I did. I cried! Did you? I mean, what an emotional roller coaster right from the beginning!! I'd be doing my deep breathing exercises whenever I'd see Bill onscreen. I could feel his tension {he was always so darn tense!} in every single episode. Whether it was during the earlier years of his struggles with the Home Plus franchise or around the never-ending issues within his marriage{s}, it was Always Sumthin'! There was always some type of Major Drama that Bill and his wives had to contend with. But, this was the very first episode where I experienced having to let the water flow from my lids. My heart was full of all kinds of feelings: joy and sadness included.
Throughout the show's duration, I wasn't really cool about Bill and his family not being accepted by the dominant society. I'm not cool with people being treated as outcasts, in general. My thing is, if you don't like something, don't get involved in it. Mind your own business, right? So, for me, this wasn't just a controversial dramatic cable series. There's no such notion as art for art's sake in my book. The kind of bigotry Bill and his family experienced happens everyday in "real life"..True Story! Aside from the fact that Bill's particular religious beliefs seemed a little ignorant and backwoods to me..My Truth, people!..I feel like they still had every right to practice freely and live their lives as they saw fit. They weren't harming anyone and their intentions appeared to be loving. And, while we're on the subject of intent, what of the business of Margene {sp} being 16 when she and Bill married?!! Exactly what were each of their intentions? .. Hmmm.. That's a whole 'notha issue. I'm not judging, just saying.. {P.S~ Men aren't that foolish are they?.. Rhetorical question- HA!!- I know they are}
Anyway, LOVE happens to be one of my favorite topics of discussion. Rule #1~ LOVE IS LIFE. Question: How do we know when a thing is living? Answer: It grows/ changes/ expands. Love does all those things. Love is growth, change and expansion. Wherever Love exists, Life exists.
If you're not growing/ changing/ expanding, then, by default, you are diminishing/ remaining static/ decreasing. I'm not saying that if you're not practicing polygamy, you're not living! {That's funny} What I am saying is that if you're not having lots of sex, you're not living!!.. Joking! On the contrary, despite popular belief, polygamy is as complex as, if not, more than, other types of unions- not just about sex. Seriously, what I am saying is that individuals should begin by learning to love themselves more wholistically, spreading that love to family members, friends, significant others and if that means eventually increasing your current circle of significant others, so be it. Were you listening to childlike, innocent Margene when told Bill that her wanting to explore the world outside of their family/ community would be in addition to rather than in place of what they had? She said, "You're my anchor. You're my home. But, someday, I do want to meet new people and share what's in my heart with others."~ BANG! That's BIG'! That's Love.
Bill and Barbara's love began small, just intimate enough for the two of them. Later, it grew to encompass a larger union. They faced enormous challenges with life-altering consequences; many, not unlike those faced by monogamous couples. Where Bill & Barb differ greatly from monogamous couples is in the fact that their type of union {polygamous} is illegal and considered sinful by most religious institutions and authorities. SCREW THEM!! ..pun intended..
Ever the cheerleader for True Champions, I'm givin' a SHOUT OUT to All Polygamous Families!
You Choose Your Way regardless of the what others say. You Choose Love as a Way of Life. And, just like Bill's wives eventually learned, you Overstand that LOVE is about Acceptance, Allowance and the Acknowledgement that it is owned by no one, yet, it BELONGS TO ALL. Love is really BIG. In fact, it is Bigger than we can ever imagine.
All We HAVE To Do, All We CAN Do, is Allow Love to Grow.. Bigger and Bigger and BIGGER...
~HEALTH IS WEALTH~
Luv this post Sis. I'm a Big Love fan. Having been in a polygamous relationship and involved in an non-traditional spiritual culture for over 20 years, I identified with much the psycho-social dynamics in the show. HBO has the best programing on the tele, they know when to say when.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
Thanks, Kazi!! Wow, that's an interesting personal tidbit about you! Were you always as stressed as Bill, or did you have calmer wives who got along better?
ReplyDeleteI never got into Big Love, but I do love the message of this post. To each his own... no judgment. Lots of people could learn a good lesson from this.
ReplyDeleteThat's a long, educational and yes personal story. Next time we cross paths, we'll explore it further. Long story short, sunshine and rain! ;)
ReplyDeleteTOYCE~ That's Right! No judgment at all. Why expend exorbitant amounts of energy focusing on others who aren't harming anyone else, when each of us has tons of self-improving to do?
ReplyDeleteAnd, KAZI~ Looking Forward to Hearing that story!! I'm really interested.
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