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My first reaction to viewing Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox was both touched and disappointed. You see, I was there for most of the 120 hours Sara and Katy edited to about 90 minutes–so I missed things like the time I was a guest and speaker for five days at Patch Adams’s incredible Gesundheit Institute, and the time when I met Bobby Kennedy Jr. in my NY hotel (I sang “Up in Wisconsin” to him and his wife). Also I missed scenes from my 166th birthday party (Dad said to add years to your age–it makes you seem younger). We had parachutes, balls, bubbles, people, music and fun. It’s hard to say what Dad would think of the film if he could see it. On the one hand he’d like things FORCEFUL so he certainly would enjoy the scenes from RAINBOW BRIDGE and the talk in front of Mt. Palomar. I am not sure how he would respond to the softer approach that Mike, David and I have in carrying out HIS vision, but he sure would like the results of what we are doing. Often as I walk through our plant and see how we deal with the workers, new equipment, hemp and other new ingredients, I think about at all the wonderful newspaper articles and talk shows and the fact that the boys have taken on the federal government and won on hemp and organics and the fact that we now sell 5 million bottles (When he died in 1997 we were at 3 million ), I think how he would sum it up in one word: BRILLIANT! I have developed my life philosophy from the experience of working with my father for over 40 years, teaching inner-city 7 th and 8 th grade for 32 years, and from being blessed with an ALL-ONE family that lets me do “my thing.” I have just 4 sentences that give me goose-pimples and are my “guiding light”: My religion: GOD IS THE SEARCH FOR GOD and TO KNOW GOD IS TO SERVE MAN One of my favorite quotes: GOD MUST HAVE LOVED THE COMMON PEOPLE OF THE EARTH, HE MADE SO MANY OF THEM. – Abraham Lincoln (on the Tea-Tree label) Paul Newman’s quote (he has given away over $200,000,000 from his food products): Both of my cars ALWAYS have three things: soaps, articles and a guitar. I love singing for children as well as giving the soaps, articles and stories to anyone that will listen. People all over America, but especially where I live in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, greet me as I pump gas, eat out, work a convention booth etc. to thank me years later for the soaps and stories. Of course I don’t remember most of them as to me it was a little act of kindness, BUT THE RICHES I HAVE COLLECTED ARE THE HUNDREDS OF VARIOUS WAYS THEY HAVE TOLD ME,” YOU CHANGED MY LIFE!” or “YOU INSPIRED ME!” My life is blessed and the biggest part is that I know it. Love in All-One!
Ralph Bronner PS: When I speak at colleges I tell them to write down two words for life: STAY HUMAN! June 27, 2007 |
When we asked Ralph if he had any comments he would like to share about the film, this is what he wrote: