Sunday, February 5, 2012

Courageous

I like inspirational movies. There is something about seeing a character overcome a seemingly insurmountable obstacle or deliver an incredible speech that makes watching movies fun. The one thing that always occurs to me as I find myself getting motivated by the on-screen triumphs is that I really don't have much of anything in common with the characters or their undertakings. As pumped as I always get watching Rocky, I'm not a boxer. I had the same experience when I watched Warrior, which I recommend. I could easily list about a dozen inspirational movies that don't directly relate to my situation, but I recently watched a movie, Courageous, that inspired me to be a better father.
The movie revolves around a group of friends who, because of a tragic accident, sign a resolution to be the kind of father they believe God would want them to be. This is a Christian movie, so their resolution is drawn from biblical passages, but I believe the message is universal. When the main character, Adam Mitchell, brings up the idea of striving to be a better father, one of his friends responds by saying, "You're a good enough father." His response is that he doesn't want to be a "good enough" father. You don't have to be a Christian to see the truth in that. I don't want to be a "good enough" father either. I feel like my kids have the potential to be pretty remarkable people but they won't get there if I'm only "good enough". I need to do a better job of seeing myself through the eyes of my children. As Atticus Finch puts it in To Kill a Mockingbird: "Before Jem [his son] looks at anyone else, he looks at me, and I've tried to live so I can look squarely back at him."

These are two very different sources of what it means to be a father, but they both the nail on the head, and they both challenge me to evaluate my actions as a father. I'm not saying that I'm a bad father. In fact, I think I do a pretty darn good job a majority of the time, but a majority of the time isn't all of the time. There are days when I lose my temper with my children. There are days when I place other priorities above them. There are days when I simply want to be left alone. It is at these times that I need Atticus Finch and Adam Mitchell to remind me of the gravity of my role in my children's lives. I've had a lot of jobs in my life. As a soldier and a teacher, I have been in a position to have my actions make a tremendous impact on the lives of people around me, but nothing I did or continue to do in either of those positions will be as important as how effectively I function as a father for my children, and I'm glad that there people out there spreading that message.


35 comments:

  1. I really like inspirational movies too. They always seem to make me either want to change my life or they make me cry. I see a lot of things that I like throughout inspirtational movies, and this is a good post about that.
    -maddie johnson

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  2. The drive you have to be a great father is based from the futures of your children but I respect how you are very self-driven as well. Motivation is habitual; it has obviously been engraved within you and it grows as does the love you feel for your children.

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  3. Im not really religious but i do believe that inspiration comes from within. To be great a father, inspiration has to be inside you. To inspirer your children to be great at anything they do, you must be inspired yourself. Because they look up to you, don't they? So if your not inspired, they won't be either.
    Brittany Flick ~ 7th hour

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  4. Some movies do have you strive for better or worse. In your case, it made you realize how lucky you were to be a father and that you love your children. Esepcially that you want to strive to be better and not have doubt of being a great father, it's being Courageous.

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  5. kids are a big responsibility especially when you are a soilder but also a student. i give you propts it takes a real man to be able to do that

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  6. I have seen that movie courageous it is a really good movie. It teaches everyone something different when they watch it. That is actually a way I calm myself down sometimes is to watch a really good movie that is inspirational to myself. One of my favorite movies like that is "Walking Tall" it shows how a corrupted community can become one again and be a safe town for everyone and their children. And those certain things that you remember as a kid and will never forget whether it's a sound, smell, or a place where you or your dad and you may have went.

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  7. That is very true Mr. Ogle! I like you, enjoy inspirational movies too. I think that it was worth my time to read this. The reason I say this is because it shows me how much time and effort it takes to be a father.

    -Wyatt Rhoads

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  8. I definitely enjoyed watching this movie as well. I really do think that this movie touches everyone in some way. Most of the time, movies like this make you want to strive for the better. I like how you are self-driven and want the best of the best for not only yourself, but also your kids. You have to want to be motiviated to keep the motivation to be a good father.

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  9. Hi,
    Will you please post a link to your Blog at The Fatherhood Community? Our members will appreciate it and as the father of 3 teenage boys, I will too.
    Members include: Fathers, Dads, Daddies, Fatherhood Lovers, Experts and Fans.
    It's easy to do, just cut and paste the link and it automatically links back to your website. You can also share Photos, Videos and Articles if you like.
    Email me if you need any help or would like me to do it for you.
    Please feel free to share as often and as much as you like.
    The Fatherhood Community: http://www.vorts.com/fatherhood/
    I hope you consider sharing with us.
    Thank you,
    James Kaufman, Editor

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  10. I really enjoyed the movie as well. It touches everyone in a different way each time they watch it. When I watch a movie that motivates me then I tend to watch it when I just need a good motivation. I think it's cool how this movie inspired you to be a better father.

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  11. I think that everything that you have stated is true and if you are as good as can be your kids will always look up to you. My dad and I don't always get along, but i love him because he is always trying to be the best he can be. If you do that your kids will never say that you could have been better.

    Danny Allanson 1st

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  12. I have also seen this movie, and I think that the points you stated are very true. I believe that as long as you try and give it your all,your kids couldnt ask for more from you.

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  13. Unlike everyone else on here i haven't seen that movie, but i have read that book. Not my cup-o-tea, but i digress. What you said has really helped me see how i should be as a father. I had no clue as what a father should do, or what kind of father to be. At times i even doubted I'd really be considered a father at all. After reading this though, I now know what i must do to be a good father.
    -Robert Wise(New Found Father)

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  14. I think that is wonderful that you watch inspirational movie. It is very honest statement of the points you descripted on your blog. Being a father is a big responsiblity and I think you have that role down pat, you are a great father to your kids.KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

    Lauren Swinford

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  15. I personally have not seen this movie. It sounds like a very touching movie and any father should watch this. I do enjoy watching inspirational movies, they inspire me to do better for myself and for others.

    Josy

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  16. Mr. Ogle, I haven't seen this movie but I've heard much about it. This movie has sounded like it really does make an influence on people. I like to watch movies like this one because they make me want to change the way I am in a good way. I would also like to be able to inspire other people.
    -Mariah 2nd and 5th

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  17. Mr. Ogle, I haven't seen this movie but I've heard much about it. This movie has sounded like it really does make an influence on people. I like to watch movies like this one because they make me want to change the way I am in a good way. I would also like to be able to inspire other people.
    -Mariah 2nd and 5th

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  18. I watched the movie Courageous and it is a pretty good movie. Not only can the movie apply to just being a "good enough father," it can really apply to everyone. None of us should ever just want to be "good enough," we should all strive to do better at the things we love to do. We all should try our best at the things we do try and not just settle for being "good enough."
    -Faith Fox, 7th Hour

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  19. I haven't watched the movie but I think everything you said is correct. My dad and I have a good relationship, but sometimes it gets rocky. It's really hard on me when we fight because he was the only one I depended on growing up.
    Kaytlin Tague 2nd Hour

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  20. I have not seen this movie but your comments seem correct. My dad and I have a great relationship and we never have fought. He is great and is very understanding with me. We might disagree at times but we always get things figured out. If I have kids one day I want to be exactly like my dad he is a great role model and is a hard worker
    -Garrett Aitken

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  21. I saw this movie when it first came out and it really touched me in so many ways. It is an inspiring movie. The away you put this into your blog is really great. My father has always been my leader in my life. For most of my life he was always a single father with three kids who did an amazing job... Maddie Johnson 2nd hr

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  22. I have never seen the movie, but I believe that if you really believe that you are a good father, then you don't need to meet the standards of the people in the movies. There are so many different methods of parenting and as long as you can see you are succeeding in the way you teach your children, then nothing else should matter.

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  23. This is why I do not wish to be a parent. I do not want the responsibility of being the role model. If I mess up, I could impact or influence their life in a negative way. I would feel guilty later and it would tear me apart. So, I suppose I am saying, that the fact you took on the responsibility to even try to raise a little someone, three at that, is a very respectable thing. Even more so, since you don’t blow them off and do as you please, and instead choose to be something that inspires them to be good type of people.

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  24. I have never seen this movie, and I don't think I've ever even heard of it. I don't know what it's like to be a parent, and I don't plan on it for a very long time. I think being 17 hasn't given me much room to quite understand everything parents do for their children, the sacrifices they have to make. I think you are a role model for all of the other dads out there that hasn't quite grasped that idea either.

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  25. ^Lindsey Pitts, 6th hour

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  26. I also have not seen either one of these movies that you mentioned. I don't know the struggles of being a parent, but it's cool how you saw these movies and it motivated you into being a better father. Having had your youngest son in my class for CDC I can honestly say he looks up to you as a role model. Some day (in the very distant future) I hope to have my kids look up to me the same way.
    -Brittany Smith, 6th hour

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  27. I also think it is cool how you watched these to try to become a better parent. I am sure you learned something from these and it is cool that it may have helped you. I have been around your kids at baseball and they are usually well behaved so you are doing a good job.
    Colton Dosch

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  28. I also enjoy inspirational movies, they are good motivators when you are need of a pick up to get back on your feet. It is also pretty cool that you turned to this movie to help you be a better father.
    -Katie Maynard

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  29. I am also a fan of inspirational movies. They help you have a better perspective on life I believe. Also, I like how you mentioned the movie. Parenting is a big life changing thing. I believe you either have what it takes to be a father figure or you don't. All honesty, I like how you raise your kids from all you have mentioned in class. Keep doing what you do.

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  30. I am also a fan of inspirational movies. They help you have a better perspective on life I believe. Also, I like how you mentioned the movie. Parenting is a big life changing thing. I believe you either have what it takes to be a father figure or you don't. All honesty, I like how you raise your kids from all you have mentioned in class. Keep doing what you do.

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  31. I also enjoy inspirational movies. I am usually amazed at how moved I am when watching one... shocked by the feelings that are stirred inside of me ..... I even had a girlfriend tell me she was impressed by my compassion

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  32. Ever seen The Crow? It is such an inspiring movie. Its a man who loves a woman, the woman gets killed along with him. He comes back from the dead just to revenge their deaths. He protects the city by killing these monsters. Its my favorite movie. The love this man shows for his soon to be wife is so strong you can almost feel it. It just goes to show true love will never die. After he fights off all the bad guys he goes back to his grave to rest with her.

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  33. Ever seen The Crow? It is such an inspiring movie. Its a man who loves a woman, the woman gets killed along with him. He comes back from the dead just to revenge their deaths. He protects the city by killing these monsters. Its my favorite movie. The love this man shows for his soon to be wife is so strong you can almost feel it. It just goes to show true love will never die. After he fights off all the bad guys he goes back to his grave to rest with her.

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  34. Ever seen The Crow? It is such an inspiring movie. Its a man who loves a woman, the woman gets killed along with him. He comes back from the dead just to revenge their deaths. He protects the city by killing these monsters. Its my favorite movie. The love this man shows for his soon to be wife is so strong you can almost feel it. It just goes to show true love will never die. After he fights off all the bad guys he goes back to his grave to rest with her.

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  35. i love movies and i see how this inspires you to be the way you are. i am happy that you try to be the best dad you can be. i haven't had a dad since i was 4, though he's still alive and we speak once in a while we don't really know each other. it's like knowing a stranger. i don't mind but i believe that every parent should try and be there for their children. it warms my heart that that there are dads like you out there that love their kids and would do anything for them. thank you for that. and the best dad is one who believes he's the worst but tries to be the best. it shows that you care and that's all a child needs and wants :)

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