Making a difference

Film Review: Freedom writers

I watched this film last night with Amy (my wife) and wanted to quickly blog on it.

'Freedom Writers' is a true story about how one woman made a difference.  Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) takes a job teaching inner-city kids raised on drive-by shootings and huge racial divides in the midst of the L.A riots.  As people around her, including her husband and father, tell her that these kids are 'unteachable' she makes a difference and helps them to reclaim their lives and identities.  It's a powerful film of how one person really can make a difference.

Two things really stood out for me in the film:

Firstly, being a pioneer means sacrifice
Erin Gruwell, or Mrs G as she was affectionately called by her class, wanted to make an impact.  She wanted to change the lives of 30 young men and women and in order to do this is meant working long hours, taking three jobs and selflessly putting her own desires to one side.  For her it cost her her reputation, her time, her energy and her relationships with those closest to her.

As I watched and reflected it made me think of other pionners; Mandela, Wilberforce, Luther King, and how they had to make huge sacrifices in their lives.  Mandela was impriosoned for over 30 years, Wilberforce battled through sickness and huge opposition and of course King was assasinated.

Secondly it reminded me that people don't like change
Whenever you see a pioneer you always see opposition.  Trying to make an impact is never easy.  Mrs G didn't have the support of her family, of the other teachers at the school or of the parents of the kids she was teaching.  Ultimately this is why people like Mandela spent years behind bars and King was murdered.

Mrs G was swimming against the tide but rather than giving in, she fought.  She did something about her situation rather than letting her situation dictate her life.  She refused to settle for something that wasn't right.  She did something that has changed the lives of 30 young people, something that can never be taken away, something lasting that they will always have.  She believed in them and gave them hope and a future. 

She sacrificed and refused to give into the opposition.

It got me thinking...what's the story I'm writing? 

If there was to be a film made about my life what would the morale of the story be?  Would there be people lined up saying 'this man has changed my life?'  I desperately want to change this world for the better.  I want to be someone who breaks new ground; someone who breaks the mould and someone who doens't allow the circumstances around me dictate how I live my life.

So the questions I find asking myself are: Am I willing to pay the price, whether it be time, money or reputation?  And am I willing to stand in the face of oppostion and see the obstacles as opportunites for something great?

The question is are you? 

It's a great film that I'd highly recommend and f you want to get it, just click here!