Something about certain movies gets my mind going in lots of directions at once. Last night we saw Avengers: Infinity War. Not sure what you saw in the film and thought about but here are some of the things that were going through my head as I watched it and have thought about it since.
(spoiler alert, if that matters)
First. If you give a villain a name that obviously means Death (thanks, high school poetry teacher, for having us analyze "Thanatopsis") that gives fair warning to pay attention to what's going on in his view of life.
Probably my overriding concern: Thanos's belief that he is acting in mercy by killing half the people for the benefit of the other half. That is not mercy. Mercy is being delivered from some sort of punishment or unpleasant consequence which is due. I keep thinking about the similarities between Thanos's plan for improving life on the planets he rules and our own country's abortion for the sake of convenience. Abortion is all too often viewed as some sort of mercy, too. :( I also keep thinking of Shakespeare's "the quality of mercy is not strained" - well, Thanos was certainly not making what he was calling mercy voluntary.
The way Thanos destroys people - causing them to crumble and turn back to dust and be blown away - is a reversal of man being created from the dust of the earth. I found this a powerful image and like the reminder of death (momento mori). If we saw the dust of aborted children floating around, cars and helicopters crashing because they are not there, would that get us to notice the horror and death? Those scenes remind me of the part in It's a Wonderful Life where George Bailey sees what the world would have been had he never existed.
I keep thinking about the characters who were willing to lay down their lives to stop Thanos, especially Vision and Gamora. They saw the need and were willing to do it, but those who loved them stood in their way -- and led to Thanos's apparent triumph. Jesus tells us to come and die with Him, but how common it is for loved ones try to stop us from laying down our lives for others and for the kingdom. How does this fit in with the film's talk about not trading one life for others? I think the difference comes in when someone chooses to lay down someone ELSE'S life for others, as Thanos did with Gamora -- and seems to feel he is noble to do with all the life he is extinguishing.
I'm curious, what were you thinking as you watched and reflected on Infinity War?
verses jumbling around in my head:
It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people. ~ John 18:13
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. ~ John 10:17-18
then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground ~ Genesis 2:7
he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust... the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more ~ Psalm 103:14-16
(spoiler alert, if that matters)
First. If you give a villain a name that obviously means Death (thanks, high school poetry teacher, for having us analyze "Thanatopsis") that gives fair warning to pay attention to what's going on in his view of life.
Probably my overriding concern: Thanos's belief that he is acting in mercy by killing half the people for the benefit of the other half. That is not mercy. Mercy is being delivered from some sort of punishment or unpleasant consequence which is due. I keep thinking about the similarities between Thanos's plan for improving life on the planets he rules and our own country's abortion for the sake of convenience. Abortion is all too often viewed as some sort of mercy, too. :( I also keep thinking of Shakespeare's "the quality of mercy is not strained" - well, Thanos was certainly not making what he was calling mercy voluntary.
The way Thanos destroys people - causing them to crumble and turn back to dust and be blown away - is a reversal of man being created from the dust of the earth. I found this a powerful image and like the reminder of death (momento mori). If we saw the dust of aborted children floating around, cars and helicopters crashing because they are not there, would that get us to notice the horror and death? Those scenes remind me of the part in It's a Wonderful Life where George Bailey sees what the world would have been had he never existed.
I keep thinking about the characters who were willing to lay down their lives to stop Thanos, especially Vision and Gamora. They saw the need and were willing to do it, but those who loved them stood in their way -- and led to Thanos's apparent triumph. Jesus tells us to come and die with Him, but how common it is for loved ones try to stop us from laying down our lives for others and for the kingdom. How does this fit in with the film's talk about not trading one life for others? I think the difference comes in when someone chooses to lay down someone ELSE'S life for others, as Thanos did with Gamora -- and seems to feel he is noble to do with all the life he is extinguishing.
I'm curious, what were you thinking as you watched and reflected on Infinity War?
verses jumbling around in my head:
It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people. ~ John 18:13
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. ~ John 10:17-18
then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground ~ Genesis 2:7
he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust... the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more ~ Psalm 103:14-16
Great thoughts! It also brings to mind the photos of people in Ireland full-out cheering because of the Abortion Rights Victory.
ReplyDeletedid you see the movie? our family is having lots of discussions on what may happen next...
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