The short film "All You Need is Love?" is a smart reversal of the dominant position heterosexuals play in our world. Ashley is a young girl realizing she is a heterosexual in a dominantly homosexual world. The film is a great little switch for folks, especially young people, not able to see the insanity required in disparaging, not accepting, and bullying folks who don't align with their values or help them see that their values are skewed.
The film highlights the need kids have for at least one place where they can find support, love, and refuge. When there is no support at home, then it has to be found in someone at school, or somewhere else. Growing up as any kind of bullied outcast, one is likely doomed if love is conditional everywhere they look for it. Even though she had it extremely rough during her high school years, a friend of mine really saved her own life by running away from home. She stayed out all night with us and got in to trouble; she robbed a bank at one point. But the only way she was able to leave her growingly-abusive-pastor father, was with the support of her friends and her much older girlfriend, who's apartment provided refuge. Getting in trouble the way she did got her help and mental health services her parents never would have let her find.
The title "All You Need is Love?" strikes at the many religious institutions around the world that purport to perpetuate the love of their savior or god or what have you. I am no theologian and have not read a great deal of religious texts. Whether the conditions for this love are in there or not, I don't know, but it is clear that there are followers who see them and those who don't (or at least pay them less attention.) I think, the people who see these conditions on love, and acceptance are, more likely than not, struggling with the conditions that were put on the love they received growing up. The elders pain gets passed on to our kids and will continue to be a cancer, until it is honestly reflected on, felt in earnest and accepted.
The film highlights the need kids have for at least one place where they can find support, love, and refuge. When there is no support at home, then it has to be found in someone at school, or somewhere else. Growing up as any kind of bullied outcast, one is likely doomed if love is conditional everywhere they look for it. Even though she had it extremely rough during her high school years, a friend of mine really saved her own life by running away from home. She stayed out all night with us and got in to trouble; she robbed a bank at one point. But the only way she was able to leave her growingly-abusive-pastor father, was with the support of her friends and her much older girlfriend, who's apartment provided refuge. Getting in trouble the way she did got her help and mental health services her parents never would have let her find.
The title "All You Need is Love?" strikes at the many religious institutions around the world that purport to perpetuate the love of their savior or god or what have you. I am no theologian and have not read a great deal of religious texts. Whether the conditions for this love are in there or not, I don't know, but it is clear that there are followers who see them and those who don't (or at least pay them less attention.) I think, the people who see these conditions on love, and acceptance are, more likely than not, struggling with the conditions that were put on the love they received growing up. The elders pain gets passed on to our kids and will continue to be a cancer, until it is honestly reflected on, felt in earnest and accepted.