Online Workshop

Opening Discussion: What is self-care? What are some of the things we do to care for ourselves? Self-care is anything we do to care for our mental, emotional and physical health that results in improved mood, reduced anxiety, and healthier relationships with ourselves and others. But can we do these things and still stay strong? Let’s look at how two classic action heroes handle this dilemma. First, John Rambo – Vietnam Veteran, former prisoner-of-war, only survivor of an elite military team, who sees himself as a victim of the system that betrayed him. He’s angry, depressed, isolated and has little meaningful contact with others. He wears old clothes, a rag tied around his head, and is often sweaty, dirty, bloody, draped in heavy weapons, and screaming ferociously. He uses animal instinct to survive, and quickly resorts to violence. He embraces suffering, denies himself human comforts, and longs for peace. Then there’s Agent 007, Sir James Bond – a British Navy Commander and Secret Intelligence Service officer who enjoys the complete support of the system that provides backup and cool gadgets designed by a lab full of scientists. He’s cool, sociable and even-tempered, flirts with his boss’s secretary Miss Moneypenny, and is constantly pursued by gorgeous women in bikinis. Bond wears expensive suits, never sweats, is rarely dirty or bloody, and doesn’t raise his voice. He has keen instincts and uses minimal violence. He rejects suffering, enjoys plenty of human comforts and peaceful pleasures. Rambo and Bond represent opposite attitudes toward life and suffering. Which one can you imagine having a massage and a pedicure? And which one of these fictional characters has survived more successfully? Since 1982, there’ve been fewer than six Rambo movies (all starring Sylvester Stallone) with Rambo V still pending; whereas, since Dr. No came out in 1962, there’ve been more than 25 James Bond movies starring a dozen different actors as Agent 007. It’s the longest-running and most financially successful English-language film franchise ever…and it’s still going strong.

SELF-CARE: Super Heroes Do It