River Phoenix When I was young, I had very few role models in my life. I was raised in a traditionally poor Mexican household in south Texas and lived on a small cattle/goat/chicken ranch which was barely profitable. At this time I was heading towards becoming a vegetarian. This was mostly due to how I witness and partook on the killing animals for food and I did not have the stomach for it. The “be compassionate to animals” ideology was hard to express to anyone around me and therefor it made me a target for ridicule amongst family and friends. By this time, I had seen many River Phoenix films. I thought the films were great and I felt he was a thoughtful actor with an unconventional upbringing. I think that the moments I really felt connected to River Phoenix as a human being was when I would watch him do television interviews. He talked about his films but also added dimension to his personality by speaking out for animals and the state of our environment. He was a great inspiration for me to fight for animal’s rights, to give back to our fellow human beings, and to protect this planet. Because of him, at age 17, I began to raise money to donate to a manatees conservation group in Florida. It was not a fruitful endeavor but rewarding. I felt I was doing something good counterbalancing the things I did at the ranch. Today, I really believe because of River, my life went down a path of caring for our planet and the goodwill of men. These are the human qualities I choose to remember of River Phoenix every Halloween. The day he passed, Halloween night in 1993, really made me think about his lifes work and how I felt an incredible sadness that a young man with a good heart and loving spirit would be gone from this world. I know he passed due to drug use but I choose not to focus on that aspect of his life. Not because it’s not important, but because I refuse to have it over shadow what I have learned from his time here on earth. For the last few Halloweens, I end up watching various River Phoenix interviews recapturing my youth, igniting my passion for animal/human/environmental causes, and remembering a young man who made mistakes just like every other human on this planet. Maybe these mistakes took his life but for me, it did not take his influence. Remember the good in people and allow it to light a path to a better, kinder world.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 01:44:17 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015