My 2021 Summary

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. –Uncle Ben

2021 is about to end within 24 hours. It has also been a while I have not written a lengthy heartfelt article. Hope this works out fine.

I think it is best to express my thought in English, as it would be more relevant and sentimental. Let us just agree that it would be a big mistake if we did not watch Spider-man: No Way Home before 2021 ends. It just wraps up the year with a wonderful finale. It is nostalgic, memorable, emotional, and even educational. I personally do think NWH actually reflects my days throughout the year, too, and it suits pretty well to summarize my year. It is about how a boy becoming a man, how a boy learns his lessons and responsibility from his mistake to mistake.

Throwing back to my childhood, when Spider-man was first released in 2002, I was only 4yo. Who knew what are the educational lessons behind back then? All I knew was about love relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane, Spider-man fighting against villains. Not sure about others, but I did imitate Spider-man climbing the doorframe, shooting invisible spider web etc. Man! Who doesn’t like Spider-man? Those were some of the sweetest memories I have ever had. Although as I have expected, still I was deeply moved after I saw the return of Tobey Spider-man from the portal. I felt very grateful for having Tobey Spider-man trilogy during my childhood.

I think it is fair to say that the entire NWH is revolving around the classic quote from Uncle Ben, With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. Kindness was the biggest quality I could absorbed from the first generation trilogy. Tobey Spider-man tried very hard wanted to be extremely kind and dedicating to become the friendliest neighbourhood Spider-man, so do Tom and Andrew Spider-men. Turned out, such extreme chasing for kindness blurred up their eyes not knowing they have become the ugliest and scariest possible of themselves. All three Spider-men wanted to be good, kind and right, but they made a great mistake, they forced themselves to change the world. Probably, I would say, this is the greatest highlight I got from all the Spider-man series so far. The particular music motif as shown in the picture is also called the Responsibility Theme. That really does capture many people’s memory.

Back to NWH, Tom Spider-man was indeed very childish at the beginning. He has the greatest support from Tony Stark has left, financially and technologically. He literally has nothing to worry about starting from scratch like Andrew and Tobey Spider-man did. Tom Spider-man grew up mostly spoon fed. Very dependant of him, he did not bother appealing his enrol request for MMA study, instead, he sought help from Dr Strange to eliminate people’s memory from knowing Peter Parker is Spider-man. That was the first no-no. Second, he kept interfering Dr Strange when performing the spell, and things got messier. After capturing all the ex-villains, there comes the greatest no-no, trying to change the fortune of those ex-villains. If you try to change everyone, you are going to bear the consequences, chuckled Dr Connor (Lizard man) in the midst. Apparently, Tom Spider-man still has no idea and has not learnt from his lesson of changing himself first. Therefore, the price is the passing of his Aunt May later when thing got out of control.

How many times do we not learn from our mistakes, right until the most painful experience has struck us? How many times do we STILL not learn from our mistake even if we think we have paid the biggest price? How fool is human? Do we even learn from our mistake and change ourselves first? Water flood recently has just affected the entire Klang Valley. How repenting we are from the bottom of our heart? Are we amplifying our mistakes from the disaster like a snowball, or changing from the very core in us to avoid any further damage? I got this powerful quote from my dad, the saying goes, if God loves you, He will let you fall again and again, more and more painful, until you learn your lesson, otherwise... Anyway, I hope I do not sound too mean. Those were my inner voice shouting at myself intentionally. Who does not cause big mess in their lifetime? If you do not, you are too boring. I highly encourage you to embrace any potential mistake you are about to make. If mistake is caused, test yourselves how quickly you can resolve the mess.

Tom Spider-man definitely has underestimated Norman Osborn (Green Goblin). He should have treated Osborn first before others, as spiritual and mental sicknesses are the most dangerous causes than LITERALLY anything. He totally missed that out. Things becoming more epic after Aunt May was killed, and Tom Spider-man was bound to kill Osborn. Thanks to Ned for bringing in two teachers both named Peter Parker (Andrew and Tobey) for Peter Parker (Tom). Of course, my cinema session was exploded with cheers. Tom Spider-man definitely needed guidance from both teachers, that was what he lacked since his first appearance in Civil War. An immature and talkative boy, leaving himself a big potential to leak his Peter Parker = Spider-man identity. That was how everything became this bad, even sacrificed his own Aunt May. Without Tobey Spider-man, Tom was nearly to kill Osborn instead of healing him. That was the moment I knew Tobey Spider-man would stop him from further damage like how Tobey Spider-man forgave Flint Marko (Sandman) in Spider-man 3. True hero forgives.

Just because you can beat him up, doesn’t mean you are right to. –Uncle Ben

Often time, the society is educated in both extremes, you either be bullied in silent or take your revenge. No one teaches us how and when to defend ourselves and attack, how to weigh the risk, the price, the seriousness and potential consequences. People are just avoiding to take risk, responsibility, to expand their boundary, to learn from new mistake to new mistake etc. Simply said, Tom Spider-man is a reflection of everyone’s inner heart, FEAR. Chasing kindness without self-control could also turn out to be due to fear. Remember, be like Tobey Spider-man, if you do not feel like it is your responsibility to catch the criminal, THEN DON’T. If you want to be a hero, then ALWAYS BE PREPARED. *Rain drops keep falling on my head~ Gosh, my eyes were flushed with tears after noticing Tobey Spider-man and Dr Otto greeting each other along with the Responsibility Theme played (melody as shown in the image above). Tobey Spider-man has become a big boy qualified enough to guide Tom Spider-man. All my personal experience, all the beautiful scenes in the trilogy, all the learnt lessons, not to forget, THE MUSIC, everything is flashing back fast and beautifully! I faithfully believe NWH could break Endgame’s box office record if it were not pandemic. A little regret, is we no longer have Stan Lee cameo in this historical movie of the century!

Finally, it is time to say goodbye to 2021 and keep moving forward to a whole new and exciting year of 2022! Life is just too beautiful to enjoy, isn’t it? How would you even know the sweetness of life and love if you have never gone through tough and tear? Face your fear, turn it into faith and start living instead of dying and deteriorating. NWH has wrapped up my year leaving no more regret. Hope you could take this few hours left before 2022 begins to reflect whatever you need to reflect to yourselves truthfully and sincerely. By faith, you are living. By fear, you are dying. Love yourself first, only you will be able to love your neighbours! 

Wish you well!

Sean Chay