Not so long ago, I went to see the movie Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. Maybe I am not entirely objective, as I am a big fan of Bruce Springsteen’s music, but I thought the movie was very good. It filled me with strong emotions—three distinct ones, if I may say so: a mix of joy, a mix of sadness, and, throughout the film, a lingering sense of the unknown.
First, let me say that as a fan, hearing the Boss’s music is always a pleasure. Having a window into his early years and his journey felt deeply satisfying. It gave me a sense of closure. It reinforced an idea I have long held: that this person deserves all the love he receives—not only for his music, but also for the person he is. At least, that is what I feel deeply inside.
Second, I cried—quite a lot. The scene near the end, after a concert, when Bruce’s father asks him to sit on his lap and tells him, in his own words, how much he loves him, made me smile briefly and then cry even more. Maybe it is because of what is currently happening in my life, but that moment captured so perfectly what I believe “family” means—to him, to me, and to so many of us. Bruce recognizes his father’s love despite the hardships and adversities they endured. His father continued and then speaks of how proud he is of the man his son has become. I get chills just thinking about that scene.
Third is the feeling of the unknown that the movie stirred in me. It felt as though the story behind the Nebraska album was a message Bruce sent across the ocean many years ago, and that we, the listeners, have been fortunate enough to receive it. I left the theater with a sense of courage—or at least, I think that is what it was. A sense that one can pursue their purpose with full conviction, without worrying about what others may think. For Bruce, this album had to be released exactly as he made it, in its first and purest incarnation. He had a clear vision, a goal, a deep sense of purpose—almost a calling. A feeling so profound and so clear that he could not have accepted any other way.
It had nothing to do with how many people the album would reach or how it would sound to producers or critics. It had everything to do with sending his songs—his words—out into the world.
I wrote in the past about purpose and how important it is to find one’s own. I have the feeling that everyone, at their core, has at least one purpose—and some of us, perhaps many more.
A purpose can be very small or very large. It does not matter. What matters is finding it and not stopping the search until it is found. That pursuit is the real holy grail. So much so that even if you find it at the very end of your life, the quest will have been entirely worthwhile.
A purpose could be achieving something, helping someone in need, being a mentor, loving someone deeply, being kind, inspiring others, finding new ways to bbq😅—and so many other things.
This movie made me reflect deeply on my own purpose, on how fulfilled I would feel knowing it and living it.
Maybe—just maybe—by writing my blog posts, sharing pieces of my life and slices of my soul, I am on the path to finding mine. Maybe, who knows....
Ricardo Da Fonseca
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