The Tuohy family is a perfect example of ordinary people doing a great deed for others and not asking for anything in return. In the movie (and true story) “The Blind Side,” a family that is rather wealthy take in a young, yet dedicated kid who needed some extra TLC in order to make a fairly successful lifestyle for himself. And while majority of us have seen the movie, I’ll hold off on the mushy details of an incredible story of a family who exemplified upholding core values and morals, no matter what or who is going to act against it. While I do love a great football movie and story, the main reason I love watching “The Blind Side” is because of how the Tuohy family practiced what they preached and showing us how creating a line of small acts that are guided by core values and morals can have an incredibly positive light on other’s lives. This lesson is something I think our society as a whole has lost touch of throughout many years.
According to Dictionary.com, morals are defined by:
Morals: of, relating to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong.
While values are defined by:
Values: relative worth, merit, or importance.
These words also are something that I believe to be two major lessons missing in the average American household. Growing up, my mom always pointed out the importance of setting a list of your core values and morals that help influence the everyday decisions that are made. And while her efforts to prove this lesson were not as extreme as the Tuohy’s lesson, she still makes it a predominant point of how important these two individual beliefs can be a major aspect on life. While she started to encourage me to find people who share similar core values and morals at a young age, she also pushed for me to be around those who did not share the same morals and values so I could learn, from an early age, to accept that everyone is different and has the right to believe differently than me.
While graduating on to my collegiate years, I have learned the importance of this lesson while living amongst a world of different individuals that have a variety of values, some similar and other’s not so similar. Not only have these lessons really helped me when meeting different people with different backgrounds throughout my years, it has helped me keep a strong foundation in my beliefs as a Christian, American, living being and whatever other characteristics that describe me as an individual in today’s society during times of harsh news and trying times, especially with the recent news of police brutality, racism, terrorism, second amendment controversy, unequal opportunity between male and female and etc. Having a strong core value and moral beliefs, to me, is what shapes a person’s decisions on how they do, think and act, whether that be in what society thinks is a good light or what society thinks is a bad light. And, it does not matter what race you are, religion you are, what sexuality you support, etc.; it is all about valuing the lifestyles of others and morally thinking about your actions towards others.
Having strong core values and morals is not practiced or enforced as much as it used to be and as much as it should be. Now I am not saying this is the end all, be all and cure all to our issues today, but think about if society would regroup and start reminding people of these lessons that shape us into becoming decent human beings.
