Last year HBO made a movie based on the life of Temple Grandin. It won a lot of awards and gave the subject of autism and humane slaughter a lot of press. It also made it’s star Claire Danes a bigger star and got Temple herself more into the public eye.
I’ve wanted to see the movie Temple Grandin for over a year and finally saw it last night. The story is beautifully told and Claire is stunningly effective playing Temple. The story has so many levels – love, acceptance, perseverance, the trials and joys of being “different, not less”.
Temple, being autistic in the 60’s when you were automatically institutionalized, was mainstreamed by her mother who refused to believe that she deserved any less. Now most of us have come into contact with the autistic in one way or another. Then it was unheard of.
Temple’s unstoppable attitude created many changes in the world of understanding autism. She also has revolutionized the slaughter industry. Whether you agree with eating meat or not, the fact that her changes have created happy, peaceful cows rather than frightened, stressed ones in the slaughterhouse, that is something to be appreciated. “Nature is cruel, but we don’t have to be.”
What I love most about the movie is the continual reference to how Temple, and those with autism in general, think in pictures. We are told over and over again that if we wants something, we need to visualize it. See the details. Identify the sights, sounds and smells. Experience it in every way you possibly can. The more detail you can put into your visualization, the more likely it is to come into being.
Temple’s story shows this to be true. When explaining her revolutionary new run for cows to go into the “dip” when they first arrive at the feedlot, she recognizes that for her, she sees herself as the cow walking through it and understands. For us, we regular, normal people, all we see is a drawing. She feels what it’s like to be the animal.
Temple Grandin – HBO Original Film starring Claire Danes
It is true that what we see is what we create. If you’re someone who dwells on the negative, that’s all you’ll see. If you think everyone is laughing at you, you will see even a friendly smile as a smirk. If you’re someone who looks for the positive, that’s what you’ll see. If you believe people are basically good and trustworthy, you will find those kinds of people.
The more specific – and positive – you can be when you visualize, the more likely you are to get what you want. If you want a new car, you can keep seeing a new car and thinking positively that you’re going to get it. However, if you’re not specific about the kind of car you want, the car you get miraculously given to you might be new to you and old to the giver. You need to see the make, model, year, color, interior, smell the new car smell, feel how it maneuvers through traffic and so on. Then you will get exactly what you want.
The trick then becomes going into action.
Temple could have drawn plans until the cows came home. (Groan with me please!) She could visualize every detail right down to forbidding the cowboys from hanging things over the edge. Without action, no one would know her name, a movie never would have been made and the slaughter industry would continue to be as barbaric as it always was.
Temple took risks. She found ways to get her message out there. She is the picture of unstoppable. When they didn’t allow her onto the feedlot because the man in charge didn’t like her and made up a “no women” rule to keep her out did she go home and cry? No, she bought a truck and dirtied it up so it would fit in with the other vehicles coming through the gate. She bought overalls and a trucker cap and rolled around in the dirt so they didn’t look brand new. She put on sunglasses, waved at the gate guard and drove in.
When the narrow sighted cowboys modified her dip run and killed three cows in five minutes, she went out and found people who would listen to her and now half the feedlots in the states use her system.
When she started to spin out of control from the pressures at college, she built herself a “hug machine” to calm her down. The powers that be took it away because they didn’t take the time to understand what it’s purpose was. She refused to go back unless they let her bring the new version she built on spring break with her. When they balked, she offered to do a scientific experiment which proved it’s benefits to even the “normal” students.
No matter what obstacle was put in front of her, Temple kept on. How often have you been stopped by an unkind word? How often have you wanted something and stopped yourself with thoughts of “I don’t know how” or “it’s never been done before” or “I’ll be misunderstood” or any other limiting thoughts?
I know I have! Stories like Temple’s remind me to keep going. If someone with the challenges she faced can make huge changes to an industry closed to any thought of innovation, why should I be stopped? I have no good reason. Do you?
Go forward, beautiful kitties. See where you want to go in every little detail and start down the road. The only difference between a stepping stone and a stumbling block is how high you lift your feet. Lift your feet, go through the doors in front of you and keep moving. There is always a way!
Love, Christie