Lives Changed

So, this weeks post was supposed to be on "Diffusion of Innovations", I skimmed through the reading material and although it is somewhat interesting, I just could not take my mind off of what is going on in the world. Our entire lives have been turned upside down by something called COVID-19. It isn't just something, it is a pandemic.

Just a few weeks ago, I was at High Point University packing my back for Spring Break. I was heading home to New Smyrna Beach, Florida to visit my family and spend time with some friends. I packed some bathing suits and casual beach clothes and caught my flight home. Little did I know, I would not be returning anytime soon.
Sure, I heard some buzz about this virus that originated in China and was spreading. But, people were saying not to worry. Our own President referred to it as a "hoax" so, I guess you could say I was completely blindsided by what was to come. Could this really be happening? People are dying and there are more and more people each day coming down with this potentially deadly virus. My head is spinning... I can't seem to wrap my mind around what is happening.

We are told to remain home, my mother is running around trying to buy necessities to keep our family of five fed and healthy. There is a sense of panic and of all things, people are stockpiling toilet paper. Yes, toilet paper. Not a roll to be found! Shelves are empty, people are coping the only way they know how.

My family owns and operates movie theaters and for the first time since 1947, we do not have a movie running somewhere. Yes, all 147 screens have gone dark in the theaters and by the governers ordinance will cease to operate until it is deemed safe to do so. I am in disbelief. I see the worry in my parent's eyes. This isn't a slight worry, it is deeprooted and seems to emanate from deep within them. No longer am I the carefree college student I was a few weeks ago. Life has changed, not just in my little part of the world, but throughout the entire world.
So for now, I will take all my courses online and pray. Pray for all of us. May we have strength and courage and most of all health.

Free Expression = Self Fulfillment

Freedom of Expression allows people to express their thoughts, beliefs, ideas, and emotions freely without government censorship. It gives you a voice and lets you exercise the right to use your voice. Each of us values freedom of expression for our own personal reasons. Yet, I think we can all agree that it is a fundamental right that we are thankful for. 

When reading about the eight values of freedom of expression the fourth one stood out the most to me. The fourth value is individual self-fulfillment, also known as self-actualization. I believe self-actualization is a desire we all possess. A desire to reach our full potential without being held back or restricted by limitations. 

Have you ever played the "quiet game" as a kid? It was our parents' desperate attempt for some peace and quiet masterfully disguised as a game. All, I can remember thinking is how hard it was not to say anything, because the first one to speak was out and lost the game. I would sit there and think of all the things I couldn't wait to say when the game was over. I couldn't wait to express myself. Don't we all want to express ourselves without being restricted or limited? Isn't it through expressing ourselves that we come to the realization of who we are and find our purpose?

Not only do we find our purpose and reach our full potential when we self-actualize; we become our very best. Don't take my word for it, one of the most famous psychologists of the 20th century, Abraham Maslow said: "I think of the self-actualizing man not as an ordinary man with something added, but rather as the ordinary man with nothing taken away." Basically what he was saying is we all are hardwired to self-actualize. 

Free expression leads to self-fulfillment. It is not holding back for fear of being penalized or ridiculed for who we are and what we have to say. So, find your voice, say what you have to say, wait, isn't that the name of a really cool song by John Mayer? I think this is advice we can all live by. This is why I feel self-fulfillment is the most important value of freedom of expression. 
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-doesnt-kill-us/201609/what-is-self-actualization

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qpn7XQil8A

The Invention of the Motion Picture Camera

The invention of the motion picture camera is near and dear to me. I come from a family of theatre operator and owners. It all started when my great grandfather opened his very first drive-in theatre in 1951.

In 1892, inventor Thomas Edison and William Kennedy Dickson invented the motion picture camera, which is also commonly referred to as a “movie camera”.A year after they made the first motion picture camera, they made a kinetoscope which allowed for one individual at a time to watch the film on the camera.

Timeline:

1892 - Motion picture camera invented

1893 - Kinetoscope invented

1894 - Motion picture camera began getting marketed and sold publicly

1895 - Cinematographe invented by brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere

1895 - First motion picture film comes out, by Lumiere brothers

1905 - First movie theatre opens up

Despite popular belief, movie theatres are continuing to flourish. People continue to go to the movies to see movies on the big screen with the latest in sound and digital projection. Now, you can enjoy a movie in luxury leather recliners and indulge in more than just popcorn.

Today my family continues to operate a motion picture exhibition company based in Central Florida. EPIC currently operates 144 screens at 12 sites.  The company has embarked on an expansion program with plans to add more than 60 screens at 5 sites. 

Sources

https://edison.rutgers.edu/pictures.htm

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-commercial-movie-screened

https://www.epictheatres.com/