While Foles and Brady were marching their respective teams up and down the field on Superbowl 52, my mind was somewhere else. I wasn’t concerned about the teams. I follow neither the Eagles or the Patriots. I follow the Pearson’s. When the game ended on a Hail Mary pass that sealed the fate of the Patriots, I knew the fate of Jack Pearson was about to be revealed. Who is Jack Pearson and why do we care? Jack is fictional. Here is why we Dad’s should care.
The show is called “This Is Us”. Watch it. With the mass unmasking of sexual predators and immoral men making the news, Jack Pearson is a rare breath of fresh air we so desperately need. Television Dad’s are more likely shown as buffoons masquerading as men. Men who dread commitment, feel stifled by marriage and tempted by lifestyles lacking virtue or accountability, and often burdened by the many demands of children and family life. Audiences laugh at their pre-pubescent behavior, simplistic reasoning and childish attempts to avoid guilt and punishment at all costs. It’s getting pretty damn old, isn’t it?
Enter Jack. He’s doing something that TV men are rarely allowed to do or be celebrated for. Jack leads with his heart. His family is his whole world. He takes great pride in raising his children well and keeping his wife happy. He and his wife Rebecca are a team of one. He is compassionate, loving and completely other-centered. He is revered by his family because he loves so deeply and honestly. And get this Dad’s – he sets an enormously high bar for his children, not because he had some intense career or achieved some great external accomplishment. He did it because he knew it was his responsibility. In one classic scene Jack is asked by a doctor treating him for burns why he went back into his burning house to save his daughter’s dog. Jack’s response, “Because I love the girl who loves the dog.” It is that same fire that Jack uses to save his family from what would eventually take his own life in a gut-wrenching post-Superbowl episode that all us fans of the show knew was coming.
Jack loves his wife. Jack loves his children. Every one of us aspires to make the best for his family, out of even the worst situations, and to be admired, respected, and loved as a victor of virtue. Jack Pearson graciously surpasses modern day TV expectations as a husband and father. He portrays the delicate balance of fatherhood – the compassionate and gentle rock whose virtuous spirit lives on in his children. But the very best portrayal of Jack is this – he’s broken. Jack is far from perfect. His past includes an alcoholic father, a depressed and almost non-existent mother, the Vietnam War, work pressure, etc. He falls, but he battles. He fights and he fights because he knows exactly what’s at stake. Ultimately, he wins the battle against the devil not for himself – but for his wife and children. That’s pretty iconic and not often seen on TV shows. Jack is me. Jack is you. I want to be a lot more like Jack.
No comments:
Post a Comment