Pauline and I spent last night watching the 2004 movie Ray on DVD.
Actor Jamie Foxx put in an amazing performance as the remarkably talented Ray Charles. The movie follow Ray’s life story warts and all.
I saw the movie on a plane on the way to India early last year and I’ve been wanting to see it again ever since with a slightly larger screen, with a reasonable sound system, and without the drone of a jet engine for background noise.
Ray Charles attended a screening of the movie when it was first completed but died before it was released into cinemas.
I had the privilege of seeing Ray perform live at Leeuwin Estate with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra back in 1988. He was an amazingly talented man and it was truly a great show.
The movie paints him as a deeply flawed man who struggled to overcome a difficult upbringing, heroin addiction, racism and those who would take advantage of his blindness. He was also very much a womaniser. He married twice and fathered at least 12 children from 7 women.
At times throughout the movie you find it very difficult to like him as a person but I guess it’s a reminder that we don’t always make the right decisions ourselves.
More and more as I grow older I realise that I have no right to point the finger at someone else’s behaviour because I know that I fall so short of who I should be. Maybe I should dedicate 2007 to removing the plank from my eye before worrying about the speck in someone else’s.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
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But judging other people makes me feel so much better about myself!
I like your sense of humour Mr Ox 🙂
You ARE jesting are you not?
Good advice for all of us!
Rodney… Oh, that is so true… The older I get, the more convicted I become just even *thinking* about judging people. And frankly, well, I’m glad, even though it’s not always comfortable. But I’d rather it be that way rather than the opposite way. 🙂 Happy New Year (in a couple days) to you! Blessings, Debra