With a Rebel Yell…
When I was about 12 I read the original Dragonlance trilogy by Weis and Hickman. It was a portal into a whole new world, it sparked my love of reading and began the whole journey. I don’t know what missing out on those would have meant. It’s been almost 40 years since I read them so forgive me if I flub a few details but the vibe is going to come thru.
If you have not read the books, imagine a fantasy world a generation or more after the apocalypse, the Gods fled the world or were destroyed, its unclear at first chat happened, lost in time and no one that was there to really speak to it. Suffice it to say, the Gods are gone and the world is scraping by, bereft of their compass to divinity, sometimes to morality. Evil is rising, freedom and peace and goodwill are on the decline. The main characters of the books find themselves in the presence of/possession of a sign that perhaps the Gods and their divinity are not fully gone. They are hunted and persecuted, little to no allies. They are trying to get this source, this sign or message or prophet to someplace safe, someplace where the few sane people in the world can see and maybe help. It is for the good of the world and they are risking their lives often. The world though, at least large parts of it are their opposition, yes there is an evil power that is connected to a source of dark divinity trying to stop them but for the most part it is fellow mortals trying to stop the heroes from bringing light and hope back into the world.
I know the details are fuzzy and I apologize. Mostly I am trying to illustrate that even from a young age, I have been interested in the story of the rebels, of the noble outlaws, the ones that are risking it all to make their world a better place. I have never once in my life doubted which side was the “right” one in any movie, tv show or book that depicted a band of rebels or outlaws against an overbearing government, dark God, criminal underworld, corrupt military, police force or tyrannical king.
Star Wars, Firefly, Robin Hood, Lord of the Rings, The Lorax, Batman, Prometheus. The list goes on and on and on.
Doing the right thing can be hard, it can be punishing, you can lose everything trying to be a better person, trying to make the world a better place.
Now there is a chance that if you are reading this right now, you know why I am feeling this, writing this. I can hope that if you read this at a much removed date that you have to wonder what stirred these thoughts at this time.
I think for today I will end on this quote from Star Wars, it has been popping into my feed and playing on loop in my head for about a year now.
"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic, have fallen with a dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi. Trust in The Force. Do not return to the Temple... that time has past. And our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust. Our faith. Our friendships. But we must persevere. And in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you, always." -Star Wars Rebels
