There was this one time...

...when I wanted to blog, but didn't really have anything to write about.

And then there was today. ;)

I just came from seeing How To Train Your Dragon for the sixth time, and I've officially decided that it's my favorite movie. Why, you ask? I think I might be able to tell you. It's one of those things where I know I like it, but I'm not exactly sure why. However, I will attempt to write down what it is that makes me enjoy this movie so much. And yes, what would cause me to want to see it 6 times in the theater...

HTTYD is a movie that deals with hate and fear. The vikings of Berk hate and fear the dragons because they steal their food and burn down their houses. The dragons in turn hate and fear the vikings because they, well, kill dragons. This is how it has been for 300 years, and nothing ever changes.
But then one day, Hiccup confronts the night fury that he has brought down with his little contraption, and decides not to kill it. Why? He explains later that looking at this dragon, he saw himself. Instead of being prejudiced against this creature because everyone knows that dragons are dangerous killers, he sees in the dragon the same prejudice towards the vikings that all vikings have against the dragons. (Am I making sense...?) In other words, he saw that the dragon feared him as much as he feared the dragon, and hated him as much as he hated the dragon, etc. They were in the same situation. So, Hiccup decides not to kill this dragon, and instead tries to befriend it. Then after being practically disowned by his dad, he comes and saves the day, and teaches the village that the dragons aren't just mindless killing machines. Then they all live happily ever after.

So...what does this have to do with anything? I don't want to be all cliche and say "Now children,the moral of the story is..." but if we don't learn from these kinds of things, why on earth do we watch them? Entertainment? Yeah...you're probably right. Well, if you just want to be entertained, that's fine. You chose the right movie, I can assure you. But if you want to gain a little more from this, keep reading.

I'm not going to pretend that I know everything, or even that I know anything. Especially about a movie that I've only seen 6 times. However, these are my thoughts on the matter:

When people fear something it's usually because it's different. Think of war, racism, etc. I don't know about you, but people shouldn't fear things just because they're different than we are. I'm willing to bet that these things we fear aren't a whole lot different from ourselves anyway. Think of the vikings. They were under the impression that the dragons were selfish killers, and that they raided the village so they could have more food for themselves. They found out that they were only trying to feed their "queen" I guess you could call it. The vikings and the dragons both just have mouths to feed, and had to get the food somehow. They weren't that different at all. So, the point is, don't be dumb. Don't make those sweeping generalizations that cause people to be judged unrighteously or excluded from a group. They are likely going through some of the exact same things you are.

We need to be more like Russel in Disney's "Up". "A wilderness explorer is a friend to all, be a plant or fish or tiny mole!"

Anyway, those are my thoughts for today.  Be a friend, eh?

Have a nice day!

-Moscas

(P.S. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the movie)

Hiccup: "Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."

Hiccup: "Dat-da-dah! We're dead."

Hiccup: "Thank you, for summing that up."

Snotlout: "Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell stuff you about?"

Snotlout: "I swear, I'm so angry right now! I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot. I'll chop off the hands of every dragon I fight... with my face!"

:)