In Braveheart, William Wallace continually trusts over and over again. Half of the time that Wallace would trust, he would be betrayed. Yet, he always was willing to trust again. Wallace gave second chances. In the movie, he is presented as the ultimate man. Not only is he a sweet and soft lover, Wallace is a strong thinking warrior. Most of all, he was willing to trust.
The magnitude of Wallace’s trust astounds me. I have never been good at trusting. Lately, I have come to the conclusion that I do not know how to trust at all. I would rather cynically approach the world and people than expose myself to betrayal and hurt. Wallace makes no sense to me. He fought, but found no pleasure in war. He desired a simple farm with a wife and children. Did he get any of that? No. By our standards, Wallace should have been a bitter and angry. He was angry, but Wallace was never portrayed as bitter. He should have been bitter and distrustful. Instead, he was willing to trust and he was thankful for life.
In my search for learning to trust, I have found that trust is founded in thankfulness. It is founded in being filled with gratitude at the simple things in life. Wallace was thankful for life. He was thankful for the men that fought alongside of him. Wallace has become a legend. He is considered a man among men. Through wit and cunning, he routed Britain from Scotland.
Trust can be found in the most unlikely places. When I watched Braveheart, I was not watching with the intention of learning about trust. And yet, I did. Once the movie was over, the prevailing question in my head was, “How could Wallace continue to trust even after being betrayed multiple times?” People have been scarred by betrayal in modern life. Most people tend to stop extending such willing trust. I am even slow to trust. However, I respect Wallace for his ability to continually trust even in the face of betrayal. Even if this is only a movie version of the real man, I think this message of trust should be studied.
How does one not embrace bitterness? How does one continue to trust? Is it possible? In pain and difficulty, trust becomes hard. Wallace chose to think beyond himself. He fought for his country, his dead wife, and the children. He gave second chances because he believed in the people of Scotland. Wallace lived with a focus of others. Hollywood may not have meant to weave this message of trust in their movie, but they did. May I continue to learn from it.
