I read an interesting article today on the magazine Peppermint. It was a really inspiring article about then President of Twentieth Century Fox, who left Hollywood after a trip to Cambodia changed his life.

He had been in the film business for years and had worked his way up through sheer determination and passion for the film business. He has a mansion, fast cars, dated models. All in all, a really good and wealthy life.

The trip to Cambodia was to visit various Buddhist monuments and he was going to meet a mutual friend in Phnom Penh. So when his friend brought him to a landfill, he saw the realities of people’s lives there. Kids were rummaging through dumps for food and recyclables.

He returned back home and decided to set up a Cambodian Children’s Fund and garnered support from individuals, corporations and foundations. I think the typical Westerners point of view of helping impoverished countries. Nothing wrong with that I suppose.

Later, he returned back to Phnom Penh to see if he can give more hands-on help and assistance. And it was in that trip that a grandmother who was in distress brought him to an area where several children under the age of 10 were suffering from severe typhoid.

It was seeing these kids suffering with no medical help and risk of dying that he gets an important call. Funny how life brings you to a crossroad and showing you what path you should take.

It was a call from a famous actor at that time who refused to get on his scheduled flight because he did not have an Xbox console on the plane, but instead a Playstation console was placed. I really wonder who this actor is…

But I’m guessing after his/her rantings, the actor paused and said an important line: “You know Scott, my life wasn’t meant to be this difficult.”

And it was in that call that he found a sense of gratitude and a sense of purpose. So he returned to the US and resigned from his position as the President of 20th Century Fox. Sold most of what he has acquired throughout his year in the film business and moved to Cambodia.

Now, his organisation has helped 2200 kids to get into schools and get them out of poverty. Very inspiring.

I think I feel a lot for this article because I’m in the media industry as well here. And I truly feel for this guy cos’ I can only imagine how bad the demands are for actors deals in Hollywood…

You do wonder if that is what their worth really is… an Xbox on the plane? A paid for flight? A job that they get millions! And you wonder really… what is the actual cost or worth…

The world is such a shithole sometimes. Something to think about huh.