I Want to be a Better Person. I Want to Make the World a Better Place.

I don't read the Wall Street Journal much. I don't listen to news much actually, most of the time it depresses me. The way I figure it is that if I need to know something important, somebody will call or text this dummy and let me know. 

However, there is the other side. Sometimes news not only informs but inspires. Sometimes it causes me to think, reflect and makes me want to be a better person.  That's the case with an article by Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal. Here Peggy reflects about a couple of things: Steve Job's last words: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow" (This reflection is worth the read in and of itself). And then she moves to talk about the new movie about Margret Thatcher "The Iron Lady" and movies in general these days.

In the article she made a statement that really made me think:  "In Iraq this year I asked an Iraqi military officer doing joint training at an American base what was the big thing he'd come to believe about Americans in the years they'd been there. He thought. "You are a better people than your movies say." He had judged us by our exports. He had seen the low slag heap of our culture and assumed it was a true expression of who we are." 

One of the reasons I love being involved in making good wholesome movies designed to make us better people is just that- we need to be better people.  Though it’s quite natural to focus predominately on the good in our lives, what we have accomplished and what is right about the world around us, we can’t simply ignore the ugly and wish them away. How can we continue to ignore the glaring wrongs and inconsistencies in our lives and culture? We can for a while, but they keep popping up like balloon's forced below the water's surface. And often, they surface with different faces:  corruption, greed, hatred, addiction, dishonesty, lust, resentment and a host of others. 

"What’s wrong with us?" must be asked. It has to be part of our conversation. Sermons have to be preached. Organizations shouldn’t shy away. Authors need to write about it. Friends have to bring it up to each other. Families need to take the risk with each other.  Producers ought to make movies about it. And, though most difficult of all, it must surface in my own thinking and stick in my conscious long enough to wrestle about and keep me up at night. It's not what I want to do, but, it’s what I must do. It’s what we must do as a culture.

I hope that one day people like the Iraqi officer will be able to say of America: "You are good people- just like your movies say you are." 

For this to happen we should resolve to deal with undesirables. We should then act better on a daily basis.  We must position our culture to make the difficult turns needed because quite frankly, its not happening on its own.  We have to start living and acting like we say we believe. 

Movies can shape our culture and lives for good.  It’s essential that we produce and support movies like "The Iron Lady", "October Baby", "Courageous" and a new breed of others missioned to change us for the common good, not just scare, humor and titillate our senses.

Make a promise along with me this year that you will vote with your ticket for more good movies with a virtuous purpose. 

Also, I hope that one day people will say of me "He was a good person- just like his life said he was."  

That is why I must talk about what’s wrong with me and not allow the hype about what’s right be overshadowed and crowded out. I must look at myself deeply as a husband, a son, a father, a humanitarian, a friend and a Christian.

The initial New Year’s introspection and evaluation?  I have a lot of work to do.

With God's help, I can do it.

With God's help, we can do it.