Goddamn You God, Goddamn You
Everyone has their favorite movie. We also have our favorite line from our favorite movie. My favorite movie is “Legends of the Falls” starring Brad Pitt (oh my!) and Anthony Hopkins. Both AWESOME actors.
Despite their BRILLIANT acting in this movie, one of the things that also REALLY struck me is one line in the movie... and I find myself thinking it in times of stress. It is when Brad Pitt howls “Goddamn you God, GODDAMN YOU!” when his wife is shot by the cops during a 1920s “flick” by the police looking for bootleg liquor.
Needless to say, Tristan Ludlow (Brad Pitt) is not only besides himself with grief, but he’s also blaming the only thing he can blame besides himself. It’s God.
I’m not here to profess my religious preference. I have little. I’m Methodist. Traditionally, we are known to be the least demonstrative of worshippers. I think I read that in a Stephen King book one time. Actually, I’m pretty sure I did. However I learned that phrase in one way or another and it stuck with me... and it’s true.
We BELIEVE but we don’t.
In other words, we won’t be going out of our way to perform an exorcism. Nor cut the head off a chicken. Nor use a whole lake to perform a baptism. A little water on the head is just fine for us.
Where was I going with this anyways?
Oh yeah, I was going with the point of the sorry state of affairs in today’s society. You see, I have this thing where I’m NOT reading the news every hour on the hour.
I don’t want to know anymore.
Besides the fact that it’s a lot of lies, it’s always depressing. So I’ve done a bit of a social media hiatus. I’m just NOT HERE anymore besides to post positive things. I’ll go on Facebook and post pics of my Grandson. I’ll take a quick look to see what my Florida friends are doing. But I’m SO OVER all of the negativity that’s in the world right now.
It sickens me to see it.
What’s this got to do with a Brad Pitt movie, you ask? The correlation is very simple actually. I think about how every time I actually “open up” the news and read about things like what happened in New York today, all I can think is:
GODDAMN YOU GOD, GODDAMN YOU!
You see, there were 12 actual victims today in New York. And then you add in the 1000 or more people that knew and loved them, and now you’re at 12,000 victims.
Don’t forget to add in the almost HALF A MILLION Combat Vets that suffer from PTSD.
These types of events trigger them. Ask any one of us that is a partner. Then you add in those of us that care for them. There’s another 1/2 a million or more. Then another 3 kids or so per family that have to deal Daddy or Mommy on edge.
You do the math.
12 people were victims. 8 were murdered. Hundreds of thousands were anxious. Some even triggered. Millions were effected.
How can you NOT SAY “Goddamn you God, GODDAMN YOU!”
The honest answer is, you cannot. You can be mad. You can be sad. You have the right to just about any feeling in this world regarding this - besides glee. Because if you feel happy that these kinds of things happen, you are nothing more than a waste of human skin.
Truth.
However, when I see these types of things, I feel sickened. I feel hopeless. I feel sad. I feel like what my Warrior sacrificed for was worthless.
God STILL allows men like this man who drives cars into people to exist.
So yes, GODDAMN YOU GOD, GODDAMN YOU. How can you allow things like this to happen? When does it end? When will the voices of the innocent be heard and when will they be loud enough for you to NOT allow things like this to happen? Do we have to SCREAM FROM THE ROOFTOPS for somebody to listen? Do we have to DAMN YOU?
My name is Leilani. I pray for the victims of New York. I also pray for the now triggered Combat Vets and their families. We are legion for we are many.
