American Sniper

Could you imagine being responsible for killing over 160 people and have the ability to walk around freely in society?  I can't even imagine what that does to your psyche.  Do you feel like a warrior, a killer?  Justified because you protected your fellow soldiers?  Or does it make you sad, or proud?  This movie touched me in a way that I've never been touched before, patriotically.  Veterans, I always respected, but honestly there was always a gap with what I thought they experienced, versus what I'm sure they really experienced.  This movie helped close that gap for me.  

I left the movie feeling so empathetic that I had to text one of my Veteran friends and thank him again for his service.  I now feel and believe there is a HUGE gap between what civilians think our soldiers go through, versus what they really experience day in and day out on the battlefield and when they come home.  It made me feel horrible.  How could so many of us walk through our daily lives, freely, so unaware, while these soldiers are fighting for us and experiencing so much confusion and pain.  Our reality of cars, work, and social status seem to really stress us out doesn't it?  We have NO CLUE what it feels like to carry the weight of what these soldiers carry on their shoulders and in their minds every day.  Not only do they have THAT to carry, but also the adjustment back to our materialistic fake society that surrounds and encompasses us all.  

I highly recommend seeing this movie.  I think it did a great job detailing what our soldiers go through, not only on the battlefield, but what they see and feel once they come home.  I've never felt so in touch with what they go through until now, and even with this film I'm sure we're all still far off from really understanding.  

It inspired me.  It made me want to help, to reach out, to do something.  

Now I know there are some of you that think, "well they chose to go over there and fight."  And trust me, I get that, and in no way would I ever make that choice, not right now anyway.  Which makes me feel even more thankful and empathetic for our soldiers.  I don't think that war is the answer, but I also think that no one has the answers to this convoluted world of politics, economics, and terror that we're all going through these days.  

I know there are soldiers too that are fine when they come home.  And those guys are extremely strong.  Shoot I need some advice from them on how to cope with some things in my life and I'm far off from holding the weight of what they carry in their minds.  

Anyway, I wanted to share my experience because it truly touched me and I will forever hold Veterans in an even more higher regard now.  

Interstellar - WOW

Tonight I went to see the movie Interstellar with my Dad.  Of course now I remember the trailer, but before the movie, I had no idea what I was about to get into....  My heart...My soul...My thoughts...My fears...My dreams...My emotions...all busted wide open.

This. Movie. Was............  Indescribable.  It hit me on SO many levels that I left the theater in tears. 

For those who have not seen the movie, I'll try not to spoil anything for you.  But do yourself a favor by NOT googling the trailer before watching it.  Just watch it.  Just press play. 

First off, mad props to the writers and producers.  This movie blew me away, almost literally.  Yes, this is a movie about "space."  But it's not your typical space/universe movie.  I don't want to give too much away, but there is somewhat of a love story, and that could mean partner love, family love, life love, human love, etc.  It's also based in the future which makes it very interesting.  A future that we could potentially face?  It bridges the relationships between friends, family, trust, purpose, and time.  It really made me think, about all those things.  So combine that with the universe, other galaxies, OMG.  Mind blown.

One of my all time favorite quotes is, "You can tell a man is clever by his answers, you can tell a man is wise by his questions."  For me, that sums up my life fairly accurately.  I've always asked questions.  I've always wanted to ask questions.  I like to understand how and why things work, that's just how I learn by understanding.  The problem is however, still to this day I have more questions than answers.  The more answers I find, the more questions I start to think of.  Sometimes it drives me crazy.  Sometimes it makes me feel like a misfit.  Do others ever wonder about some of the random things that I do?  How could no one care to discuss the universe, or other dimensions, planes, cloud formations, or why things are certain colors?  Deep down I want to know and understand these type of things.  My soul is like sponge, and I truly feel like my purpose is through this quest.  The quest I still fight at times, but sometimes marvel in wonder. 

So as a human that is not an astronaut, I already have many questions about life, purpose, space, time, etc.  But imagine an astronaut, someone who is not only educated but experienced in floating around in our atmosphere not only looking down on earth, but looking out into the endless bounds of our universe.  WHAT IN THE FUCK DO THEY THINK ABOUT!  I mean seriously!  Jesus Christ what do they believe about God, death, life, time?  Based on the research I've seen this movie was fairly accurate from a scietific standpoint.  The theory of relativity for crying out loud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I mean.......!!!!!!!!!??

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"Gravitational time dilation is a real phenomenon that has been observed on Earth. It occurs because time is relative, meaning time runs at different rates for different reference frames. When you're in a strong gravitational environment time runs slower for you relative to people in a weak gravitational environment.

If you are near a black hole, like the one in the film, your gravitational reference frame, and therefore your perception of time, is different than someone standing on Earth. This is because the gravitational pull from the black hole is stronger the closer you are to it.

For you, a minute near a black hole will still last 60 seconds, but if you could look at a clock on Earth, a minute will appear to last less than 60 seconds. This means you will age more slowly than the people on Earth. And the stronger the gravitational field you're in, the more extreme the time dilation.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/crazy-physics-to-understand-interstellar-2014-11#ixzz3KQkGdFTc
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This movie not only moved me, but inspired me.  It allowed mountains to move within me that I had been detouring for a while now.  Please go watch it.  I hope it has as great of an impact on you as it did me.