Have you ever wondered what it would look like outside of your heart and mind if your definition of a perfect world was your reality? Have you ever felt like everything around you was so ugly, insensitive and uncaring, that you used your imagination to create in your minds eye a place where humanity is silver and love is gold? And the place you imagined was etched in your mental center with the paint brush of your heart to ensure that everything was pure and authentic. Well, that is what Johnny and Pony Boy, played by Ralph Macchio and C. Thomas Howell were talking about in this classic scene from the 1982 movie The Outsiders. They dreamed of not just existing, but living in A Place Like That.
I have to believe that these two young men who were living in very meager conditions, saw no other escape from their unstable households and tough environment, that they created a place within themselves; a place that was so peaceful and kind that they kept it between the two of them. They only shared it with each other because one recognized it in the other. They were like-minded, a kindred spirit. They longed to belong without having to compromise who they really were on the inside in order to fit in with what their peers thought was cool and acceptable.
What they wanted was to experience humanity that is free of hate and turmoil. What they wanted were parents who cared enough to give a damn. A father who would take them fishing, teach them how to change a tire, talk to them about girls, take them out to the ball park, and play catch in the yard.
They wanted a mother who saw them as being important enough to make sure their needs were met before hers. A mother who loved on them, nurtured them, told them how good they were when they were doing well and corrected them when they missed the mark. They wanted silver days and gold nights; and they didn't have to be perfect, perfection was not a requirement; no, the only requirement was to be part of a caring atmosphere that was attentive enough to let them know that they mattered. Their desire was to be able to embrace -- A Place Like That.
A place like that was a place that already existed in their hearts. A place like that was already a reality deep within their young souls that was not so young. They carried an ancient beauty inside that transcended the scope and understanding of their surroundings that left them feeling discounted, dismissed, and alone. It left them knowing that they could not share what they saw and felt with their peers because their peers chose coping mechanisms over confronting their fears to help them through their daily realities; realities that were unapologetic about what was happening to them.
Have any of you who are reading this blog have ever been in a hopeless and/or helpless state of mind, birthed from the womb of perilous times? Have you ever felt so defeated and depleted that you stopped caring about yourself to the point that it didn't matter to you what happened to you? Have you ever had so much self pity going on due to feeling unwanted and unloved that you invited the swift and indiscriminate hand of death to carry you away? Maybe you haven't. But there are people out there who have, just like Johnny and Pony Boy. Those people, who still have a glimmer of hope left to hold onto, hope to be able to experience a love free of conditions. They hope to experience a people free of preconceived notions and judgmental attitudes due to how they look, where they live, what they have or have not. They hope to experience the human touch, one that is free of hurt and aggression but driven by a gentle and compassionate nature. They hope to be looked upon as someone who has value, someone who has something to offer -- because what they truly want is to offer it to you; to be the something or someone that you might be missing. Yes, they simply want to wake up from the dream that keeps replaying itself on the dual screen of their hearts and minds to find themselves alive and well into the realty of -- A Place Like That.
Unfortunately, the not so covert operation of social engineering has proselytized and conditioned our society into a mindset and attitude of rugged individualism - i.e. I, I, I . . . me, me, me, with little to no regard for the next man, woman, or child. It is played out on every level of life, but mostly among the rich, filthy rich, and explicitly wealthy people whose motivation is greed. We see the trickle down effect of that attitude permeating throughout our locale; especially in the political arena where the policy makers use nonsensical policy and their authority to govern the livelihood of the less fortunate via gentrification, also known as urban renewal. A better name for it would be purging. I guess until we start giving a damn about each other, like Johnny and Pony Boy, we will remain subjected to a place like this while we hope, dream, and wish for silver days and golden nights in . . . A Place Like That.
By Craig D. Samuels
12/06/2018
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