If you haven’t yet watched Ava Duvernay’s masterpiece film, “A Wrinkle in Time,” do yourself a favor and find or borrow $10 and get yourself to a theater as soon as possible. Watching it was an incredible experience and left me pondering many things. Without giving too much away, here’s a quick spoiler-free synopsis: The main character, Meg Murry, and her companions Calvin, a classmate, and her younger brother Charles Wallace go on an intergalactic journey led by a trio of ethereal beings in the form of Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey), Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon) and Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling) to retrieve someone very special but learn a ton of valuable life lessons along the way.
During their quest, they’re confronted by the darkest force in the universe, simply referred to as The It. The It causes those infected with its influence to do negative and evil things. This, to me, was one of the most impactful portions of the film as I began thinking about The It’s presence in everyday life. It can be seen in all the world’s wolves in sheep’s clothing, backbiting coworkers, xenophobic heads of state in the nation’s capital and the murderously record-breaking year we’re having right here in Indianapolis. The It literally caused people to act out the absolute worst versions of themselves.
Though the force seemed to be overwhelming, the only thing that could confront The It was love. I know some may read that and think it seems to be some hippy-dippy pie in the sky foolishness. How could love really combat the most nefarious thing in all of creation?
To that, I would respond — if you’re going to believe in the power of anything, why not love?
Love, in the form of rebellion, righteous indignation, protest and organizing is behind every great movement this country has experienced — civil rights, Black Lives Matter and the recent March for Our Lives.
It is evident that when enough people, with love in their hearts gather under a common cause, change can happen. I don’t mean this to state that systemic issues can be solved with love alone. Serious changes have to occur in this country for present and future generations to have a chance and each and every one of us can play a part in our own way.
How? One way is by getting involved in movements like the ones I just mentioned, another is doing your civic duty by voting people into office who give a damn about making our city, state and nation the best it could be. Yet another method is making the radical choice each day to choose light over darkness, kind words over those filled with venom — by deciding to resist The It when it comes to your doorstep.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Buddha that I think perfectly sums things up: “Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.”
Ebony is an award-winning multimedia journalist and the host of Hot 96.3’s Eye on the Community which airs each Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m.
