Repetition is The Best Source of Luck

***Warning: This Article contains spoilers for the movie “Edge of Tomorrow.”***

I just saw Tom Cruise’s new action Sci-Fi time travel flick, “Edge of Tomorrow.” It’s been awhile since a film (almost) made me cry. This mega budget blockbuster hits emotionally, not because it is melancholy or romantic, but because it reminded me of my own life’s journey, with all the failure, repetition, joy, despair and glory. Here’s why.

After major William Cage (Tom Cruise), a propaganda actor with zero combat experience tries to blackmail his commanding officer, he is arrested for desertion and placed in the first wave of an allied assault, against a superior alien force, which is sure to fail.

Cage is physically, intellectually and emotionally ill-prepared, whining incessantly to anyone who will listen. His army peers mock and condemn him to an inevitable death on the beachhead.

Nobody care’s about a newbies problems, because they’ve already been there, done that. The vets know that the newbie will either learn, or die. And this one hasn’t paid his dues.

When Cage hits the beach he can’t even find the safety release for his gun. He watches in horror as most of his comrades are wiped out by the aliens who were patiently waiting, hidden in the sand. He see’s a young woman who is a known hero, destroying the horde, and even she dies brutally on the field. He manages to kill one alien which we later find out grants him the power of time travel, before he is also slain.

Cage then wakes up again, and repeats the same day over, and over and over, until he becomes an expert alien killer with almost superhero-like abilities. This is where the story became very relatable for me.

When I was learning to become good with women, I went out night after night, for many years. I went out so much that one night blended into the next. It almost felt like I would never have the success or skill with women that I desired. But after a long, long time the practice started to pay off. I was no longer the snot nosed newbie, crying because I had to go to battle. I became the proud and strong veteran, dancing my way to success with women and life.

But it wasn’t easy. It often felt like a repeat, like an eternal-return to the same rejection patterns over, and over, and over. It was very difficult to remain positive in the face of relentless, endless, senseless rejections.

I felt like every day was a new death, and I had to start again the next day, over, and over. And I still feel this way, every day.

Bill Cage: “You do know what’s happening to me?”
Rita Vrataski: “What happened to you happened to me. You hijacked their power.”
Bill Cage: “How do I control it?”
Rita Vrataski: “You have to die, everyday. Keep coming here and I’ll train you.”

He trains and fails, trains and fails.

Rita Vrataski: “Again!” “Again!”

The metaphor of the daily death. Even though he dies and begins again, he increases in skill. He has to believe he can get further in his mission, further off the beachhead. Even when he becomes an expert, he still dies, and has to start over again.

Thousand of times he relives the battle, only to be killed over and over. He can’t even end it all. If he dies he is simply, “reset,” and sent back to the front lines until he becomes unafraid of death; a relentless, alien crushing hero.

And how is your life’s progression? Does it feel hopeless, like you may never improve? When you die your daily death, did you live that day to the fullest? Did you learn from your mistakes and improve? Or did you quit before you even started your path?

And how does one control, “The Power?” The power being the power to start again. The power to move forward in the face of defeat. The power that grants us domain over man, mountain and beast.

Cage progresses through the film, and ultimately transforms himself from a snivelling, entitled coward to an ass kicking marine. And when things are at their bleakest and progress seems futile, he says, “I can’t. I can’t,” and his partner says, “You can.” And what choice does cage have? Failure means the end of existence itself.

Our problems aren’t nearly so apocalyptic. But the metaphor is clear:

• Practice your skills by repetition
• Believe in yourself
• See your goals clearly
• Live every day as if it’s your last
• Stay positive in the face of adversity

Overall it’s a great film with a strong message of hope:

Hard work, belief and intent, is the best source of luck.

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