It’s been several years since I’ve watched Dead Poet’s Society, starring Robin Williams, but my daughter had Netflix send it to us and we watched it last night. When I saw it the year it released I watched it purely as entertainment. Watching it now, after exiting a cult, resonated with me. Yet, not only the exiting from a cult, but from the boxed in mental system the world wants to put us in. We see this dominating force in the media, entertainment, religion, and politics. The race to get as many people as possible to agree with one way of thinking and viewing the world. This is a recipe for disaster. Even Hitler wanted everyone to agree with him, obey him, and carry out horrible orders to murder people.
After we watched Dead Poet’s Society, my husband flipped the channel to discover a repeat of the presidential debate; oh the irony! The ‘Captain’ (Robin Williams’ term of endearment in the film) teaches how difficult it is to remain unique in your thinking in a world filled with pressure to conform. My 20 year old daughter said this, “You know how schools have a list of books you need to read before you graduate? They need to make a list of films you must watch too. This one should be on the list.” I agree with her. There are some profound films that can be used as teaching tools with young people before they are thrust into the adult world.
Throughout history we have seen conflict each time a new revelation bursts forth through brave, unconventional, people. With that conflict we have seen persecution, murder, war, excommunication, condemnation, accusation, and so much more. I believe we are living in a day where these kinds of conflicts are on the rise. They’re on the rise, because I believe more truth is finally being revealed. Not so much that it’s “new” truth, just truth that has been hidden by dominating forces who want to be in rule.
The scientific community has suffered through the silencing of intelligent design, the church has been suffering through the silence of intelligent biblical translations (especially about hell), the political market suffers as the two-party system pushes third party candidates out of the limelight (while the media is the accomplice). Even today, I read about how Lifeway refuses to carry the new book by Rachel Held Evans, ‘A Year of Biblical Womanhood’. My friends, we are the ones who can make a difference.
We, the people.
We don’t need a book store to dictate to us what to buy, a media outlet to tell us which party to vote in favor of, a pastor to tell us how to believe what he believes, or a college professor to force us to conform to an old school traditional approach to Science.
We, the people, are free. And if we don’t exercise our freedom, we’re sure to lose it.
Bloggers, Twitterers, and Facebook friends can make things go viral with one click. So what are we waiting for? Does fear have you so gripped that you can’t possibly share a status from someone who is speaking truth that resonates with you? Are we so entangled in fear that we can’t bring ourselves to stand on a table top to get a different perspective and loudly proclaim, “O Captain, my captain!” Can we not raise our voices and ‘YAWP’, as the dear ‘Captain’ inspires us to do?
Look, my friends. Listen up.
Rachel Held Evans has published a book to reveal wisdom about the so called ‘Biblical Womanhood‘ lifestyle that is urgently needed in the Christian community. Stand on your table top and pass the word along.
Along with that, don’t be afraid to deny the two-party system in politics. There are other presidential candidates to choose from and we’re likely to never escape the two-party domination until we register and vote Independently.
There are safer churches out there than the dominating controlling bullies in fundamentalism. We don’t have to follow preachers who publish books about strange sexuality, and we don’t have to believe tradition without double checking the scriptures on our own.
We are free.
We can help move this revolution along by being bold enough to speak up and actively exercise our freedom. We talk about wanting change, but are we really willing to put forth the kind of effort needed to bring about such change?
We can help in the following ways:
- Help promo books, blog articles, and YouTube videos that nudge us to think for ourselves and that encourage revolutionary change that will benefit our society and faith communities. Utilize Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.
- Change our own behavior and thinking.
- Exercise your freedom to not give TV ratings to media that favors the two-party system.
- Register as an Independent.
- Leave abusive and controlling churches that favor fear mongering over love and grace.
- Be wisely rebellious.
- Don’t worry about being called a heretic. We don’t need ‘friends’ who condemn and accuse anyway.
The only way we’re going to see a difference in our society is to BE the difference in society. It’s the cowards who conform and the heroes who stand.
Will you stand with us?
Sisterlisa
