There
are few refuges during a brutal winter; so few places to hide and stay calm and
warm.
It’s
not the weather that has made this winter brutal. It has had its violent ups and
downs but it is winter weather we have been getting used to over the past few
years.
No,
it’s not weather that has made this winter so distressing and cruel. It is the swelling
madness in the world around us. It is depressing.
Hunkered
down in his Maine hideaway horror author Stephen King Tweeted the other day:
“Somewhere
in America there must be a bar for depressed people featuring Unhappy Hour.”
The
craziness is everywhere.
In
Syria they can’t bury the bodies of the women and children fast enough as
government and Russian warplanes relentlessly rain down bombs and rockets.
In
Ontario, Patrick Brown and the Conservatives continue to rip the party apart
like a pack of wild dogs.
In
the U.S. they want to arm teachers to stop the school massacres occurring
roughly once a week. If that doesn’t work, perhaps they’ll arm the students,
offering them bonus grades and National Rifle Association discounts on
textbooks.
In
Canada we have been treated to the Bollywood performances of the prime minister
and his family on a taxpayer funded vacation in India. Wow, that white sherwani
with golden threads, the kurta shirts, the embroidered saris and the garlands
of flowers strung around their necks!
And,
those awesome bhangra dance moves! Our prime minister certainly can preen and
dance.
Wonder
who is getting the bill for all those costumes?
And,
wasn’t it just a few months ago that there was raging controversy in this
country over cultural appropriation? Several media editors lost their jobs because
of it.
When
winter madness becomes too much, there is only one escape: The movie theatre.
I
am a reluctant movie goer because today’s films often are too much bang-bang,
boom-boom special effects efforts. Much gunfire and explosions but little in
the way of real story.
February actually was a good month
for the movies. There were some meaningful movies with stories that carried
important messages.
The first I saw was Wonder about a boy with a facial
deformity who is ostracized and bullied at school because of his different looks.
In the end he wins an award at graduation and receives a standing ovation.
The message: Treat people with
understanding and respect despite their looks, or their race, creed or colour.
Then there was Black Panther the mega-hit with lots of
sci-fi stuff and special effects but some important messages. The film is
elevating, raising up black people, women and African countries that the U.S.
president has called s-holes.
Black Panther is a movie created by black people and starring black people
but it is a movie that applies to all people. Our colour doesn’t matter. We are
all people working to solve problems to create a better world.
I also saw The Butler, an
older movie about a White House butler during the 1960s civil rights wars in
the U.S. It is a story that shows just how far we have progressed in trying the
eliminate racial prejudice.
I’m glad I went to the movies.
Because after seeing these three I was no longer looking for a bar that offered
Unhappy Hour.
The movies left me with the
feeling that despite the world’s current descent into madness, there is hope.
They showed how real people have overcome bigotry, bullying, plain stupidity
and over time have continued to make the world a better place.
Progress in making the world a
better place has slowed for now because too many political leaders are narcissistic,
not-too-bright duds. That will change, however, when more of us realise we must
stop accepting mediocrity and start electing real leaders.
That will happen. Real people will
begin electing wise leaders who will help build understanding and tolerance,
and work relentlessly for the common good, not just for themselves, their party
or a political pressure group.
As the superhero of Black Panther tells the United Nations
in the film’s final scene:
“In times of crises, the wise
build bridges, while the foolish build walls.”
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