HappyRant

Freedom Writers

If you want an inspiring, make-you-want-to-change-the-world kind of movie, go out and rent Freedom Writers. 

Based on the true story of Erin Gruwell, it chronicles the work of an idealistic new teacher who lands in a school in Los Angeles with deep racial rifts between the students in the post-Rodney King days. Many of the students have essentially been abandoned by the system.

Rather than buy into the assumption that her students are "unteachable," she finds ways to break through their shells, break down the walls they have erected between themselves, and introduce them to learning in a way that feels relevant to them.

On the Freedom Writers Foundation website it describes the students' attitude like this: "...on our first day of high school, we had only three things in common: we hated school, we hated our teacher, and we hated each other." The movie follows the transformation from students who have given up to students who care about the future and care about each other.

Since her teaching days, Gruwell has gone on to found the Freedom Writers Foundation, aimed at spreading the Freedom Writers Method she developed.

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Invincible

I just watched Invincible, a movie about Vince Papale, a Philadelphia substitute teacher and part-time bouncer who tried out for the Philadelphia Eagles in a tryout open to the public and made the team.

It's a great feelgood movie. Even if you're not a big fan of sports movies, you'll probably like this one, as there's a minimum of locker room inspiration. Most of the action takes place in a bar and around South Philadelphia.

While I loved the movie, the bit that really stuck in my head most was a (very) minor subplot.  The movie is set in South Philly in the mid-70's. Blue-collar and gritty. One of the minor characters frequents the bar where Papale works. Slouched over the bar with a drink in his hand, throughout the movie he makes negative comments about Papale's potential, and how he's going to still be nothing when all the excitement about trying out for the team dies down.

Tired of it, Papale asks the guy who owns the bar, "What's his problem?" The bar owner says, "He's just scared." He has no job, no family. He feels like a complete loser.

All the guys in the bar also play on a neighborhood football team (games are played on a dirt lot with no pads, helmets, etc.). Early in the Eagles' season, goaded by the negative guy, Papale ends up playing a game with them because they're getting beaten. At the end of the game, Papale throws a touchdown to the negative guy.

You could see how, for that moment anyway, the negative guy felt like a winner.

That got me thinking how many people there are out there who feel like a loser in their lives. They're disappointed, in themselves, in the world. Maybe they've given up hope. And that has an impact on how the treat the world around them.

What would happen if something turned that on its head? What would happen if they started to see potential in themselves? How would that impact their lives? How would that impact the world they came in touch with?

Some of the most inspiring people I know help turn people's belief from "I can't" to "maybe I can." Some of it is a magic fairy dust kind of inspiration, but a lot of it is a breath of reality. Most people have so much more potential than they will ever give themselves credit for.

We never see what happens to the negative guy. He doesn't magically get a job. But the look on his face for that one brief moment, the pride and the happiness, planted a seed in my head.

We all have the potential to be a winner, however we choose to define that. When we help someone believe in themselves, we unlock the potential to change the world for the better.

Whew! All that from a minor scene in the movie. Cool, eh?

The Ultimate Gift's investor sees film as philanthropy tool

The Ultimate Gift is opening in theaters here in the US on Friday. This article describes the film, based on the Greek myth of Hercules, like this:

...a spoiled scion starts with a dozen chores on the to-do list that he must complete before inheriting the immense fortune of his recently departed oil tycoon grandfather, played by James Garner.

The greeting card of a movie remains true to the ancient story's central lesson: You cannot rely on lineage or rest on laurels if you want to gain a legacy that will sustain you and the generations that follow.

Regardless — or because — of pedigree, a person descended from the king of all Greek gods or a 21st-century self-made billionaire must do something worthwhile in life.

The myth's moral populates philanthropy parables in the world's major religions, including Islam's pillar of Zakat, Hinduism's conduct of dana, Judaism's tenet of tzedakah, Buddhism's foundation of compassion and Christianity's New Covenant commandment of neighborly love.

What fascinated me in the article was the philosophy behind the film's funding:

And the universality of that enduring message led Houston-based Stanford Financial Group to invest $14 million in the film's production.

"If the movie doesn't make any money in the market when it comes out, we've already accomplished what we set out to accomplish," said Jay Comeaux, director of the privately held wealth management company's head office.

"We are giving the philanthropic community this movie as a tool to help them with their constituents."

Everywhere I look, people and companies are standing up and saying, "It's time to make the world a better place." And everywhere I look, people and companies are marrying that conviction with action.

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Amazing Grace

I went to Amazing Grace yesterday. It's the story of William Wilberforce, the English politician who pushed for 20 years to get the slave trade outlawed before finally succeeding in 1807.

As usually happens with movies like this, I came away energized and inspired for the work I'm doing in the world, as well as the difference I want to make.

I tend to have this internal observer that hangs out on my shoulder and watches what is going on in my brain. While the story itself was certainly compelling, that observer noticed that there were two things about it that really got my blood pumping - and they inspired me because they're just as applicable today as they were 200 years ago.

First, there was the dynamic that happens when people who believe in something gather together in an effort to make it reality. It's energizing. From my own experience, I love the way it feeds my passion, gives me different perspectives, and sustains my motivation.

So out of that, here's a question for you. What change do you want to see in the world? What do you care enough about to get involved? Who else cares? Are there any groups you can connect with? Can you create your own?

Second was the element of action. People weren't just passionate about something, they were doing something about it. They were taking action. I found myself wanting to jump into something and roll up my sleeves.

While I think that all change has its roots in the exchange of ideas, at some point people need to put rubber to the road and start taking steps (towards whatever change it is that inspires them).

So here's another question for you. What steps can you take towards something you care about? How can you get involved? Where is the action just waiting to happen?

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Positive movie picks

I would like this post and the post on positive book picks to grow over time and become a resource for ideas on positive books and movies to choose from. People can't pick them up if they don't know about them, so here's your chance to share the wealth!

What movies or documentaries have you seen that have had a positive impact on your life? What movies/documentaries inspire you?

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