I sat through the Golden Globe Awards hoping to see and hear something that would stay with me emotionally. With all the sixth grade humor about butt holes, alcohol and sexual innuendos I was able to multitask and get some work done on my new book, “Every Word Counts.”
I kept thinking “When did we lose the elegance of wanting to elevate and help people grow?”
Toward the end of this fluffy and superficial evening I was just about to give up and turn off the tube. And then Jim Carrey came on looking majestic with a super cool beard. It was clear he has done some good personal work when he talked about “being Jim Carrey who has won two Golden Globes and falling asleep thinking about becoming the Jim Carrey who will win three Golden Globes hoping will complete him.”
It was done so simply, so subtly that I wondered who got the message behind the message. It is also what we discuss with business leaders. No matter how many awards you win, no matter how well recognized you are, no matter how much money you have, you cannot fill the deeper place inside you with outer trappings.
I said a silent “thank you” to Mr. Carrey.
And then came the most powerful moment of all. When Leonardo di Caprio won the award for best actor in the film “The Revenant.”
The whole night was worth the time.
How many of you knew the meaning, or even heard the word “revenant” before this film came out? I love words and love a rich vocabulary and I had no idea what revenant meant, and even more, that anyone would name a film with such an unusual title.
Revenant: a person who has returned, supposedly from the dead.
I thought to myself that this film must be a deal breaker, away from traditional Hollywood films that just want a lot of noise and no substance. Why not just call it “return from the dead” I wondered.
Di Caprio was gracious as befits a star of his caliber. And then, while the music was gently bidding him to end his thank you list he kept going. I have copied his words here:
“Even more important, I want to share this award with all the First Nations people represented in the film and all the indigenous communities around the world. It is time that we recognize your history and that we protect your indigenous lands from corporate interests and people that are out there to exploit them. It is time that we heard your voice and protect the planet for future generations.”
Now that is what star power can do!
