"We don't need another hero. There are enough in the graveyard already."
"Stop dreaming and go back to work."
Said the father to his son.
To which the son replied...
"If there were more heroes, freedom wouldn't be a dream."
The line seemed to haunt me for the entire movie.
I kept thinking...
How could a father squash his son's dreams like that?
Was he trying to crush the dream, or just protect the child?
The scene stayed with me until this morning, so I had to get some of my thoughts out to you today.
My son and I went to see Black Adam yesterday, and I really enjoyed it.
Even if the movie was a total flop, I would have loved it for the thoughts that one piece of dialogue stirred up.
And even more so, because anything that brings my son and I closer together, I cherish.
For my son and I, one of those things we have always bonded over are Marvel and DC movies.
We always get tickets together to the opening night show of every movie that comes out.
We sit in the same seats in the top row middle.
And then after, we have great conversations about how we liked it.
What it means for future movies.
Did the post credit scenes mean anything, or reveal something to come.
So good or bad, these movies ALWAYS bring me great joy.
One of the reasons that single piece of dialogue won't leave me is because I think as fathers, mothers, parents, trusted adults in children's lives...
We can serve as dream crushers.
Even promoters of slavery.
The boy and his father in the movie were slaves.
And the boy knew in his heart they were meant to be free.
The father at one point knew this too, but years of struggle had put the flame out of him long ago.
I think it speaks directly to the lives of a lot of us now.
Knowing we should be free.
That we are MEANT to be free.
But conforming to the slavery of the world, because we've been broken down for so long.
Sometimes it's in what we say to our children.
Asking them to conform, when conformist rarely change the world in any meaningful way.
Or by pushing paths of traditional education instead of leading them to a path where they can actually be taught to grow, and think, and create.
By asking them what "job" they want for the rest of their lives.
When we know in our hearts that jobs are slavery and nearly always lead to unhappy, unfulfilled lives.
Sometimes we squash dreams and promote slavery by our actions.
Even if we say the right things, and push the right paths...
If we ourselves are living lives of slavery, and monotony, and boredom, and conformity.
If we ourselves are not creating, only consuming.
If we ourselves leave our homes and family each day, and come home unhappy, unfulfilled, and zapped of energy.
We're leading by example our children down a path to forgotten dreams.
Leading them down a path of being enslaved by consumption, and enslaved by the debt of that consumption.
Which forever enslaves us into jobs that pay us just enough to cover that consumption.
To keep up with that debt.
Which makes us forget our dreams.
Forget that we are incredibly creative and have the power to create futures.
All the while, our children are watching.
And what they see, is always more impactful than what you say.
So, I think at some point, we probably all have said in action, or in words to the children that look up to us...
"Stop dreaming and go back to work."
I know I have.
But, if we don't change, our children won't either.
And slowly but surely that flame of creativity.
That flame of desire.
That flame that is the fuel to the fire that could change the future...
Will be snuffed out.
And the slavery will continue.
It's a lot to take in from one short scene in the beginning of a DC movie, I know.
But, here's the point of it all (to me anyway)...
We are called by God to be free.
We are born with the creative genius (literally) to create amazing futures.
That call to freedom doesn't go away, it just gets buried in the rubble of life happening.
That creative genius doesn't die, it just gets forgotten.
As parents...
As adults...
As family members...
As trusted people that our children are listening to and watching, it's up to US to make sure our children stay free.
It's up to US to make sure that their dreams aren't squashed and their creativity is nurtured.
The future that you're creating is THEIR future too.
Is it one that you'd want to live in?
Is it one that you'd want for your child?
If not, it's time to step back into your own childhood.
To renew that flame of freedom.
To acknowledged that you are created in the image of, and with the creativity of the same God who created the entire universe.
It's time to step into all of that, and create the future you want.
The future you specifically were placed here on earth to build, Friend.
