An Actor I Loved Turned Into a Man I Found Repugnant

What a waste. He got what he deserved.

I watched a TV series titled Kung Fu and liked the main character, Caine, played by David Carradine. The series revolved around a Shaolin monk wandering around the old west in an attempt to reconnect with his half-brother. The graceful movements, poise, self-confidence and strength of Caine’s martial arts skills were appealing. He did not go around looking for trouble, but when he encountered it he was prepared.

For example, Caine walks across the desert. Thirst leads him into a bar where he requests and receives a glass of water. Local patrons peg him for an unwelcome outsider. A local ruffian starts a fight, but Cain easily defeats the man. Then Cain casually walks out. It was a simple plot but made an impression on me.

Caine consistency upheld the value of life, our connection to nature and defended against injustice. That is not an easy task. Carradine acted in a great role and acted convincingly.

I liked the philosophy within the series so much that I wanted to imitate that character in real life. I studied philosophy and learned a martial art. Really.

Carradine played roles after the Kung Fu series in which his new characters were not so appealing. After all, he was an actor.

When Carradine’s death was reported my respect for the man came to a stop. Apparently he committed unintentional suicide in a closet in a foreign country while engaging in an act of sexual gratification.

My thoughts were: How far from a soft spoken, philosophical, self-actualized character could he get? Didn’t he learn anything while portraying Caine’s identity?

Sometimes it’s best to look deeper into a role that someone is playing and identify the values within the role that are appealing. The values establish a base of support. So, even though the man who acted as the main character in Kung Fu did not live up to my expectations in real life, my philosophy and martial arts practice still does.

Sometimes expectations are shattered. During times like that, core values can pull someone through.

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