It keeps all coming down to one thing for me

[The Straight Story]

And no, contrary to what some may say it is not about 'smoking in bars' (I don't go to bars anyway for the most part so does not affect me).

I am reminded time and again of a movie from the 1970's that focused on Indians, Peace, and being allowed to be different in a world where many felt different was 'bad' or 'wrong'.

I saw Billy Jack at a drive in theater one night with my mom and her best friend, and it made such an impression on me that I still see it as a good movie for folks today.

Those hippie folks, with all of their progressive ideals of acceptance and freedom, were ridiculed. And the real villains were the people who judged everything based on money and how it played a part in their lives.

This song, in particular, details it out quite nicely:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qswm7lHp7oY

And despite what some may think I feel that the movie Forrest Gump did as well - Just because you are different does not mean you are bad or cannot do some wonderful things. The people persecuting you for being 'different' are often the ones with the problems.

In the end both of those movies focused on the individual(s) and how they were seen as outsiders - and they also focused on letting people just be themselves, be free, and have the opportunity to be free and not be judged because they were not like others - or not in the 'norm'.

Freedom. Free to be you, no matter if you have a learning disability or whatever. Whether you are Amish, Atheist, Black, White, Indian, Deaf, Blind, etc - letting others just be them and live their lives as themselves. Even when others don't like it and want to control them for whatever reason. Letting others have the freedom to live their lives as their see fit.

And yet we keep wandering into that dangerous area where me map the lives of others to money and to ourselves and want to control them for the betterment of the 'kingdom' - err the mass populace. Let the ties goes, and let people just be free to be themselves and live this one life they have here freely.

[RKP5637]

1. Excellent Post!!! n/t