The Monuments Men: For the Love of History

I just saw the movie, “The Monuments Men.” If you love history, you need to see the movie. However, if you ever doubted the significance of knowing history, you REALLY need to see this movie. 

Case in point, whoever wrote the script — and since I didn’t bother looking that up, I’ll just blame George Clooney — if you’re going to make a movie about a historical event, it’s pretty important that you get your facts right. Just to be clear… The World War 1 Memorial is NOT in St. Louis. OK? I can at least take some satisfaction in knowing you got the damned state right. Now that I’ve got that off my chest…

I fervently believe that the single most significant thing that sets man apart as a species from every other animal that walks, flies or swims on this earth is our development of written communication. Since the beginning of time, when prehistoric men drew pictures on caves, more or less saying, “I was here, and this is what I saw and did,” we have had the capability of understanding what went before us. 

Whether or not that knowledge is used for good or bad is a matter of choice. History tells us there were many bad choices. And, THAT is why the knowledge of history is important. How do we know who Plato was? How do we know who Michelangelo was?  How do we know who Jesus was? And, how do we know who Hitler was?

Go see the movie. It may be one of the best 1.5 hours you’ll spend all month. It’s entertaining, it’s heartbreaking, it’s uplifting, it’s well written… except, of course, for getting the location of the World War 1 Memorial wrong. I’m still a little pissed about that. 

But, more than anything, it will show any doubters who think history is lame how wrong they are. I’m not saying everyone should be as crazy about history as I am. But, I am saying we all need to respect its importance and realize that we’re lucky there were, and still are, people who ARE crazy about it… crazy enough to die saving it. 

As George Clooney says in the movie, our achievements are our identity. And, without recorded history, whether it be paintings, sculptures, buildings or just words in a book, we have no identity.

The REAL Monuments Men

God, Morgan and Me

I personally think Morgan Freeman is one of the coolest individuals living on the planet. This quote of his explained my beliefs better than I ever could. I believe that every time we put another's well being before our own, we become Jesus, Allah or whatever Deity a person holds sacred. 

I respect every belief system, and I applaud every faith-based post and meme I see on my Facebook feed. I think it's important to put those reminders out there, to remind everyone that we're all part of a whole and, therefore, responsible for ourselves AND each other. While I don't take the Bible literally, I personally think it is one of the most important books ever written. I've never read the Koran or the Torah, but from what I know of them, I believe they are very much like the Christian Bible, basically a calling to take a high road in how we live and treat all the other creatures that exist on this planet. 

There's a house down the street from me that has posters in the yard with Bible-inspired sayings on signs in the yard, like "Seek Jesus' Face" and "There is no Love greater than the Lord's." Some people would call that fanaticism. I know I did until, suddenly one day, the signs weren't there. I NEVER realized how much I counted on seeing those signs, how instinctive it was for me to SEARCH that yard for the assurance that there were people who were so strong in their faith, they were willing to openly share it in such a manner. I felt a loss when I didn't see the signs and was, honestly, relieved to see them return in a couple of days. I don't know the people who live there, but I have resolved to stop some day and tell them how much the signs mean to me. And, while I don't think I believe in exactly the same way as they do, I'm pretty sure our hearts are in the same place.

It's about respect. It's about belief that individually we are insignificant in the whole scheme of things, but majestic in our individual ability to make change in a society that is obviously corrupt and morally sick. 

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) 

I can't testify absolutely that it is Jesus or God who makes me want to be a better person, but I totally get that my strength needs to be a reflection of the tenets of Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and every other defender of faith we've been blessed to know. Because, whether you want to admit it or not, the message is the same from every faith... from the beginning of time. It's pretty simple really... admit that there is a power higher than what you control and love your fellow Earthly inhabitants as much as you love yourself. How hard can that be... seriously.

I'm not religious. I am, however, deeply spiritual. And, I truly believe most of us want the same thing... peace, respect and justice. But, here's the crux... how far are we willing to go to achieve that? I believe it's time we all take a moral evaluation of where we are, where we think we should be and just what we're willing to do to create the world we know we are capable of creating. It means taking a different road, setting an example, being the person you know you want to be. I know I'm ready... are you?