Captain's log. Stardate -308660.8264205986.
I quit my dayjob almost a year ago to become a Captain. A full-time filmmaker and photographer. Most sales/marketing jobs let you do your thing, but there were a few that totally drove me up the wall with micromanagement and it was probably because I knew how little we were all getting paid for it. I knew I was worth a lot and I'm not talking money. Money is a tool and nothing more. It will never be a sign of someone's worth to me.
The film gods must see my persistence because they saw me starve this last winter and gave me a helping hand. The gods told me that since I was hungry, I could take up time in the day by writing continuously. I wrote and wrote and WROTE on this story so many times it changed into a new beast and it changed me as well. I've told this story so many times, I can recite it to anyone that passes by with barely a recollection needed.
My story is simple. It's about a Middle Eastern kid that is born and raised in the Midwest. He was given up for adoption as a baby and raised by white parents. He has never been sure where in the Middle East his ancestry is from, and all of his life he has felt there is a connection out there he wants to know and feel complete with. On his 20th birthday, he is kicked out of his home by his parents, who feel he needs to grow up, to stop being such a slacker with a menial job, and go find his destiny. He uses his adoption papers, birth certificate information, and with the help of his technologically advanced friend, goes to Northern California where the last known physical address of his biological parents is. It's here that he embarks on his journey to find out his roots, and hopefully himself.
The theme is about the discovery of ourselves through our past while embracing the present and keeping an eye on the future. And the strength to enjoy today. People of different backgrounds unite in the same upbringing, and that family can be anybody or any community you belong to. There are also underlying themes of coming of age, and the courage to deal with it.
Being American and having Middle Eastern roots is an interesting way to grow up, but this relates more to us all as being a nation of immigrants and keeping our ancestral identity while assimilating in the melting pot that is the United States of America. Now, the best part about this is that America is no longer the only nation of immigrants thanks to technology and advances and cost of travel. Our world is changing and it's the best time to be alive today.
I look forward to tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment