Independence Day

Willard Carroll Smith Jr. is my all time favorite actor and rapper. Over the years, this Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has continually charmed his audience as they “jiggy wit it”, outdoing himself with each of his performance that has progressively become more endearing and captivating. From the dozens of movies, TV shows and albums in his 30 year career, including his memorable Men in Black series, the heartwarming “The Pursuit of Happyness”, the hilarious “Date Doctor” in Hitch and the epic portrayal of Muhammad Ali, the one I couldn’t take my eyes off was his cameo in the smooth dance number “Radha teri chunri” from the Bollywood movie “Student of the Year 2”. In case you are still wondering who this Willard guy is, I am talking about the Hollywood actor, Will Smith! 

July 4th is celebrated as Independence Day in the US, and I have always associated Will Smith to this day. We moved to the US the very year his movie “Independence Day” was released. Popular culture was the first to make an impression on my mind, before the history and the struggle of American Independence could sink in. In his role as Captain Steven Hiller, a deft, nimble and quick-thinking fighter pilot, Will Smith’s character in the movie “Independence Day” made a permanent impression in my mind as the true Hero who saves the world and humanity. 

That movie left a mark on me in other ways as well. In 1996, when the movie was released, the US was considered the leader of the free world (this has changed since 2016, after President Trump, with his nationalistic agenda, relinquished that responsibility), it had to lead an effort in pushing back an alien invasion which threatened humankind’s freedom. Under an external threat, it was remarkable to see how world leaders of diverse nations worked unified in fighting a common enemy. The same humans who base their conflicts in intolerance and lack of empathy due to physical, cultural, linguistic, social, religious, political, ideological and/or psychological differences, stand united in a moment of crisis. It reminded me of bickering siblings, who stand by each other and join forces as soon as a bully shows up on the playground.

Standing together to ward off a common enemy seemed such a natural reaction. So even though Covid-19 isn’t exactly an alien invasion, every nation is affected by the global pandemic, and it has taken away our freedom. Historian Yuval Noah Harai contends that the biggest danger isn’t the virus, but our own inner demons, hatred, greed and ignorance, and that Humanity has all the scientific knowledge and technological tools to overcome the virus. Professor Harari says, “I hope that we will be able to develop our compassion, and not our hatred, to react with global solidarity, which will develop our generosity to help people in need.” At the time when we don’t have a clearly identified global leader, I hope that humans forget their differences, focus on and trust scientific development as their leader, and join global forces to combat this virus that has threatened our freedom. Like Will Smith's character was my true hero in “Independence Day”, the present day heroes working to save our freedom, are the Scientists looking for a cure, and the frontline healthcare workers and essential workers in every country who rolled up their sleeves to combat this virus.


Image Credit : Twitter (Yuval Harari)
Image Credit : https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/watch-video-will-smith-might-fulfil-bollywood-dream-in-student-of-the-year-2


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