Six Valuable Lessons That “The Greatest Love” Taught Us
While everyone is being swallowed by Kdrama, my mom is being absorbed by one particular afternoon drama, The Greatest Love….and yes, i have to admit I never imagine myself to be addicted with drama until I have watched this show. The Greatest Love is a family drama that follows the story of Gloria, a loving and caring mother of four who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Her struggle doesn’t just end there because she also had to face some family issues which only worsen her condition.
While most dramas are taking their stories in an exaggerated manner or treating us with their cheesy love stories, The Greatest Love took us in reality. It is not a fairy tale where fantasy comes real, it is a reflection of what is really happening in our society, in our very own family. It features issues that a typical family is dealing with, jealousy among siblings, children changing priorities as they grow up, a mother trying to please her kids just to get their attention back! All of these are happening in real life which makes this drama relatable to viewers of all walks of life.
Now that we only have less than a month left before the series ends, a lot of things are going on and every episodes is getting more and more exciting as it gets a lot more unpredictable. Ever since the show was aired, it taught us so many great lessons in life and allow me to list them down.
The show taught us that….
Pride and Ego will bring you nowhere…
There is a cliche stating that when your pride is bigger than your heart and your Ego is bigger than your head, grow up and you will be alone for life. The character of Amanda (played by Dimples Romana) is more of an epitome of a person full of pride and ego. Being the eldest of the four, she feels like she has this kind of reputation to keep and she has the authority to mandate or to decide on whatever family related issues they are dealing with. Unfortunately for Amanda her mind was corrupted by the thoughts that her mom was treating them unfairly and she didn’t pay any respect to her late dad. Her jealousy, her useless pride, her grudge and her thirst for her mother’s affection lead to an anger which only put her relationship to her mother and her siblings in jeopardy.
Acceptance is the Key Towards Peace of Mind
Sometimes reality could be really painful and if you take it in a wrong way, you can never achieve the peace of mind. Again, this lesson comes from Amanda and how she accepted the fact that her mom tries to abort her (but decided to save her) and her dad actually raped her mom and decided to marry him despite the fact that she still loves Peter. What Amanda did is such a brave thing that not all of us can do. She swallowed her pride and ask for her mom’s forgiveness. Acceptance is indeed a key towards peace of mind and forgiveness. It means that you accepted everything , embraced the reality and knowing that there is bigger than you at work. We are sometimes dealing with bigger challenges and there were moments that these trials are just too big for us to endure. Sometimes our fate is taking us on a path we don’t want to go but we have to embrace the fact that God has plans for us and will take us somewhere beyond expectations. Sometimes we just have to lift our hands and follow the flow and let Him do the job!
Time heals Everything
Conflicts is a normal thing to be encountered in every family but you know what, time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters. There could have been a huge gap between you and your siblings and it might take longer as expected but you’ll see…. time will come that you are ready enough to forgive, that you are ready enough to move on and you are prepared enough for whatever awaits you. In the case of Gloria and her family, it took a long time before things went back to place. Unfortunately, Gloria had to be ill before her kids realized the issue they are actually dealing with. It’s so unfortunate that Gloria finally had a chance to experience the happiness she has been longing for but it is too late for her to embrace everything because of her condition.
Forgiveness is the Greatest And Final Form of Love
We are just humans and we are not perfect, we all commit mistakes so who are we not to forgive others who have done something wrong to us! Okay, that’s just me trying to be a great adviser but in reality, forgiveness has never been an easy thing. Sometimes it takes a long process to put things right and to convince yourself that you are ready enough to forget whatever they have done to you. However, we have to keep in mind that no matter how hard it is to forgive someone, it has never been impossible. Forgiving is indeed the greatest form of love because if you forgive someone, you accept everything wholeheartedly. This may no longer change the past but it will certainly change your future and this show taught us how wonderful it feels like when you take all the hatred away and let the love prevails.
Mother’s Love is Always Unconditional
The love that a mother can offer for her kids is incomparable. They are unconditional that no matter what kind of circumstances comes in, her affection towards her kids will never fade. Like what Agatha Khristie said ” A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things, and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path“. To make it short, mother wants nothing for her kids than good. She is willing to do all the sacrifices just to make our lives better. She is more than willing to do everything just to keep us safe even the fact that not all of us can bring the courtesy back to her. She is willing to give all her support even though it means that nothing will be left for her. She is willing to offer all her time even the fact that not all of us is even cared of giving it back. She will not ask for anything but deep inside, all she wants is our time and our love. I really love my mom and this show made me realized a lot of things. Am i doing enough to bring back all the love she offered to me? This show made me more expressive about my feelings and if i need to tell my mom that I love her everyday, i would’t mind doing so because she deserves it! She deserves our time, she deserves our respect, she deserves our love.
It’s Not Wrong to Ask God.. Why?
For someone like Gloria who never done anything worst to her kids and her life, don’t you think it is unfair for her to suffer that way? Why this kind of disease needs to consume all the greatest memories she has if that’s the best thing she can only treasure? Why is that when she finally gets what she wants, things will be taken away from her due to such incurable illness? Life for many can be very playful and ironic. Sometimes our fate will put us to something we cannot escape and we just have to accept that whatever awaits us. A priest once told me that sometimes, it is not wrong to ask God why. God is working His ways and He has plans for us so when you find yourself in a seemingly inescapable situation, just pray and ask for his help because this has always been part of His better plans. Gloria might need a miracle to be cured but her possible death could lead to something better. It could possibly lead a stronger relationship between Amanda and her siblings or even something better! It is a sad tale indeed but let us all look to a better picture shall we?