I just finished watching Spiderman 2 again. I had forgotten exactly how good a movie it is. And then I watched Return of the King again. Once again an excellent movie about heroes. Both are pretty basic stories of good versus evil. In both the heroes are stretched to the breaking point. And in both, the good wins.
I needed to be reminded of that. The good guys win. Oh, it might not happen for a while. There will be losses. Sometimes terrible losses. Sometimes your heart gets broken, but in the end, the good guys win.
Yes, I know both movies aren't real. But it's the idea of heroes that resonates so strongly within us. As long as we can imagine heroes, they exist.
I've talked in this blog about choosing to be a good guy. It's something I struggle with daily. This is not a kind world in which we live our day to day. It does not reward goodness. I have a favorite saying: No good deed goes unpunished. I have found it to be true many times. But if I focus on the struggle, then I have a tendency to think the struggle is all there is. I sometimes forget the point of the struggle, the reason it's worthwhile.
Yes, I'm babbling. Probably more to myself to anyone else. I just want to keep reminding me that it's all worth it, that life is not random, that there is a pattern, and that if I remain true to my conscience -- however annoying and limiting that may feel at times -- it will become clear.
I think I've posted the poem below previously on this blog, but it suits my mood today.
Waking up on Another Planet
I woke up on another planet today
and found myself believing strange new things:
Broken hearts can heal stronger than before,
We don't have to purchase wisdom with pain,
An open hand holds more than a closed fist,
We all bleed red whatever our color,
Only fools think violence will cause peace,
And we can learn to love ourselves at last.
Perhaps you think I do not understand
the gravity of our situation.
I know the list of disasters stretches
longer than Orion's arm. Nonetheless,
I woke on another planet today
and planted a bright flag and called it hope.
Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.
5 comments:
America will flourish
By the sweat of our labor,
The strength of our will
And the force of our minds.
Forget the old battles,
Those days are over.
Hatred corrupts,
And friendship refines.
Let us be a nation
Proud of our heritage
With an eye to the future
And a heart to forgive,
And let us be rid
Of those bigots and fools,
Who will not let us
Live and let live.
Let us govern our nation
Wisely and fairly.
Let each man and woman
Work where they will.
And America will flourish,
Secure in the knowledge
That we reap our own harvest
And ring our own till.
And let us be known
for our kind hospitality.
A hand that is open
Lay proffered to friends.
A hard working people,
Proud and unbending
America will thrive
And win out in the end.
We need more heroes in the world: more everyday heroes like fathers and mothers who put their children first, politicians who put the welfare of the people first, and religious leaders who put their flocks first. We don't need more military heroes; our graveyards and hospitals are filled with them. We need more good decent people who will stand against corruption and choose to be the heroes we all should be.
We need more civil rights heroes! Where are the Martin Luther Kings of today? We are self-absorbed these days. We lack the courage of the civil rights pioneers.
If WE are not the heroes, there are no heroes.
Exactly, Trixie, exactly. If not us, who? Who will stand up for our rights if we don't? We are the leaders of today, and we need to act like it.
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