S1.C15. The Builder of Global Hope: A True Story Inspired by Francesca Cabrini
BY DAV79 - The world remains the same; only our costumes change. Time shifts appearances, but the essence of humanity endures unchanged.
My uncle from Oman once said something that has stayed with me:
“It is the women in religious orders who suffer more than the men. Why? Because even today, their scope is restricted. They’re rarely given the freedom to help others fully—and so, their potential is often left unrealized. We must support them when we can—if we can.”
That note has never left me. It’s a quiet truth I’ve carried ever since his first reminder.
Recently, someone close to me asked me to watch the movie Cabrini. He said, “Perhaps you’ll find a message and the strength to carry on your mission.”
My heart raced as my mind immediately started drawing parallels between what my team and I are battling today—and what this story portrayed. The movie echoed the silent, tireless struggle of trying to build something that doesn’t yet exist, in a world that isn’t ready for it.
While watching Cabrini, something within me shifted. As one line in the film says, “Hope is not weakness—it is fuel.” That hit me.
The movie gave me a jolt of new energy and four core mindsets that stayed with me long after the credits rolled. It helped me reframe my understanding of purpose, focus, strategy, entrepreneurship, empathy, tolerance, open-mindedness, determination, and most importantly—GRIT.
It reminded me: not a single day is to be wasted.
This mission we’re on—it must continue.
The world hasn’t changed. What changes is our mindset. And only those who have walked the journey would truly understand the weight of that truth.
Let me share a few moments from the story. But don’t take my words for it.
Watch the movie for yourself—Cabrini, a powerful blend of Italian and American cultures, told in two languages, grounded in one universal truth:
Change is not granted. It’s built. She said - we are bold or we die.
And she built it.
Chapter 1: “You Do Not Belong Here” – The Resistance Mindset
Setting: 1889, New York City.
The streets are filthy. Immigrants are treated as burdens. Hope is a foreigner.
Francesca Cabrini arrives with a vision. But instead of welcome, she’s met with rejection—from politicians, gatekeepers, even allies. She’s dismissed for being the wrong gender, the wrong nationality, and in poor health.
Mayor: “You're a woman. You're an immigrant. You're ill. What exactly do you plan to achieve?”
Cabrini (calm, firm): “Everything you think I can’t.”
Mindset: Resist rejection by redefining your role.
Cabrini doesn't demand inclusion—she reclaims it. Every “no” becomes a directional sign, pointing toward another route.
Cabrini (to herself, in Italian): “Se non mi aprono la porta, costruisco la mia.”
(If they don’t open the door, I’ll build my own.)She said - We can serve our weakness, or we can serve our purpose.
This is the birth of her resistance mindset—anchored in clarity, not ego.
She doesn't fight to be seen; she creates systems that can’t be ignored.
Chapter 2: “Let Me Show You What’s Possible” – The Builder Mindset
Setting: Cabrini transforms a decaying slum into a school. Then a clinic. Then an orphanage.
She doesn't fixate on missing resources—no funding, no political support, no recognition. She focuses on what she has—people. Tells them “We must learn to face our fear”
Assistant: “We have no supplies, no permits, no money.”
Cabrini: “Then we begin with what we do have—people.”
Mindset: People are not problems. They’re foundations.
She activates those around her—children, mothers, workers.
They don’t just receive support—they become the builders.
Cabrini (to the children): “You are not poor. You are not weak. You are not forgotten. You are becoming.”
(To a skeptical boy, in Italian): “Non sei un peso. Sei un pilastro.”
(You’re not a burden. You’re a pillar.)She said, “Begin the mission, and the means will come”
This is not charity. It’s co-creation.
Every brushstroke, every repaired wall, becomes a blueprint for agency.
Chapter 3: “They Will Try to Break You” – The Strategic Resilience Mindset
Setting: Threats escalate. City officials try to shut her down. Powerful men accuse her of arrogance. Funding is pulled. Her health worsens.
Still, she refuses to match aggression with aggression. Her silence becomes her scalpel—cutting through noise with strategic calm.
The Leader: “You act like a man. That is not your place.”
Cabrini (quietly): “I’m not trying to act like a man. Men cant do what we do.”
Mindset: Stay grounded. Let your clarity outlast their chaos.
Cabrini (to her team): “Every time they block us, they show us where to push next.”
She outlasts and outmaneuvers—not by fighting harder, but by fighting smarter.
She adapts. She endures. She leads.
Cabrini (in Italian, during her weakest moment): “Mi spezzano le ossa, ma non la volontà.”
(They can break my bones, but not my will.)
Chapter 4: “Build So They Remember Themselves” – The Legacy Mindset
Setting: Years pass. Her health deteriorates. But her impact multiplies.
She no longer seeks to lead everything. Her new mission is to replace herself by raising others. She builds systems that outlive her. Schools, clinics, networks—all led by those once discarded.
Cabrini (to a young woman leader): “You think I’m the answer? I’m just the question that never gave up.”
Mindset: Empower others to carry the flame.
Her legacy isn’t her name—it’s the self-belief she plants in others.
It’s not about what she built—it’s who she built.
Cabrini (final lines): “Legacy is not what they remember about you. It’s what they become because of you.”
As I completed this movie, I could only sense that we are all on an endless journey—where change is the only constant and yet where the very essence of what we try to change remains almost a constant. The deeper our purpose, the longer will be our journey. To achieve leapfrog transformation, it is our mindset that must evolve - take inspiration from those who were before us and thos who have led the way. With each shift in mindset, our journey gains deeper meaning and purpose - and that would help the world become a better place.
The question remains: What kind of world do we want, and what will we do to live in it?