Geneva church to show documentary 'Almost Sunrise' Oct. 26
Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, 102 S. Second St., will show the documentary "Almost Sunrise: Hope Is On the Horizon" at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26. Emmy-Nominated in 2018 for Outstanding Current-Affairs Documentary, it is a story of veteran resilience and recovery.
This month's "Friday Flick" is hosted by the church's veterans group.
"Almost Sunrise" tells the inspiring story of two young men, Tom Voss and Anthony Anderson, who, in an attempt to put their haunting Iraq combat experiences behind them, embark on an extraordinary journey - a 2,700 mile trek on foot across America. The film also acts as an urgent call for communities to better understand these deep-seated psychic wounds caused by a condition called "moral injury." Moral injury is a relatively new concept that involves psychological and spiritual wounds that result from experiences that conflict with one's deeply held beliefs of right and wrong. The key precondition for moral injury is an act of transgression, which shatters moral and ethical expectations. The injury can arise in a variety of forms ranging from perpetrating, failing to prevent, bearing witness to, or learning about acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations. It is the resulting loss of the sense of personal worth from the moral injury that leads to overwhelming guilt, depression, and thoughts of self-harm. And moral injury as a diagnosis separate from PTSD better explains some of the recent spike in veteran suicides.
"Almost Sunrise" acts as an urgent call for communities to better understand these deep-seated psychic wounds, and for the government to acknowledge and finally treat moral pain by using methods other than pills. "Almost Sunrise" deftly and movingly demonstrates the promise of holistic healing practices which the VA and private counselors are using to address this newly recognized condition.
The Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, established in 1842 and the oldest church in Geneva, is a diverse, welcoming community that endeavors to make its covenant a living reality. They provide religious education and opportunities for spiritual growth. They encourage individual and mutual responsibility as together they work to be a liberal religious voice in the community and a force for compassionate social justice. For more information, visit uusg.org.