Written by Dennis Gorski, Special Contributor | March 3, 2022
Jimmy Chin – photographer, filmmaker, professional climber and skier – is probably best known for directing the Academy Award movie Free Solo. This documentary chronicles the climbing of Alex Honnold as he “free solos” the face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. El Capitan is a vertical rock formation with its tallest face going 3,000 feet straight up. To free solo means that he climbed alone without the aid of a person or rope or harness or pulley! It’s one man against the sheer steep wall of mountain. It is an edge of your seat amazing story of human strength, determination and courage stacked against unbelievable danger. If you’ve seen it, you know what I mean; if you haven’t, then see it!
In Chin’s latest documentary, The Rescue, he embraces some of these same themes: unbelievable human strength, ingenuity and bravery in the midst of terribly crazy danger against all odds. This time however, it isn’t one man against mountain; it is a compilation of unlikely groups of people cooperating and working together for the benefit of others. The Rescue traces the real-life story of the Thai youth soccer team that become trapped in the Tham Luang cave system when their youthful exploration becomes tragic because the monsoons came early that year in June of 2018. You might remember this occurring from the news reports, but the back story is just absolutely incredible and heroic.
Surprisingly, I was especially struck by this film’s unique expression of generosity. I’m pretty sure Jimmy Chin and his co-directing wife, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, didn’t set out to deliver on that narrative, but this value is expressed over and over in selfless action. This was evident through a unique subset of adventurers and cave divers (who ever even knew there was such an avocation) who dropped everything to travel across the globe because their specific skill sets were needed. They risked their lives and gave immensely of self for no compensation, reward or glory. They simply did it because they were called upon to give. That is generosity.
But wait, there was also the incredible effort of the local citizens and volunteers who tirelessly slogged through mud and rain in the seemingly futile efforts to divert the running rainwater coming down the mountains so it wouldn’t further fill the cave system. That is generosity. There’s more, the multiple nation’s governments and militaries worked together and cooperated with a single desired outcome. That is generosity. All in all, a beautiful expression of generosity was on display in this film, and it makes you think of the word generosity in a whole bigger way. If you’ve seen the movie, you know what I mean. If you haven’t seen it, then I encourage you to go see it (now streaming on Disney Plus)! I think it will inspire you to think and act in a more generous way.
Photo Credit: Jed Owen
Bio:
Dennis Gorski is the Founder of Dynamis Ministries as well as the president of Wela Financial, a financial services agency serving the greater Chicagoland region. Dennis is passionate about providing financial wisdom to help people prosper financially as well as mature spiritually. Even more, Dennis is devoted to the Lord and his beautiful and abundant family – his wife Jane and their children and grandchildren.
