A Tale of Two Men

I don't usually watch the Oscar Awards ceremony which is televised to all the star struck people in television land. I have never seen the fascination in following who is paired with whom on the red carpet or what they are wearing. I just check after the main event to see who has been crowned best actor or actress, or which film has come out as the winner. But this year for some reason I was on that channel when the last awards were handed out. The best actor award went to Eddie Redmayne for portraying Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything”, which follows his rather extraordinary life. I have not seen the movie, but like so many people out there, I know who Stephen Hawking is and have read at least one of his books.

We do not know what amount of time we are granted on this Earth. But what we do with that time can be our choice. Stephen Hawking chose to overcome a severe disability to use his mind to delve into the mysteries of human existence, and the beginning of time and space as we know it. He chose to do something positive to further mankind's knowledge.

Just this evening I was watching the news and heard that they have identified “Jihadi John”. Although apparently they have known his name for some time, but chose to withhold it in hopes of possibly figuring out his location. Since they are going public with his name I have to assume they have given up that hope. Jihadi John is, of course, the black clad, masked man we have been seeing on the news holding the large knife over a kneeling hostage. He is the public face for the group ISIL. The contrast between what Stephen Hawking chose to do with his life and what this man has chosen is stark.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

The Idea of Freedom

This morning as I was reading my paper I came across an article entitled  Pakistan's War on Books . For someone who loves books I was saddened to say the least. Books are windows into other worlds, they open the mind to other ways of thinking, they entertain us when we are bored, and they comfort us when we are lost.

But perhaps more disturbing then all of the above, is the idea that a government is so afraid of outside ideas that they would go to the extreme measure of stifling them. It is a tool that authoritarian regimes use to control their citizens.

We have seen it before.

North Country

Time for another serious subject, as well as something Minnesota, I think. Another movie might be in order. This one was out a number of years ago, but it has a certain relevance today. Sometimes we need to be reminded of our past and the things people before us have had to do to create the world we live in today. Because it all so easily can slip away if we are not careful.

I remember discussing this movie with a co-worker when it first came out. We each came away with different feelings. The movie, “North Country”, is inspired by a true story that took place in Minnesota back in the late '70's. It is the story of a single mother trying to support her two children by taking a job working at a mine in northern Minnesota. A man's job. Or so her male co-workers believed. When their resentment leads to harassment, much of it sexual, she decides to fight back, leading to the first class action lawsuit filed in the United States. This was not an easy decision, as so many in the town, including her family and many of her women co-workers, were initially opposed, not wanting to rock the boat. But it was her perseverance and those who eventually stood by her that helped change lives for so many working women after her.

My co-worker was actually a little ashamed because she had always thought better of our state, but I looked at it from exactly the opposite view, that we had some good people here who fought for something they believed in and made a difference for those who followed in their footsteps. It is a film worth seeing.  And, yes, quite a bit of it was actually filmed in Minnesota.