Sheltered: Return of the Navajo Boy

I watched a movie a while back. It was very interesting. I can't say I liked it very much, but I can say it "opened" my eyes a little bit. I attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I grew up in Orem, Utah and the term "sheltered" has always been around the corner. Yes, it is true that I have never even seen what drugs look like, I have never tasted alcoholic beverages. I hardly saw provocative outfits at school. But the term sheltered…really? Quite honestly I am glad that I have not had to deal with drugs and alcohol and (forgive my language) skanky outfits.

I watched this movie, Return of the Navajo Boy and I am convinced that the word "shelter" is inapplicable to what I have seen and how I grew up.

This is a short documentary about a Native American family who got separated. One of the little boys left the reservation to be "taken care of". The rest of his family stays behind and they don't reunite until forty years later. All this lead to my thinking.

Don't you think that when someone uses the word "shelter" they almost use it in the sense of: you are too immature you don't know what life is really about and you don't understand that life is hard. The word "shelter", in my opinion, states that my life is somehow so simple and easy, I don't know hard things about life. Now I am not saying that Orem, Utah is the perfect place to live, and I know there are less drugs, alcohol and sex oriented things here, but that is not all that is wrong with the world. There are hard things everywhere.

I would argue and say, no. No I am not sheltered. I have seen homeless people, friends who's parents abuse them, I have seen heartbreak, suicide and despair. I have friends and family with depression and anxiety and I have seen others who lay awake at night feeling like there is no hope. I have seen friends work all through high school with just a hope to someday go to college and that hope gets thrown away. I have seen sadness and I have seen worldliness.

We seem to associate life with what others are doing. I come from Orem, Utah therefore in some people's minds, I am sheltered because I have never seen alcohol or drugs. Again no I am not sheltered, it is true that I have not seen drugs or alcohol but I have seen the hardships of life. I have even experienced difficult things in my own life. There are hard things and worldly things that don't have to focus on drugs, sex and alcohol. I read an article in my Writing class here it is if you would like to read it. I don't agree with all of the things he is saying, but the first couple of paragraphs are genius.

In all honesty I wish I was sheltered from the reality of life, the unfairness of life. Since that is not possible, then let us be slow to react, quick to forgive and hopefully one day, the whole world will be sheltered. Let's hope that one day we will not be able to remember the days of poverty, lying and stealing, the days where the world is unfair. Until then, kick some booty in kindness.