For those who have not seen the movie, I don't think I'll ruin it for you if I tell you the movie ends with the whales making it to open waters. After all, I don't think there would be much of a reason to make the movie if all the whales die. We all love happy endings and as you sit there watching this movie, you just know things are going to work out in the end. However, what if they didn't really make it to open waters? What if they spent all that money and manpower trying to free these three whales and their attempts completely failed? Could we handle that truth, or would we rather re-write the ending to make it happy?
As I read several articles about this actual event, the truth seems to be that nobody really knows if the whales made it or not. While many believe they did, nobody actually knows for sure. It is possible that the whales made it out to sea, but it is equally possible that they never made it and the effort was a failure. Naturally, the whales surviving makes for a much better ending, but when I see a movie based on a true story, I prefer the facts to be accurate for the most part. I guess what I'm saying is I like for true stories to be true. What would be so bad about the ending of this whale movie being accurate? Instead of manipulating the ending to go along with what most people hope for concerning the fate of the whales, what if the movie played out like the real life event? Couldn't we all handle an ending of uncertainty? I really think we can handle the truth.
We live in a world where truth is often hard to find. We have political leaders who hide the truth in order to maintain power, push their agendas, and "protect us" because they think we can't handle it. The news media does the same thing. Abortionists use the word "fetus" to convince themselves and the masses that they are removing tissue rather than exterminating a life. God forbid we speak of a literal hell because in the end we like to think that along with dogs, we all go to heaven. In an effort to be "politically correct," we shy away from speaking the truth for fear of offending someone. In relationships, we often steer around the truth because we fear the difficult conversations that often accompany speaking the truth. When we meet people we often put on masks and pretend to be something we're not because we figure if they know the truth about us, they'll reject us. We get a lump or a pain somewhere and we hesitate to go to the doctor because we don't want to know if its something bad. Somehow we figure if we just don't know, we will be better off. We would rather not know the truth if it is bad news. In a court room we take an oath to tell the whole truth, yet neither side really wants the whole truth, just the portion of the truth that benefits them.
I don't know about you, but I want the truth. I think I can handle the truth. I don't ever want to be like those young people on American Idol who have been told all their lives they can sing when they really can't carry a tune in a bucket. I think we should always be supportive of our children, but part of being a parent is having those difficult conversations with our children when we have to speak the truth. It is always a huge mistake, whether we are protecting others or ourselves by running from the truth.
Have you ever seen someone walking around with their fly down and chose not to tell them? Have you ever seen someone with food in their teeth and chose not to say a word? If you were that person wouldn't you rather someone politely tell you the truth rather than say nothing? Several years ago I got home from church to notice that when I took off my pants that the entire seat of my pants had come unstitched. I'm not talking a little hole, I talking a 6-8 inch gaping hole. Now, I hope nobody saw my tighty-whities, but its hard for me to imagine that nobody saw my bright white Fruit-of-the-Looms through the hole in my navy pants. Trust me, in an instance like that I WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH!
Sometimes speaking the truth is difficult. Sometimes it is extremely uncomfortable for both the one speaking the truth and the one hearing it. Sure, the truth may produce anger, tears, and many other emotions initially, but in the end, it produces freedom. Trying to protect someone by shielding them from the truth, often does more damage than just speaking the truth.
Concerning the whales in "The Big Miracle," sure I would much rather the story end with the whales making it to safety. I don't think anyone wants them to die. But, I can handle it if they did. I'm pretty sure my two young boys could handle it too. Perhaps, I would have to do a little explaining to them, but in the end I would rather them know the truth. Actually they do know the truth because I told them. I told them that in real life nobody really knows if the whales lived or died. Their response? "I hope they made it because it would be sad if they died." Amazing, it seems like they can handle the truth.
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