function becomes important, and no one cares about the form anymore. At this point there is a chance for an alliance between the client and the pro to emerge.
It is interesting to see how decently the bodyguard endures the devaluing attitude of others toward his work, while continuing to move forward. They are like drunks behind the wheel who are annoyed by the warnings of sober people. Or rookies who are bored listening to instructions on how to open a backup parachute. Or people who complain: “I wasted my money on insurance. The accident didn’t happen”. They take avoiding a crash through good luck as proof that the professional is paranoid and nothing bad can ever happen to them.
In the film, Frank admits that it took a lot of effort for him to stop reacting to amateurs’ attempts to humiliate, devalue, and hurt him. One of the characteristics of a professional is a thick skin. Thanks to it he is able to achieve his goals for the benefit of the client, disregarding any secondary factors, even if they cause him pain or discomfort. On the journey from novice to Master, much of the training involves practicing the willingness to endure almost any “How?” in order to realize a clearly understood “For what?”. In other words, the Law for the professional is Meaning.
Yours sincerely,
-Alexander
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