A Swift Kick & A Band-Aid

Walk the Line

I saw Walk the Line last night. Let me tell you, it was a hard movie to watch. It was a good movie, but I almost walked out on at least three separate occasions because it weighed so heavy on me that I thought I might never get the tears to stop if I stayed. However, I did stay and was able to manage keeping the waterworks to a minimum.

Earlier yesterday, I read Eric's take on the movie...

… the sad thing is, Johnny Cash had everything.. fame, fortune, and blowjobs from adoring bobby-soxers… but he drove himself into the ground because his Pa was an asshole… full of self-pity, the Great Man in Black had the backbone of slow-boiled Cajun shrimp.. at least according to the movie… it took June Carter straightening him up and stroking his ego to save him from oblivion…

I have to say, no disrespect intended, I didn't see things quite the same way. Of course, most everything I now know about Johnny Cash (other than the music) is from this movie, so I could be off in left field picking belly button lint for all I know. But I saw Johnny Cash as someone far from that with a backbone of slow-boiled shrimp. I saw a man more honest with himself than most people I've met today, that lacked the tools and support to constructively manage that honesty. There were no secrets about his pain or where it came from. I saw a man that knew, deep down, that he was worth something with great things to offer. But I also saw a man that saw himself through glasses that, unfortunately, no one else wore. His mirror became their perception. He was abandoned, even in success, and turned to vices for comfort.

June Carter didn't stroke his ego. From what I saw, she elegantly kicked him more times than most any man could ever take. What man today do you know that would keep coming back after all the closed doors and broken dreams? Not many. June Carter didn't straighten him up. She walked away from the self-destructive behavior and refused to be a part of the negative comfort seeking lifestyle he was leading. What June Carter did for Johnny Cash was the greatest thing any person can do for another - she shattered that mirror of other people's perceptions. She wore the glasses he had worn so long ago. She allowed him to see a better reality that didn't need to be escaped.

I will admit, no one is bulletproof, but in my mind, my heros will always be 6 feet tall... You see, my heros are the ones that struggle but manage to get back up again. The ones that can stumble, falter, and fall, but always return with a comeback. The ones that inspire perserverence and determination by their success against adversity, not their luck or aura of Godliness. Anyone that can keep walking forward, no matter how many roadblocks come up or how many times they make the wrong choice, will forever be the tallest person I know.

Posted by Princess Cat at December 3, 2005 01:50 PM @ 01:50 PM in Ok, I'm Serious Here // Permalink | TrackBack