History is
fascinating to contemplate and reflect on because it becomes the driving force,
which creates who people are. On the personal level, these events can be as
simple as childbirth, marriage, or even death. These milestones create a
history for every individual in their own unique way, but sometimes an incident
can affect an entire nation, such as a tragedy like the one experienced in
Jonestown.
According
to our research found in the article 30 Years Later, Survivors Remember Jonestown Massacre, Jonestown was a cult that originated in San Francisco,
and then as it gained popularity and followers they had to continue to expand,
until finally settling in Guyana, South America. This cult, called The People’s
Temple, gained a piece of land outside the United States because some of the
practices could be seen as unconstitutional. This may have included
disciplinary thrashings, abuse or beatings along with not being able to leave
once you joined. Then came the fateful day that an American Congressman came
with an entourage of media and concerned family members to investigate. These
men and women were chased out of Jonestown and many were shot at the airport.
Afterwards, the leader told his cult that the only way out of being arrested by
the government was to commit mass suicide. Amazingly, after very little debate,
the majority of people conquered and was administered cyanide through some
juice, lay down, and died. The script is about a boy who is raised in Jonestown
but makes it out before the massacre occurs.
As
mere storytellers, we did not want to condemn any actions or make suggestions
about what should have happened. We realize that most of the men and women in
The People’s Temple were just people who wanted to help each other in this
communist-like cult (The Timetables of History, by Bernard Grun).
They believed that this was a cause worth dying for, and we aren’t making
excuses for them at all, but merely shining a light on the power of choice.
Everyone had a choice in the beginning, they could chose to stay in their own
lives and try to make the world better, one task at a time, or join a group of
like-minded people to do it together. But that choice had its consequences.
Part
of the process of finding the historical event was looking for something that
moved us. A starting place was looking simply for a tragedy, and the reason
Jonestown stuck out was because September 11th just passed. Before
then Jonestown was the largest amount of American citizen deaths in one event.
Then the terrifying realization that all of these lives could have been saved
if just a few had the courage to stand up to authority. It’s a shocking story
that is often brushed under the rug, but these extraordinary people were good
people just wanting a better life, and died for it. The least we can do is take
a moment out of our hectic lives to marvel at this great event, and then
continue on our way.
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