Lessons from “A Man Called Otto”
When God spares your life today, it signifies a life task that you must undertake and fulfil. Once you’ve accomplished your mission, God will select the moment to call you home.
That’s one of the things I took away from the movie I watched on Netflix last weekend, with the title “A Man Called Otto”, a very insightful movie that shifted my perspective on how to persevere, fight, and keep hope in life.
In this film, Otto is someone with a very unique personality, challenging to grasp, and not easily relatable to many people due to his past. This is because of his story, which keeps him harbouring sorrow over the loss of his dearly beloved wife.
Perhaps, Otto is a reflection of some of us, channelling his sadness through outbursts of anger, cold treatment towards others, and venting frustration when things don’t meet the expectations. Therefore, from this perspective, we can all learn that when someone treats you poorly, there might be reasons they’re dealing with.
Repeatedly, Otto attempted suicide, as he no longer found meaning in life after his wife’s passing. His world felt empty, on the verge of disappearing. What’s the point of living when the purpose has gone? he had been thinking all this time. Similarly, some of us also occasionally feel despair, wanting to end our lives because we perceive no more purpose in this existence, and still searching for reasons why we’ve all survived until now.
However, no matter how determined we are to end this life out of despair, all will fade in the presence of God’s will. The destiny is to not die today. The destiny to “still” fulfil the tasks assigned by Him, the destiny to be a blessing to those around us, and the destiny to spend beautiful moments with the people who still love us.
Starting from hanging himself with a rope attached to the wall, inhaling toxic exhaust fumes, and hurling himself in front of a train, God consistently intervened to prevent Otto from dying on those days. Otto, in fact, was saved by the very people who needed him at that moment. Starting with the arrival of a new, chatty neighbour who offered food as a sign of introduction, seeking help to be driven to the hospital since the neighbour couldn’t bring their car, and various other instances.
From this, I can perceive that when we feel hopeless and cannot find the purpose of our own lives, it merely signifies our inability to see it, rather than implying that the purpose doesn’t exist. God embeds missions within each human being to carry out their tasks, some of which we ourselves may never even realize.
Always remember that our lives are priceless, meaningful, and impactful. Even though they might occasionally feel incredibly burdensome, we sometimes fail to realize that when we persevere, we will see again the purpose of life.
The key is to keep on living! Keep on fighting through the pain! And continue to appreciate every moment that God grants us to live this life.
When Otto felt that his life’s purpose had vanished, unexpectedly he became a blessing to those around him, started by assisting his neighbour whose electronic appliances were damaged, helped in looking after his neighbour’s child, taught another neighbour how to drive, and aided a neighbour whose house was facing repossession. Many other instances revealed Otto’s life to be profoundly meaningful and beneficial, both for himself and the people in his vicinity.
From this story, there are many lessons, values, and insights we can derive. It highlights that life may not always unfold according to our desires and expectations. There might be challenging phases that make the journey feel burdensome, reaching a point where we all feel incapable of continuing. Nevertheless, as mere humans, we are granted life to fulfill the tasks bestowed upon us by God. Whether we like it or not, we must carry out these duties until the time given by God comes to an end. Keep living, continue fulfilling your role as a human, and persist in the struggle until the end of life concludes it.
