By admin
Cue the music! This is the music I listened to when writing this blog, dare you to open a new tab, put it on and read this entry, okay triple dare. ➜ Here!
I went to watch ©Tangled the Disney Movie of Rapunzle with a friend and her daughter and I was thoroughly impressed with the movie. As the caliber of person I am, I analyze everything, my every thought, word, and action and define it to the smallest definition. As I watched the movie I could not help but be captivated by the emotion of each character as well as the story line. On the way back form the movie I begin to ask myself internally, “why was I so intrigued by the movie?” “Why does my heart seem to long to have such a fairly tale life where everything seems perfect?” After analyzing my heart I realized this is not just something I long for but its almost like a code contained in my DNA. Not something I should just discard and get back to reality, but it is reality. Why do we all love to see stories of redemption where the underdog seems to snatch the victory at the end of the movie to the antagonists defeat? Why do stories of love lasting forever in fairy tales seem to uncover a desperation deep within us that longs for the same? The answer is not very far, actually its written inside of us and we cannot escape it unless we try really hard. So, here are elements in the movie that I believe truly draws us to theaters:
1. Beautiful Scenery (visually engaging)
2. Youthfulness (Energy, vitality, exploration)
3. Redemption through a battle (antagonist defeat/ protagonist victory, action)
4. Love (oneness between a man and a woman, love lost then gained back)
5. Living Happily ever after (eternity, immortality)
Wow, you may be thinking “seriously dude its just a kids movie.” But they’re not just kid movies, they are a production of human imagination, an imagination extracted from what we see and what is ingrained inside of us. Why do we gasp when we see scenery that seems to be too beautiful to be enjoyed for just one lifetime? Why are we infuriated when wicked schemes prevail on people undeserving of such injustice? I don’t need to explain it to you over and over because the answer is on the inside of you, written on your heart and implanted in your DNA it seems! Just as my heart races yours does too when the good guy/girl almost loses at the climax of a movie, yet attempts to destroy the evil oppressor with their last burst of strength. We were created with a longing for love that last forever, this is why we walk away from movies feeling as though something was awaken on the inside of us. Our imaginations somehow unlock an unfinished fairy tale in our hearts. As I frantically write this blog I get the feeling I’m reading the human heart as plain text before my eyes.
I could insert scripture upon scripture that describes every single element in the list above; from beauty to love, redemption to youthfulness, and our longing for eternity, but these are all written on your own heart. This was just a short explanation of what you already know is on the inside of you. Every feeling I have outlined in this writing has been just a confirmation of something you may not have been able to explain, but know abides in you. If you can read this and not have a nudge of empathy whatsoever than something may be broken internally. If you read this and wonder, ” where do I begin to better understand these longings and quench these imaginations?”, I know just the source and the place to start.
There is almost like an invisible string wrapped around our hearts that gets nudged from time to time from a distant location. Certain circumstances like the movie and even devastating situations cause us to follow that string connected to our hearts. Toward the end of that string there is a light, a light that explains everything we ever wondered about this life and the next. Only through complete submission and walking into that light can understanding and peace overwhelm confusion and chaos.
Below is where you will find the True Hero we all long for in our movies; the young, handsome, and redemptive war hero who has prepared an everlasting abode for those who trust in Him; He is the light connected to our hearts.
“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
(2 Corinthian 4:6)
To Be Continued…
By admin
Yes, I did just use the “R” word, put your hands to your mouth as you gasp and raise your eyebrows in shock, nod your head and target a shameful expression in my direction. The “R” word, very seldom used except in History class or academics, banned from politically correct institutions. The topic of racism has been one I have been eager to write on but today I feel compelled to. The topic has been brought to the forefront recently due to the election of our nations first African American President (or Mulatto, still black). I just had a conversation with a friend who told me, “you know what, seriously I believe Obama is a racist.” I just decided not to respond, because honestly I’m a bit bias and my point in this writing is to tell you, “you are too.”
A cold NJ winter day I was standing at a bus stop when I witnessed a police car pull up to some African American gentlemen on the corner. The Caucasian officer ordered the gentlemen to get off of the corner aggressively, I guess this was an attempt to remove his suspicions of drugs being dealt. Nonetheless, the men that occupied the corner frowned and walked away only to return once the patrol car had gradually vanished into the distance. About ten minutes passed and my peripheral caught the same patrol car approaching the corner. Driving onto the curb, lights flashing, coming to a abrupt halt the officer yelled through the megaphone of his car, “I thought I told you monkeys to get off the corner!!” This was my first encounter with blatant racism but it would not be my last.
What would cause that officer to degrade those African American men so viciously? Was he just having a horrible day? Was he possibly indoctrinated with the lie that every black man on a corner is a drug dealer? Despite the officers motive behind his actions, his statement was racist nonetheless. So, what does an officer spouting a racist comment have to do with you and me, and how are we bias? I would say it took that officer some time to be able to fling such a comment from his mouth and not just a bad day, but years of indoctrination and circumstances. This officer is like us because he had to start somewhere to get to where he would utter such a thing. He had to possibly come to a point where he accepted a stereotype as a universal reality. Stereotypical behavior is not just a mean tactic to conform a group of people to an image or attitude. Stereotypical behavior can be a knowledgeable conscious assessment, or it can be displayed in rude or degrading actions, hence the officer on the corner. The notion alone that we have a choice on where to direct stereotypical behavior is evidence it abides in us.
As a young black man having a wide variety of white friends I am accustomed to stereotypical behavior from my peers. I believe a white young man could make the same observation if he were surrounded by a group of black peers. My encounter with stereotypical behavior from white friends has mainly come in the form of humor or inference in a conversation. There are jokes I hear that are funny and should be taken lightly then there are those that seem to break the plane of a racist humor, intended or unintended. When I encounter a joke that passes that plane I understand I can choose to be offended (a tactic I am quite skilled in) and sympathize with the person who stated the joke rather than taking offense or condemning them.
If the joke really gets to me I revolve a statement that gives me the right perspective, “its in your blood.” This statement does not necessarily mean someone is born with racist intent but has been infused with the blood of societies stereotypes and sometimes speak indifferently without full intellectual knowledge of what they are saying and the forces motivating their statements. Beyond words we feel the need at times to defend our race, this is a natural inclination because we all belong to a race. I disagree with Barack Obama’ health care policy, but to hear someone of another race bash the presidents efforts arouses a defense for our race although I may agree wholeheartedly with their statements.
It is natural for us to gravitate towards what is common to us and to disregard what is foreign to our cultural norms. The key I believe is knowing how to make a knowledgeable assessment of someone without exalting yourself above that person or group of people. It is appropriate to judge production if there is a universal standard but the motive behind that production is not always clear. I could not possibly describe all of the actions in our daily lives and statements that are spurred by societies stereotypes, but we can daily examine the intentions and motives of of our own actions to ensure we are not offending those around us. Some people can do this and others do not possess the intellect to halt racial statements that enter the mind. Some don’t even possess the know-how to discern between a knowledgeable assessment and blatant disrespect, and sometimes its not their fault.
Its quite a skill to be able to relate to more than one race, I would say genuine love (God love) can gain access where intellect and difference are denied entry. If you read this and it evokes any type of emotion on the inside of you then my point is proven. Some may feel I am writing through experience and my own bias, I would say, ” Your right, I am just as you are reading through the eyes of your own bias.” As with any problem the first step is admitting it, therefore we all view one another through distorted lenses even if we choose not to at times. Part of it is recognizing the bias and finding how to appropriately view someone or a group of people though face to face interactions. We all make pre-judgements as well as discriminate and these are the characteristics of racism. I’m definitely not attempting to lesson the cruelty of racism but to reveal that we all operate with racist tendencies at a minimal level at least.
How do you view racism in America, where are you looking from? Experiences with racism as a child/adult? Share how it made you feel and possibly how it has impacted your habits of thought. Agree/ disagree, please share. God Bless
