Gleason: A movie that could help each of us regain the spirit of brotherly love.

I want to share with you an incredible movie that will inspire and inform you.. Gleason is the story raw human emotion: fear, pain, love, but above all hope in the face of tremendous difficulty.

Steve Gleason played safety for the New Orleans Saints from 2000-2008. He has an incredible spirit of courage-- one which showed in his game, but was never so important as when he was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in 2011. The documentary catalogues Gleason's experience of being diagnosed with ALS, his video diary he created for his unborn child (conceived shortly after diagnosis), his phsysical and linguistic degeneration, his joy in fatherhood, and his ultimate triumph despite the calamity that threatened his very life.

All division between us should be viewed in context of Gleason's experience.. we all struggle, feel pain, achieve dreams and ultimately will all end our life here on this plane.. this man is a total inspiration and I hope his strength encourages you all to live your life to the fullest and to love and support your neighbor.

Here's a link to the movie's site:

www.gleasonmovie.com...

Would be interested in hearing from you if you already have/after you watch this film. It's heartbreaking at times, I warn you. But Gleason is no ordinary man, through his fears and dreams we can read the story of humanity.

originally posted by: zosimov
Gleason: A movie that could help each of us regain the spirit of brotherly love.

Movies are great for momentary sentiment and emotion, but a movie is not going to make you become Love.
We might take a night off from painting swastikas, but the 'feelings' are only, and all, passing.
But that moment of 'warmth' is more than many honestly experience (vs virtual), so it has it's place.
Unconditional Love = Enlightenment, and the odds of 'getting it' from a movie, any movie, is infinitesimally small.
A 'cheap thrill', though, is easily acquired at the movies!

a reply to: namelesss

Well, that is a very good point.

I would say that film is a powerful medium-- one that can dehumanize, which is why the news showing riots etc is able to generate such rage, and why certain fascist regimes employ propagandists to make movies with certain themes.

I definitely agree that no one shall gain enlightenment through a movie.. but.. this documentary is singular in that it strips man down to his bright and beautiful spirit. Gleason made it as a video record of himself and his struggles so that his unborn child would be able to know something about him, as he had been diagnosed with a degenerative disease which usually kills its host within 3 years of disgnosis, but in the process he revealed his luminous and courageous soul.

I do believe it would be hard to watch without having tremendous feelings of love toward fellow man (fraternity).

Check it out!

originally posted by: zosimov
a reply to: namelesss

Well, that is a very good point.

I would say that film is a powerful medium-- one that can dehumanize, which is why the news showing riots etc is able to generate such rage, and why certain fascist regimes employ propagandists to make movies with certain themes.

I think it rather naive to think that only "certain fascist regimes" utilize propaganda.
In an 'us vs them' mentality, it is always common strategy to dehumanize the 'enemy'.
We all know the 'names' that make the named appear less than human.
Whether newspapers or films, all wars have their propaganda.
I have been watching the nature and direction of popular movies and am taking notice of the trends.
One large trend is "the end of life as we know it"; all the apocalypse/zombie/end of the world scenarios seem to be proliferating.
Art mirrors.
We are watching tomorrow in these films.
The silver lining seems to be that it HAS to get worse before it can get better!
"Life as we know it" will not be missed at all in a couple hundred years!
Here will be Universal unconditional Love/Enlightenment!
But first, the boil of our insanity must be painfully squeezed!
And the result, 'the end of life as we know it', is the beginning of life as we will Know it!
Part of the insanity is the dehumanization of those we consider enemies by any and all means. It's easy to torture and kill a 'thing'. A feature of the insanity is perceiving people as 'enemies' in the first place. The latest political campaign was a shining example of this insanity, and the insane with whom it resonated!!

I definitely agree that no one shall gain enlightenment through a movie.. but.. this documentary is singular in that it strips man down to his bright and beautiful spirit. Gleason made it as a video record of himself and his struggles so that his unborn child would be able to know something about him, as he had been diagnosed with a degenerative disease which usually kills its host within 3 years of disgnosis, but in the process he revealed his luminous and courageous soul.

I do believe it would be hard to watch without having tremendous feelings of love toward fellow man (fraternity).

Check it out!

I agree that shining the light, any way that you can, is a light in the darkness of the insanity.
As Gandhi said; "Be the change that you want to see!"
Become Love...
Sounds like a real 4 tissue movie. Heh..
I'll watch it when I can. Thanks for the thumbs up. Always willing to see a flick that doesn't involve the slaughter of something.

There is a big difference between feelings and emotions, and unconditional Love.

True, unconditional Love is ALWAYS Known by It's unconditional Virtues; Compassion, Empathy, Sympathy, Gratitude, Humility, Charity (charity is never taking more than your share of anything, ever!), Honesty, Happiness, Faith...
ALWAYS!

Mat the Light shine from within...

tat tvam asi (en.wikipedia.org...)

Thanks, nameless, for the wise post. It was a joy to read. I love your definition of charity.

You're right that any opportunity at catching a glimpse of the light shining through chaos should be taken.

I have to warn you.. you might need the whole box of tissues for this one. I had to stop the movie mid-way to do a bit of research because I couldn't bear if it ended in the way I feared. Let's say that I was glad to be wrong and to persevere through to the end.

Steve Gleason is an inspiring man. He is also, in a sense, Everyman, as his struggles are shared by so many in this world. His courage is a testament that we don't always need to be fortunate to be blessed and to bless others in turn.

Thank you for your blessing. May you keep your light shining brightly.