3 Reasons Why the Movie Braveheart Changed Our Lives
It is funny how certain memories stick with you. I have two very vivid memories of being at the movie theater with my high school girlfriend’s parents. One has stuck with me I’m sure just out of sheer embarrassment. There was a movie theater a few towns away and that was the most popular choice for our small-town movie goers. One night, my best bud, Chief, and I had just walked out of seeing a very not so family friendly flick. As we were walking through the parking lot we ran into my girlfriend’s parents. They had just parked and were walking towards us. When I saw them, it felt like someone punched me in the stomach and all I could think was, “please don’t ask what we watched…please don’t ask what we watched…” They both smiled at us, and her mom cheerfully asked, “Hey! What did you guys see?” Although mortified, I was not a liar. So, I said, “ummmm (gulp)…ummm…Striptease (as if phrasing it in a question).” If you have not seen the movie, and I am not recommending that you do, you can probably guess what it is about. Yes, I was a teenage boy once. And I was a long way from being a Man Among Boys!
The other memory I’m not so ashamed of. The four of us went to the movies together. My girlfriend and I wanted to see a dumb teeny-bopper horror movie and her parents wanted to see, what we thought was, some old people documentary that we had never heard of. Braveheart. We went one direction, and they went the other. When our movie ended, I remember sitting in the lobby for about an hour and a half waiting on them. I can still picture exactly where we were sitting as we watched the Braveheart audience pile into the lobby. They had a very somber look of awe on their faces. You could tell that they had just been wowed and were trying to process. There were even some who were wiping tears from their eyes. I immediately knew we watched the wrong movie. Consequently, I made sure Chief and I were at that theater the very next weekend.
Why do I remember that so well? The answer is that next weekend I experienced what so many other boys and men, young and old alike, either already had or would soon be experiencing. I became a part of what I now call “The Braveheart Generation of Men.”
We all have those movies that stay with us for a long time. Some even change our perspectives or even the course of our life. Of course, it is not just the movie itself, but the story. Movies capture our attention, but the story has an opportunity to capture our heart. The story of William Wallace and how it is experienced in the movie is so powerful, moving, and emotional. I remember crying only two times during my high school years. The second was when the end of game buzzer sounded of my final high school football game. The first was right before I stood up after watching Braveheart.
If you are within a decade or so of my age, then you are most likely a part of the Braveheart generation. Most men in this group, when asked what their favorite movie is, are nine times out of ten going to say Braveheart. If they do not, then they will say it is in their top two or three at least. If this is not the case for you, then you are most definitely the kind of guy who desperately needs to be following Man Among Boys. And urgently! You have a lot of catching up to do. I am not sure how you can adequately raise boys and not appreciate this epic movie. I am kidding (not really).
So, what is it about Braveheart that pulls on the deep-rooted heart strings of every man? I believe it is mainly the following three things.
1. Men Love A Rise From The Ashes Story
Boys and men dream of the epic heroism portrayed by someone like William Wallace. We want to be that person. We want to live that life. This is inside of us, and it is at our very innermost core. It is the fuel that operates the machine we call MAN. We follow real men who have been through it and have a story to tell. These men are burnt stones. They have battle wounds. They were left for dead. They were defeated with no way of redemption. But then…somehow…they rise from the ashes, dig down deep inside, and re-emerge as a bold and fierce warrior. This is William Wallace. This is also John Wick, Jason Bourne, John Rambo, Rocky Balboa, Maximus, etc… Could this also be us? In our hearts, yes it could. The movie heroes I listed we all know. We also all know they are fictional. But not William Wallace. His story is real. He was a real man, like you and I, who rose, led, and fought for a cause. We men know that we all have that inward William Wallace. Tapping into it is part of the journey to manhood. We want to know that in our Braveheart moments in life, we will be ready and equipped to fight for our cause.
2. Men Find Courage in Fighting For Their Beauty
In his timeless and essential book Wild at Heart, John Eldredge teaches us that one of the innate and imbedded passions in the heart of every man is the desire for a “beauty to love.” During a recent “intentional time” with one of my teenage sons, I asked him, “Son, what do you dream about?” Yes, I know that could be a loaded question for a teenage boy! He awkwardly responded, “Uh, what do I dream about?” I explained to him that what I was referring to was when he laid in bed at night, those moments right before you fall asleep, “What are you thinking about?” As an adult, many times those moments are filled with concern, replaying what happened that day and how we handled it, what is on our plate tomorrow, stressed thinking about our inadequacies as a parent, or maybe thinking through goals and how to reach them. For a boy, it is a little different. In fact, it is a lot different. Our life, our manhood, our story is unknown. It is wide open. It is an unwritten novel, and we can create whatever story we want. These are the things that a boy thinks about, dreams about. He gave me the typical teenage boy, “Um, I don’t know.” I explained to him that when I was his age, I fell asleep thinking about the same thing every night. The scenarios and settings were always different, but the dream was the same. I told him that every night I dreamed about his mom. Confused, he said, “You didn’t know mom back then!” I explained, “I didn’t know what she looked like or who she was, but I dreamed about her.” I continued, “Every night I thought about how beautiful she was and how I wanted to be her hero.” I shared with him that each night I made up some scenario that involved me swooping in and saving her from some harmful situation. You know, some variation of the classic removing her from the train tracks seconds before the train raced through type of scene. Mine usually involved me possessing Chuck Norris fighting skills. Why did I need to save her so often? As a boy, this is how I believed I could capture her heart. Was I wrong? No, I wasn’t. These were all very extreme themes, but men still desire to be this same kind of hero to their wives. The scenarios may just be a little more practical.
Now here is the reason why I have recanted this conversation for you. My son looked down and quietly chuckled. I asked, “What? Did that embarrass you that I shared that with you?” He looked up blushing, smiled and said, “No. I just thought that I was the only one who thought about those things.” Men, your son is dreaming of these things also, just like you did. He wants to be the hero one day for his beauty. Take this precious opportunity to guide him as a young man in positioning himself to be just that. Teach him to honor, respect, and properly care for the current women in his life. Ladies, this is why you feel, and your probably right, that your husband is always trying to fix everything instead of just being a good listener. Yes, we need to do a better job of listening, but we take every opportunity that arises to be your hero. This is hardwired inside of us even as a boy! In Braveheart we see this desire in William Wallace. He dreamed of his beauty as a boy and even came back to win over her heart. Did you know Braveheart was a love story? Maybe now your wife, your beauty, will watch it with you!
3. Men Are Destined To Live For A Cause
“Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!” William Wallace, Braveheart
William Wallace fought for a cause. Wallace not only took up a cause but led others in fighting for Scotland’s freedom from England. His efforts to fight for this cause cemented him as an enduring heroic legacy in his nation, and thanks to the movie, around the world. His passion, as portrayed in cinematic excellence, stirs something great inside of us. We feel his cause and for almost three hours, we truly believe that if it were us, we would have effectively executed the same actions. But would we? Really? This is what is so awe-inspiring about Wallace’s story. He gave us something that we didn’t know we had. As we watch the movie, deep down inside, our absolute answer to this question is, “YES! We could do it!” Then the credits roll, the lights come on, and we awaken to our reality. This is how every movie ends, but there is something different with this one. Our answer is still, “yes.”
Is Your Answer Still “Yes?”
Men, you have a cause just like William Wallace. You must fight for that cause, or you will live with regret, emptiness, and unfulfillment. We all have different causes to fight for. Hopefully you know what yours is. Mine is apparent. I am fighting for you and for this next generation of men. Our sons need us. They need fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, pastors, teachers, friends, and all male influences to rise and fight for their future. I am proud to say that my generation, “The Braveheart Generation of Men,” are beginning to rise. I know, because I hear it all the time, that this heroic story deeply affected you just as it did me. There is an inner William Wallace inside you. You know this because you relate to the things you just read. This article most likely reminded you of your first time seeing this story and what it made you believe about yourself. I am grateful for the story and movie of Wallace’s life, but I am even more grateful that we also have a story. Are you proud of your story? If the answer is no, then it is time for a plot twist. Maybe this is the immense moment your viewers have been waiting for; the shining scene where you rise from the ashes, fight for your beauty, and live for a cause. Please do not leave your loved ones with an eternal cliff hanger.
It is important to understand that my cause is not a fight against people. Our current culture thrives to turn every disagreement into a hotbed of hatred. Often, I disagree with my wife, sons, friends, and even strangers and I never once hated them. My cause is not a fight against people; rather it is a fight FOR people. I know many of you share the same cause. If you are reading this, you are most likely in the “Braveheart Generation of Men.” Remember those chills you felt when you replayed the scene from the above quote. That feeling inside comes from that same boldness, courage, and passion that William Wallace possessed in fighting for his cause. Men, your son is waiting. It is not too late. Your cause may not be to reshape a generation of men but there is one thing I know for sure about you: Your cause is to fight for your son. If you did not know that, then, well…now you do.
