No good thing ever dies

Posted on October 13, 2011

I was watching Shawshank Redemption for the umpteenth time tonight. I didn’t plan on watching it but again it was one of those nights where the choices are crap for what you pay for. In America, you have cable, in Australia, Austar and in New Zealand, Sky TV. I can’t speak for America but in Australia and New Zealand the same programmes are rehashed and repeated and served up as if you were in sitting in Shawshank.

Actually painting an entire prison roof, looked a whole lot more interesting than the programme list on a Thursday night!

So the choices (since I’m still in TV rant mode) was some rubbish about puppets that form an Anti terrorist International Police Force (I know what you are thinking, it ain’t so bad. O.K. now add in country music backing tracks and a love story. Yep, that’s what I thought) A Hannah Montana movie was the other choice. Anyway back to Shawshank Redemption. The movie only finished a few minutes ago and for some reason I realised I had never really listened closely to Andy’s letter to Red. Near the end, Red is reading the letter that Andy left for him buried at the base of the ancient oak tree. Anyway, a line in it jumped out at me.

“Remember, Red. Hope is a good thing, may be the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

In our world’s history, there’s been many fine, inspirational and uplifting speeches. Wisdoms have been shared whether standing on a podium in front of a nation in the hour of its darkest moments or whether it has been whispered by a blind and deaf woman who would one day become one of America’s best communicators and most tireless campaigner’s for causes too many to list here. We have been spoilt for choice in reading and experiencing history through the words of the many different languages that exist.

And the word “hope” is up there with the best of them. I truly believe that, particularly in my case and for my friends who live all over the world. I have a weakened heart but I hope.

I hope to live. I hope to continue to help. And yet if that is not possible, as it must surely happen one day I pass away, tonight I will sleep soundly with a smile as wide as the Pacific because as Andy wrote in his letter to Red… no good thing ever dies.

0 Comments - Posted in The Daily Grind Tagged with: ancient oak tree, believe, hannah montana, hope, morgan freeman, no good thing ever dies, shawshank redemption

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