January 21, 2018
More Than Music...
By Barry Rudesill
I know, I know! I like to talk a lot about music! It’s because, for me, music IS part of my life. I love to have a soundtrack playing throughout my day; music that matches the tasks in front of me. It helps to keep me focused, inspired, and moving forward. That’s why, today, I want to share some of the most incredible music that I’ve heard in a while...
My wife and I went on a date this weekend, and ended up going to see the movie, “The Greatest Showman”. (If you need an uplifting movie, something that’s got a very positive message, this is your movie!) I knew next-to-nothing about it. I knew it was a musical, it features Hugh Jackman who I like as a singer/actor, and I knew that I would get to spend time with my wife! (That was all I needed!)
Then the movie started…
If you’ve never seen it, “The Greatest Showman” deals with some very complex issues, like the quest for fame, acceptance, racial equality, being “different”, being rejected by “the world”, being faithful in marriage, figuring out what really matters, and so much more. It’s done around the “larger-than-life” person of P. T. Barnum and – with some typical Hollywood exaggerations – deals with his experiences in life that led him to become “The Greatest Showman”.
Then The Trek messages began:
Jenny Lind, the opera singer, tells us: “All the shine of a thousand spotlights, all the stars we steal from the night sky, will never be enough.” Chasing after fame, we’re told, will never be enough. No matter how much we chase it, we’ll always need more! If we’re relying on the world to tell us who we are...it never will…
At the end, P. T. Barnum tells us: “I drank champagne with kings and queens, the politicians praised my name, but those were someone else’s dreams, the pitfalls of the man I became. For years and years I chased their cheers, a crazy speed of always needing more...” In the process of trying to become famous, he leaves those he loves behind...and he realizes that it’s a worthless deal. He traded the love and acceptance he had for an illusion, something that could never be attained.
But the most powerful song in the movie is it’s main anthem. The “oddities”, assembled by Barnum, are those people who are different from society. Because of that, they are embarrassed, ashamed and they end up hiding themselves from the world. Through Barnum, they come to realize that they have worth and value. At a crucial turning point in the film, they rise up and sing – and what a song they sing!
“I am not a stranger to the dark,
‘Hide away,’ they say
‘Cause we don’t want your broken parts.’
I’ve learned to be ashamed of all
My scars.
‘Run away,’ they say,
‘No one’ll love you as you are!’
But, I won’t let them break me down
To dust,
I know that there’s a place for us
For we are glorious!”
To all of you who have been beaten down by the world; to all of you who have scars; to all of you who’ve been rejected; to all of you who feel that you are different, dirty, damaged or defective, this is your anthem. Click here to be redirected to YouTube to hear the song, "This Is Me".
Be who you are! Be who you were made to be! Rise up and don’t let anyone else define you! Truly, you ARE glorious!
We hope you enjoy your journey!
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