Inspiring Movie – Akeelah and The Bee

     I saw an inspiring movie tonight called Akeelah and The Bee.  The story has a few layers to it and some subplots, but it’s basically about an eleven year-old girl from south Los Angeles who has a passion and a gift for words and spelling.  By the way, she also rocks at Scrabble.  This is such a well-crafted little film that, in spite of the sweetness factor, you can’t help but cheer Akeelah on as you watch her find her footing in her world.  Even if her world is dramatically different from yours, you recognize what she goes through.  It’s the same thing you had to go through at her age… and actually might still be dealing with on some level as a grown up, too. 

     This is the kind of feel-good movie that I love to watch with my daughter because I really want her to know that she can succeed in spite of the odds and that she can be inspiring by her example… just as Akeelah is.  We both also enjoyed the geeky element, too.  Mind you, my daughter is an avid reader and has recently beaten me twice at Scrabble.  I was in college before I was able to beat my father at the game, and my kid’s only thirteen!  However, this flick has so much more going for it than just being about kids in a geeky competition.  What Akeelah learns about herself and how she inspires others is what makes this such a special story.

     Okay, I can’t resist.  Here’s some necessary trivia.  There is a quote in the movie – Akeelah’s coach has it framed and hanging on the wall.  In the movie, you’re never told who it’s attributed to, but once you read the whole quote, you realize that these concepts actually form the core theme of the movie. 

     Well, I did some internet searching and found the quote.  It’s often attributed to Nelson Mandela and is supposedly from his 1994 inauguration speech, but I followed some links and found his 1994 inauguration speech posted on the South African Government Information site,  and he did not say these words in that particular speech. (Link to South African Government Information Site)  Though I haven’t personally sourced it by reading her book, the site that directed me to Mandela’s speech credited Marianne Williamson instead.  It’s apparently an excerpt from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles.

     I’ll leave you with it and encourage you to check out this inspiring little movie.        

     “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”