Sunday, September 18, 2011

Sunkmanitu Tanka Owaci!


If you've seen the movie Dances with Wolves, hopefully you're familiar with the emotional scene I'm about to refer to:

EXT. CANYON TRAIL - DAY

Dances With Wolves and Stands With A Fist have reached the head of the trail leading out of the winter camp. They have just begun to ascend when a voice, calling from afar, brings them to a halt. The sound echoes through the canyons, through the village.

WIND IN HIS HAIR (O.S.)

(calling)
Dances With Wolves...

EXT. CANYON - DAY

His pony is jacked up and, as always, Wind In His Hair looks the perfect warrior. But now his face is full of stress as he screams out the message he could not deliver in person.

WIND IN HIS HAIR

I am Wind In His Hair...

EXT. WINTER CAMP - DAY

Everyone in the camp has stopped to listen.

WIND IN HIS HAIR (O.S.)

Can you not see that I am your friend?

EXT. CANYON TRAIL - DAY

Dances With Wolves looks ready to crack.

WIND IN HIS HAIR (O.S.)

Can you not see that you will always be my friend?

Dances With Wolves lets the unhappy echo of these words fade away before he starts his pony again. We follow for a few yards. Then the call comes a second time. If anything, more urgent than before.

WIND IN HIS HAIR (O.S.)

Dances With Wolves...

Dances With Wolves stops. He drops his head painfully as the sound of his own name booms through his head.

I love this scene. It makes me feel something deep in my gut every time. It reminds me that true friendships are the most valuable thing in the world, that they are rare and they are worth fighting for. Professional relationships and acquaintances are great, and I truly cherrish them as well, but true, deep friendships are life-giving. Unfortunately, we often wait until we're in a crisis to discover who our true friends are.

Hopefully you have examples in your life that come to mind. I know I do. Times when my friends have carried me and times when I've done all I can to carry others.

With all our Facebook and Twitter "friends", it's easy for that word to lose meaning. Don't let it. Fight for your friendships. Let those in your life who are important to you know how much you value them. Let them know you are there for them in their moments of crisis. Let others be there for you. The deep richness of life is fully known by sharing it with others.

There's more I could say on this topic, but honestly Simon Sinek said it better. Check out his post on True Friendship.

If you have any thoughts on friendships, please share them below. I'd love to hear them.

3 comments:

K.C.Hartman said...

Great post, makes me kind of teary eyed.....

I wonder why it is that men have such a hard time developing great and close friendships? Seriously.

I have many "friends" but until the advent of this last year, I have never been very "social" as it was. I have always been so focused on other things like work, selfish pursuits or just plain old ignorance of the value of friendships and other close relationships.

The great news is that even at 51 years of age, I can honestly say it is not too late to develop those relationships.

Admittedly it is a little harder to develop relationships in my current position that has me travel the nation as a project manager, but I believe it can still be done. I just need to remember that if I allow God to continue to renew me and allow Him to change me into the Godly man He desires me, that it can be done. It is a matter I need to take to prayer and being open for the experience.

Perhaps it is friends I already have, perhaps it is someone new I will meet, But I like to believe that I am able to develop that kind of relationship, with God's Grace!

This post reminds me of the possibilities of having such a close relationship and the value of it!

Great Post Luke, Thanks for re-awaking old thoughts and new desires in me!

+K.C. Hartman
aka @Biblelover

Unknown said...

Wow, thanks so much, K.C. What a great comment! It is NEVER too late to build life-changing, deep relationships and it's so important for all of us to keep that in mind.

Being constantly on the road must make things difficult, but you sound like you're purposeful about it, which is awesome. True friendships are rare and during various seasons in our life they seem to come and go, but I want to recognize them and be thankful when they show up.

Thanks for being an encouragement to me, K.C., even though we haven't met IRL. I certainly appreciate you.

stevenharmonious said...

I don't think I understood what that ending was about, when I saw it as a kid. I wanted to know what happened next but it was over already. Dances with Wolves ranks as the best Native American movie and I'll always remember it as a film that fascinated and confused me as a kid.