Our local Centre for Spiritual Living Campbell River screened this movie tonight. We had shown Velcrow Ripper’s previous film, Scared Sacred, a few months back. Usually I view the films before we screen them, but for some reason — time, opportunity, some other excuse — I didn’t. I went on faith that it would be good/appropriate/thought provoking for our still small, but rather regular, audience.
We were not disappointed.
The trailer does not do this film justice. The trailer makes it sound like one man’s opinion on spirit in action. This is far from the case. The filmmaker showed layer upon layer of demonstrations of spirit in action all over the world. And across time.
It was highly educational for me. Some of the stories made me wake up and wonder where I was when this was all going on in the world. I knew the answer immediately. I was in my small world, raising my children. I was not aware of the outside world. My life was consumed by my tiny world. It was so small.
I don’t mean for this to be a review of the film, but rather a commentary on how it affected me personally tonight. I was moved to tears at one point. I could have been moved many more times, if I had let myself do so.
I could have shed more tears when the farm in South Central LA was bulldozed down. It was such a violent act. People who had dedicated so much time and energy to standing up for what they believed in were crying. In pain. But the spirit never dies. I won’t give away the story except to say when we think all hope is lost, when we think Spirit has abandoned us because things didn’t turn out the way WE believed it ought to, Hope remains. Spirit remains. Sometimes we lose sight, but the energy remains.
Some of the images were violent. I had never seen footage of Rodney King being beaten. I think I had, up to that point, successfully avoided bringing such violence into my life. I denied it. I watched it tonight, though. Not reacting, just observing. Observing humanity. Harming itself. Such change comes out of such chaos.
Humanity harming itself, simply because we don’t know any better. When the film showed one side against the other, I reminded myself – those ‘others’ are not to be hated. Those ‘others’ – the police throwing tear gas at the World Trade demonstrations in Quebec and any other individual or group of individuals harming others in the name of what they believe to be right — they are us. They are us, too.
If we’re One, we’re One. We aren’t One only when we all believe the same thing. The challenge is to treat each other respectfully, regardless of our beliefs. To have reverence for life, in all its shapes, sizes and colours. Reverence for life in all its diversity. To love the members of an Army whose actions you don’t agree with. To not think, “They’re wrong to gather like that and support each other in what they’re doing.” Reverence for life in our thoughts. Peace begins within. We must learn to watch for violent tendencies in our own thoughts.
The effects of this film will linger for awhile. I hope it provides the impetus for change within my own life. As I was watching, I asked myself a few times, “Am I doing enough?” A woman lived in a California Redwood tree for TWO YEARS to stand up for what she believed in. Have I ever done anything like that?
No.
But I am doing what I can. My Spirit meets Action in raising my children. In demonstrating to them, moment by moment, in the best way possible, to be peace. I’m not always successful. As the years go by, I’m getting better and better. Practice, practice, practice. I’m also doing what I can to help bring films like this to our community in my role as Coordinator for the Spiritual Cinema. I also do my best to bring the highest of myself to my work as an RN.
Yet, I know I can do more. By asking the question, the answer will appear.
Will you ask what more you can do?
