2025 Life Logs, Day 316: From Ardenna to Nonviolence in Action Film Series
Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Weather: Mostly Cloudy and Windy; High Temp 46, Low 40 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
I did it! And idea that was hatched last April became a reality and now is in the past. When Warren Brodie suggested a film series on nonviolence and handed that idea over to me, I had no clue in the world how to put together a film series. And I am embarrassed to say I had a very limited knowledge of nonviolence movements. I had the surface knowledge we all have, but very little beyond that. I thought about it all summer, and finally in August I got to work. I formed a small committee, we found a way to evaluate and choose the films we would feature, and I spent hours and hours and hours of watching films and reading about nonviolent civil resistance. As of tonight, it is over and I will have a chunk of time freed up to spend on other things. The problem is that I learned enough to know that we all need to learn more. I have a feeling there will be a continuation of the study in some form. It might not be another film series, but something. For now, however, I am going to enjoy the extra time.
I had an Encore Board meeting this morning and then an afternoon of getting ready for the final screening tonight. The film was Cesar Chavez (2014). I think most people my age know that he fought to unionize farm workers, but I didn’t know much about him personally. What I learned is that he was a truly completely principled and committed advocate of nonviolence. His knowledge of Gandhi, of Martin Luther King, Jr., and his deeply rooted belief in Catholicism all combined to give him amazing strength as a leader. You can watch the film for free on Amazon Prime Video, but you have to put up with the ads. Even with that, I think it is a film worth watching, more than once.
Working backwards to the beginning of my day, I was delighted to get a text from Heather saying that Ardenna was out of the water and safely on the trailer, mast on the crane truck, ready to head to its winter home here in Falmouth. Another sailing season comes to an end.
