The Man Behind William Wallace

Every time I watch Braveheart, or any such movie where the noble hero sacrifices all for love and country, I ask myself: Could I do that? Could I hold to principle so dearly, and to life so loosely, that I would be willing to be the tragic hero, to suffer the most agonizing pains for that which I hold dear. I only recently realized that I was asking myself the wrong question. The question isn't whether I could be William Wallace, the question is whether I could be the man behind him. You know, the one you only see in a passing shot, out of focus in the background, and then a few moments later see struck down by an arrow before he had the opportunity to strike his first blow. You don't know his name, and hardly feel all that sad that he perishes. Scotland wasn't won primarily by the likes of Wallace, but by the common people standing up and being willing to sacrifice, not for glory, and not to be remembered for all of history, but simply for what they believed in.

I don't really doubt that I could hold firm if I knew that the eyes of a nation were on me, but I much more doubt my ability to hold firm if I know that, should I die, no one but my family will ever know the difference. And even most of them will have forgotten within a few generations. Next time you watch Braveheart (and I recommend you watch it at LEAST once a year), ask yourself that. Cause that's what it takes to purchase freedom.

"In the year of our Lord 1314. Patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields of Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsmen. And won their freedom."

Think about it.