I’m a big fan of movies and characters. It has always been part of an escape for me to lose myself in film. Like many, I loved The Karate Kid. I was four when the original movie came out and felt like I grew up with Daniel LaRusso. I sided with Daniel early on and wanted to be apart of Miyagi dojo. On the flip side I thought Johnny Lawrence was beyond the worst person out there.
Fast forward almost forty years since the original idea and movie came out. I found myself being fully engulfed in the series Cobra Kai. The writing and acting has been top notch and brought back alot of my youth with nostalgia and flashbacks. The flashbacks instantly took me back to those thoughts and memories I had as a kid. However, I noticed that I started looking at those memories a little differently. The series has brought about a huge change in my thinking.
I went from having a huge dislike of Johnny to being 100 % becoming a founding member of Team Johnny. To see the struggles he experienced, the failures, the self doubt and pain I immediately realized that not only was I a fan but I too was Johnny Lawrence. He struggled after he went from being the best to getting defeated. He lost so much more in his life, his marriage, his son and his identity. He had given up on himself until one person believed in him.
That is often the case with so many. We have something that happens that causes us to stop believing in ourselves. The self doubt and pressure of trying to get back to where you were is often too much for many. But, if we are lucky enough to have a Miguel in our corner who believes in you and what you’re trying to do you can obtain so much.
I have struggled with self doubt and failure. Like so many, handling those moments and thoughts is a struggle. The times we’re all living in and facing right now has made some of those moments and thoughts worse. We are all searching for that light at the end of tunnel, right now there’s no end in sight.
It’s crazy that a fictional character can have such an arc in their story and impact so many. William Zabka has done such a great job with this role. He has changed the mindset of so many 80s kids of hate to love. We need that mindset so much today. If it takes a fictional character to get us there, then lets SWEEP THE LEG!
Enjoy your day and I hope you have also became Johnny Lawrence!
TCB