Make Sure Everything Falls Into Place

You seem so familiar. Have we met before?

We met many people outside every day. Sometimes we met them a couple of times. There are also times that a person looks familiar that we mistakenly identify them as someone we knew. This is also the beginning of a new friendship.  

In today’s post I will share a film I have recently watched. It was just a short film yet it delivers a very powerful message.

The story is about two people who don’t know each other personally but have met five times in their life. Each time they met they taught us lessons and something to reflect about. The arrangement of the events in the film was not chronological order and it started during the second time they met.

I will narrate the story to the best way it can be comprehensive and will tell the event in sequence.

First Time: The Playground

The two strangers first met as kids in a playground with random kids playing. They were playing with sand. Building a sand castle and filing the buckets with it. Sammy was using a shovel to fill the bucket while Ali was using his hands. A moment later Ali’s guardian came and fetched him. Ali said bye-bye while the guardian could be heard saying that he could get a lot of germs from playing with the sand.

Second Time: The Cashpoint

Time flies by and the kids have grown up. They are both fully grown men. Ali was walking his way to the ATM machine to withdraw some cash. When he got there, a man was still at the cashpoint so he stood and waited for his turn. The man was wearing his corporate dress and can be described as belonging to the ethnic groups in the Middle East. The man took more minutes cashing out but Ali was already feeling irate because of the wait. Then he said something like, “Mate, if you are looking for Arabic option, go back a screen.”

The man then gets his cash card out of the machine then turns around and faces Ali. It was Sammy but they still don't know each other. While Sammy was holding the cash card he then asks Ali if he has a problem. Then Ali became sarcastic. He was harsh with his words and acted more like a racist.

Sammy ignored Ali’s provocation and did not engage. He just decided to leave.

The Third Time: The CEO

After some time, Ali was applying for a job. When the CEO met the applicant for an interview, he recognized Ali. He said that they met before at the cash point. Sammy, The CEO, told everything that happened that day but Ali said that he didn’t remember him. Sammy was really sure that it was him, the guy who once discriminated against him.

The Fourth Time: The Homeless

A couple of years have passed and Ali became homeless. He can be seen at the pavement asking for a spare change so he could buy food and save him from starving.

One day Sammy had passed by the pavement where Ali was sitting. Ali then recognizes Sammy and he calls him. “Mr. Aziz!”  Exclaimed Ali.  Samir Aziz then stopped and turned to the person who called him and said. “Sorry, Do I know you?”  Ali said, “Yes, You interviewed me for a job I never got a year ago.” “I don’t think so.” Sammy replied as if he never met Ali before. But then Ali told everything about what happened that day. Sammy responded the same words as what Ali said during the day he was applying for a job like Sammy doesn't remember him.

The two strangers both knew about the events that happened to them in the past but were still prevented from having a connection. Ali then told Sammy about how life has been hard for him and that he needed something to at least get back on his feet. Sammy saw sincerity in Ali’s eyes then he said that he would look for a cash point and be right back.

After a couple of hours Sammy came back and handed Ali some bucks and said, “Make today the first day everything falls into place for you.”

Ali then couldn’t believe that after all what had happened, the man still had courage to accept him as a human being and move on.  Ali’s tears fell down. He was emotional. He thanked Sammy for his kind heart and generosity.

The Fifth Time: The Destiny

Many years have passed. Sammy has retired, old and living at his home and finds it hard to express himself. Ali was then living at the place where Sammy lives but they still don’t know about it.

One day Ali volunteered to take care of some elderly in their place. When he gets to the house of an old man, he said that he is going to look after him. Although the old man can’t speak, he says that he agrees with Ali through the smile on his face.

As Ali continued talking he seemed to recognize the old man’s face and he asked him, “Do I know you?”

The old man smiled at Ali as if he had known him for a long time while nodding his head.

Reflection

While watching the film I can see some part of me in the two strangers. For example, as the character of Ali, sometimes I tend to have an attitude like him. I tend to become harsh to some people and I am not aware of it until someone notices my attitude.

Often I am like Sammy in the event that somebody is harassing me or showing some provocative acts. I just ignored the person and leave just like Sammy did when Ali was discriminating with his words.  

The story does not only tell us of how many times they met in their entire life. I think it also tells us that we should always treat other people with dignity and respect. We should have empathy for others' life situations because it will always come back to us.

Thanks for reading. Ciao!

*The short film can be watched here for free by Marcus Markou. If you like the story you can also support him by subscribing to his channel.

 Lead image source credits to Claudio Schwarz.

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