Article

Who Am I?

Focus on the Recovery Process

Some people would say an alcoholic, and others a person dealing with a bipolar mental disorder. The tirades with my verbally abusive language directed at an ex-girlfriend concerning the custody of our 8-month old daughter made national news. My past outbursts in which I used anti-Semitic language and made sexist remarks along with arrest for drunk driving, I attributed to a drink of vodka.

Although I have never acknowledged having a mental illness, I have stated that I have experienced really good highs and some very low lows. According to a quote in Huffington Post, July 13, 2010, I stated: “I found out recently that I am manic depressive.” This is an older way of saying that I am bipolar.

I am a well-known movie director. The Christian community and many others know me for a film I wrote and directed which focuses on the final 12 hours of Jesus Christ’s life here on this earth. Another recent film which caught the attention of the larger community as well as the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its members features the life of a Seventh-day Adventist who joined the Army during WWII. He served as a conscientious objector with the intention of saving life rather than taking life. He believed the war was just, but taking life was wrong. In Okinawa, under heavy fire, described by many as the bloodiest battle, he managed to save 75 men without firing a single shot. His story and the movie won great acclaim and I was nominated for a Best Director Oscar as a result of directing this film.

So even though some of my past behavior and habits might be described as reprehensible, I realize that somehow, even with that knowledge, I can find the best in people who have lived exemplary lives and contributed in so many positive ways to the blessing and benefit of all mankind.