Marie Colvin was one of the reporters who most certainly marked the history of war reporting and who will always be remembered for her bravery, professionalism and for being very passionate about her work.
The unfortunate event that brought Marie Colvin’s life story to public eye again happened in February 2012, when she lost her life trying to flee a building that was being shelled by the Syrian army in the city of Homs where she was staying while reporting on the 2011-2012 Syrian Uprising.
Remembering this courageous woman and retelling her story over and over again always reminds us of all those important professional values and personal traits that we should never take for granted.
When reading numerous articles on Marie Colvin’s life and career, it is impossible not to notice that women around the globe can learn something new and inspiring from just hearing her story. Not every woman can or should be Marie Colvin of course, but we can all gain knowledge from her experience.
1. Loving Your Work – Is It a Job or a Calling?
Colvin started her career working for United Press International in New York City after graduating from Yale. Since 1985 until her death she worked for the British paper The Sunday Times.
From her actions and words it is more than obvious that Marie Colvin honestly loved her work and that to her it was so much more than the thing you do to buy food and pay the rent. In a speech she gave in November 2010 she stated “I have been a war correspondent for most of my professional life. It has always been a hard calling.”
Not every job is a calling, and like George Carlin used to say there’s a support group for people who hate their jobs, and it’s called everybody. Nevertheless, Marie Colvin’s story gives us hope that there are callings and that there are people who were born to somehow make an impact on the world through their work. It’s nice to daydream about being that person because it might encourage you to take action in that direction eventually.
2. Professionalism or Being Passionate about Your Work – Is There a Fine Line Between the Two?
Colvin covered all the major conflicts in various regions around the world. She wore her famous eye patch because she lost her eye due to a blast that happened in 2001 in Sri Lanka where she was reporting on the conflict.
Colvin felt strongly about professionalism in journalism. She often quoted the necessity to report on the horrors of war with accuracy and without prejudice.
No matter what you do or how meaningless you think your job is, professionalism is important. Everything you do makes at least a small change in the world. When small changes add up, the impact can be quite impressive.
Not everybody can be passionate about what they do for a living, but everybody can show that they care and the results will be there. You know what they say, it’s not about who’s the best, it’s about who cares the most.
3. You Can Be Anything You Want to Be – Life’s Number One Lie or the Biggest Truth.
When we talk about inspirational women we actually evaluate the changes they made in this world. Marie Colvin was one of those ladies that proved the life’s biggest lie to be one of the greatest truths- you can be anything you want to be. She lived her life the way she wanted it. She chose a career that was cut out for her.
Life is a bitch who will lie to you just like a man lies to the woman he’s in love with. It will tell you that it can be much greater than it actually is. We believe those lies because that’s called hope and that’s what keeps us alive. Women like Marie Colvin have proved that the world’s biggest lies can, in fact, become true.
4. What Things in Life are Worth Dying for?
In order to be exceptional you have to be a little extreme. Extreme is a relative term though. The biggest philosophical question out there is probably whether there are things in life that are worth dying for. No one can say if such things exist. Is there something that you can care about so much that it can make even your biggest fears disappear? We will never know if Marie Colvin had an answer to that question for herself.
Marie Colvin died doing her job on February 22, 2012.
Cover photo: www.moralcourage.com
very inspiring story she know who she was and what she loved, to bad that she lost her life
T think that Charlize Theron may be contending for another Oscar in this role. Great piece!
This woman was a true hero and a brave lady! Amazing article!