Richard Dreyfuss spent 40 years in Hollywood, many of them as one of its biggest stars. He received an Oscar for his performance in The Goodbye Girl and was nominated for another for his role in Mr. Holland's Opus.And there are many, many other acting credits to his name,including Jaws.
And then, four years ago, he pretty much chucked it all and went in a new direction: he enrolled at Oxford University to pursue his pet interest, which is the teaching of Civics to young people. He has strong views on the importance of loyalty to one's country, from which--he says--all else follows.
It's inspirational to hear him tell his life story thus far; many others with careers like his continue to coast on their laurels and continue to show up at the Academy Awards.
Ultimately it is all about the conversation each of us has going on in our head continuously. His inner voice apparently was loud and clear about the opportunity to make a further contribution in his lifetime, beyond making movies. And he listened, which is why he ended up at Oxford.
Of course, we all have conversations going on in our heads, many of which we ignore and rightly so. But each of us knows that there are some conversations we need to take more seriously if we want to make the kind of contribution that comes only from engaging in something bigger than we are. Something that can impact others. Something that can live beyond us.
Richard Dreyfuss is determined to make an impact on the way young Americans feel about their Nation and return a sense of pride and loyalty to their citizenship.
Bravo, Richard Dreyfuss.
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