Either way, I was impressed with the book immensely. It showed a boy moving through a coming of age process in a futuristic Armageddon-type culture. He is being trained to be a commander, a leader, a weapon. The conflict he has most is with himself. Will Ender digress into either of his siblings? Mercy or justice? Peter or Valentine? The real question throughout the movie is who is Ender really fighting?
"Ender's anger was cold, and he could use it. Bonzo's was hot, so it used him."
If I was to apply the story to my life, I would say that he is fighting himself. He is continually striving to be the best. He is trying to survive. He is trying to overcome his fear of what will happen, who he will become, the power and strength within himself, his own potential.
In that perspective, it makes the following quote so much more powerful:
"'In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them -'
"'You beat them.' For a moment she was not afraid of his understanding.
"'No, you don't understand. I destroy them. I make it impossible for them to ever hurt me again. I grind them and grind them until they don't exist.'"
Still in the process of trying to improve yourself, it is interesting to see how Ender learns from his situation. He uses a lot of observation and he is reflective, analytical, and extremely strategic. I feel like my disconnect is the strategy. I am consulting for the Dean of my college and he showed me a bit of business strategy as I was reporting back to him. I am learning.
"He had long since learned that when something unusual was going on, something that was part of someone else's plan and not his own, he would find out more information by waiting than by asking. Adults almost always lost their patience before Ender did."
I hope, that like Ender, I will be able to defeat my demons, become a leader, and find my purpose and as Ender says in the end, winning at any cost isn't right, the way we win matters. There are many themes and morals to this story but the one I want to leave with is the idea of permanence:
"Perhaps it's impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be."
You are who you pretend to be. So if you can convince others of you want them to think you are, you may want to make sure that you like this version of you because you may convince yourself along the way. Always stick to your standards. Develop your weaknesses into strengths. Build on the power you find in and around you. Be a leader.
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