#1 ·
Tolerance is really just a state of mind, isn't it?
Back in 1915, when David Griffith—the guy they call the "father of film"—put out his racist epic *The Birth of a Nation*, he learned firsthand what it feels like to have the whole world turn on you. But since everyone deserves a second chance at an apology (whether they actually mean it or not), he filmed a response to his own controversial "masterpiece" in 1916. He wanted to show the world that intolerance is the root of all evil, so he titled the film *Intolerance*. The problem? Griffith took a massive detour. Instead of promoting peace, he painted the world as this intolerant place where good, honest people—meaning himself, obviously—are persecuted just for speaking their minds. I'm not trying to defend censorship here, but the point Griffith successfully sold to the public wasn't that tolerance is necessary for a better world. It was more about pointing fingers at historical sins to wash the blood off his own reputation. And unfortunately, it worked. If we’re going to talk about fading virtues, let's focus on their inherent beauty. Virtues don't exist as a byproduct of fixing our flaws; they exist because they are fundamentally good.
Luckily, some people actually take good intentions and run with them. Back in the nineties, Joshua brand and John Falsey sent a bright, driven young doctor named Joel Fleischman way out to the middle of nowhere in Alaska. It was basically his way of paying back that $125,000 state scholarship he got to study medicine at Columbia University. But nobody could have predicted what a young Jew from New York would actually learn living in a tiny town like Cicely. Even though it felt forced at first, he eventually realized—like anyone trying to grow—that Cicely isn't just a place, it’s a state of mind. It's where you find the last refuge for the most beautiful, eccentric souls on the planet. Sure, the windows might not be made of chocolate, but every heartbeat there tells a story that makes this weird world a little better.
If you missed out on watching the greatest TV show ever made, don't sweat it—you can still make up for lost time. If you thought you already had yourself and this unpredictable world figured out, try looking at the lives of regular people living in a place just weird enough to be interesting. It’s basically everyday human struggles set against an unusual backdrop, but without all that typical TV garbage—no cheap betrayals, no senseless violence, no fake heroes, and none of that melodramatic trash. People here actually live well. And honestly, it’s not just because of some genius writing; it’s because anyone could live like this. It’s a better version of reality that actually feels within reach.
You can dive into all sorts of intense, superhuman emotions when you shift your headspace, but there’s one thing that screams from every single character and situation: Tolerance, built on the ultimate cosmic foundation—empathy.
Pay attention to how things unfold and listen for those subtle undertones in every conversation—kind of like analyzing Chris’s radio intros and outros. Why can't we live more like that? Just enjoy watching the way these characters actually understand one another and navigate their own messiness and disagreements. Nobody here is perfect or some flawless representation of humanity, but the way they move through life is honestly beautiful. Why do we feel this constant need to demand answers or seek approval for everything? If someone wants something and isn't hurting anyone, who are we to demand an explanation or judge their "weird" desires as if they're something unnecessary? Why is it so hard for us to just accept people in this massive, incredible world? I'm not trying to go off on a tangent here, but genuine tolerance is really the only way forward.
So, why does a story about life up in Alaska actually need someone like Joel Fleischman? Every piece of art needs a starting point, right? Life in Cicely wouldn't feel nearly as alien if there wasn't someone there who clearly doesn't belong. Cicely needed an outsider to breathe life into it. Joel grew up in a judgmental, intolerant world—a place full of bad intentions and fake motives. Every question he asks, every bit of confusion or emotion, and every moment of shock he experiences is really directed at us. Joel Fleischman lives in all of us. He’s there to ask our questions, to get angry, and to be baffled by things right alongside our own flaws. We learn with him, and through him. He’s our Socrates; he’s that raised eyebrow. He represents the more tolerant version of ourselves we're still trying to become. He is the Question posed to a Beautiful World's Answer.
Trying to recap 80 hours of raw human nature from this series would just be a waste of breath. Same goes for nitpicking specific episodes or scenes. Just dive in—nobody's forcing you. Live life up north and let every morning make you rethink the world around you. You might not trigger a blizzard or a sudden raid, but you'll build up a mountain of genuine emotion, as beautiful as the scenery surrounding the best town on earth—Cicely. Maybe, eventually, every city becomes a state of mind.
Once you fall for the world of Cicely, just surf over if you want (and you will) the full episode guide, including cast lists, credits, and quick synopses (in .txt format). Make sure to grab the little file here: www.gate.net/~kimi/nxguide.txt
P.S. If you’re interested in digging deeper into tolerance and human progress, I highly recommend the ultimate guide to being an open-minded human: John Stuart Mill and his brilliant work, "On Liberty."