The Way Back

So I watched this movie a couple weeks ago called The Way Back. Then two days ago, the smell of burgers on the grill and the sight of fireworks in the sky reminded me of something:

I am very thankful for the freedoms we have as citizens in the United States of America. I mean, there aren’t a whole lot of places in the world where you can shoot off colorful explosives just for fun.

I am also thankful for the freedom of press. I know there is censoring in the U.S. and the distortion of propaganda, but I thank God for the freedom of press. I thank him because there are people in the U.S., who, because we have a great amount of resources and freedom, have been able to apply their talents to make great movies and publish great stories. Specifically, I am thankful for the people who helped create The Way Back.

If you haven’t seen it, it is about the journey of a few prisoners escaping from the gulags in Siberia and trekking some 4000 miles to freedom. The movie is exceptional, and I dare say it is one of the best I’ve seen. Because of freedom of press, one director was able to collaborate with a team of actors and together (with a 1000 other people behind the scenes) they could craft a piece of art we call a movie. I admire the director, Peter Weir, for his ability to tell a meaningful story about a piece of history that many Americans overlook. We are familiar with the atrocities of the German Nazi prison camps against the Jews, but we are not as familiar with the Soviet’s gulags in Siberia.

The Way Back opened my eyes and brought me back. It brought me back to an attitude of gratitude. It helped me appreciate something that I have often taken for granted–freedom. And it also gave me hope. Hope that we as humans can treat each other with dignity. Hope that we can work together as a team. Hope that we can help each other along in this journey. Hope that we can follow a Selfless Leader back to Eden, back to freedom.