The Space Between Us is the story of a young man, Gardner Elliot, and his quest to find his father.
Having been the first human to be born on Mars, he had a long way to go to find out this truth. He journeyed from Mars to earth and then multiple states to discover whose son he was.
Through his story, we can find parallels to our manhood.
-
Have courage
As The Space Between Us opens, we see Nathaniel Shepherd giving a speech. Part of his speech included the line:
There is one resource without limits–Courage!
Men are not meant to sit back passively as the world passes us by. We are to step up and be courageous.
-
Be willing to ask questions
After Gardner returned to earth, he began asking questions. He asked those around him what their favorite thing about earth was.
He was inquisitive and he couldn’t wait to hear the answers from those he encountered.
Men aren’t afraid to ask questions. Even the tough ones.
-
We don’t always know what they’re doing
Gardner escaped a facility that he was being held in for his own “protection.” He escaped to the only place he knew. He ran towards friend Tulsa.
Tulsa brought him to her home. There, they ran from Nathaniel and his surrogate mother Kendra. Eventually, they hopped into a plane and Tulsa began to fly.
The thing is, Tulsa didn’t know how to fly a plane. But she did it anyways.
Men don’t need to know exactly what they’re doing before taking action. They hop into the role and do what needs to be done.
-
Secrets will hurt us
In the end, we discover Gardner’s father is Nathaniel Shepherd, the man who sent his mother into outer space.
Nathaniel described the burden of carrying this secret as a malignancy that keeps getting worse.
Secrets are not our friend. They hide who we truly are.
Manhood isn’t all about being a stud. Manhood is about being true to who you are and doing the right thing.
◊♦◊
Photo: STX Entertainment
Read Joe Lalonde every week here on The Good Men Project!