"Sons and kin can pay a father's debts, but none but a man's self can set him free."
A man's freedom or wisdom rely on himself and his own actions; people cannot rely on others to free themselves of anything more than material goods. Through freeing oneself of non materialistic debts and burdens, people are more able to act wisely and avoid attaining more material burdens.


"Through information, digging, and casting aside the stones, a treasure may be found, but not by calling it to come forth."
I liked this particular phrase because it talks about how good things don't come easily. If one wants to make something, a treasure for example, one has to work for it, not simply hope for it to happen and sit back waiting for the world to bring treasures forward. Most things worthwhile require hard work and dedication as well as goal setting and dreaming, but by simply dreaming, one cannot really achieve anything of any value or importance.

Text: Convincing state and federal governments to shift emphasis from institutionalization was difficult, partly because of the inability of policy-makers to be proactive and responsive to individual's needs and preferences. Another factor has been the lobbying strength of nursing homes that see this shift as a threat to their livelihoods.
It is sad and says a lot about our government and society that one of the large barriers Mia has faced comes from the lack of sympathy of policy-makers and the polarized government system in which politics has taken more importance than human rights. The fact that decisions that should be made in defense of human rights are being made based off of political power and political benefits is pathetic - though obviously politics hold a high seat in policy making in the government, it is sad that this program was recognized more for saving the government money than for being the proper thing to do ethically. Unfortunately, people rarely are willing to consider that a change in how things are run could save the government money while also doing the right thing for people benefiting from taxes as well as for people paying taxes.


Text: I have always believed that altruism is part of us, that as social beings we are inherently compassionate. . . Given that we live in a global society where we are all interconnected we are now coming to the realization that to survive, as human beings, we need to connect with others and be more sympathetic.
Bretos' point of view that society is altruistic is sweet if somewhat idealistic. Though he is right because most people should/would make decisions based on justice if they would benefit financially or in another way, many people would rather be passive than proactively help society. The writer's actions and experiences are noteworthy because he has acted for the good of others rather than for his own personal gains. Assuming all people had it in them to act in this way, society's flaws would be significantly decreased. The need to be sympathetic and connect with others on a global as well as national and local level demands people to bring their best selves forward and act in ways that benefit society as a whole and not just in the little bubble they interact with on a daily basis. The call to action presently is strong - as the writer said, the failures and crises that society is currently dealing with may prove to be blessings for groups that aim to help others and that aim to improve society's caliber as a whole.

Text 1: "Do I defend the powerful or advocate for the oppressed? My mission is not to defend the powerful but the oppressed, and here I am."

Seeing how Romero, unlike most of the higher clergy in El Salvador whom appointed him, chose to defend the poor rather than the rich was inspirational. Though poorer priests frequently do defend the poor, most who have a chance to pick between helping people and helping themselves rise in position at this point and time and this setting would've chosen to rise at the expense of the people. Romero had the opportunity to then a blind eye to the poor as many of his peers previously did, but he chose to stick by the people and defend them. Eventually, the military and government turned against the church as a whole, but for a long time in El Salvador, along with many other Latin American countries, many of the higher members of the clergy were powerful, rich, and corrupt. I had sen documentaries that focused more on that particular aspect of Romero's life and his struggles with other clergymen and the church's involvement or lack thereof with the suffering lower classes. I really appreciated how this particular film mentioned Rutillo as much as it did because I've always felt his role in planting the seeds of justice and of yearning for equality in the people tends to be downplayed. Rutillo and Romero made the church in El Salvador a church for the people rather than a church for the rich.

Text 2: Early in the movie there is a scene about Romero's arrival. It mentions that he got out of a car just as some kids were playing soccer and the soccer ball landed at his feet. He then picked it up, said, "let's play," and began to play with them and supposedly had great skill handling the ball - not a talent expected from a priest. Rather than scolding the kids for playing there or almost hitting him, he joined them.

By playing with local children, conversing with common people rather than only rich people, and even giving a mass in which military men were posted at the doors threateningly with weapons ready to fight the people monseñor Romero was preaching to, Romero made the church more accessible to the community that he served. Previously, the church and readings were all in Latin, but Romero made an effort to teach people what it was they were going to church for and to increase their knowledge on the Scripture and the teachings of the church. He gave the people the power to use the scripture to learn to respect themselves and each other and to learn that justice was something they all deserved and should work towards. Unfortunately, parts of his message, like respect for all life, were lost on certain people (like the guerrilla) who took Romero's messages of equality in a more violent direction. This film brought a very real message by humanizing Romero and playing clips of real recording of his voice, people he knew, and clips of his life and actions in El Salvador. The film truly showed how genuine and sincere of a person Romero was not only a a person but as a clergyman and a revolutionary of sorts.