Greenmiles

Why did good people suffer in this unjust world? This is one of our fellowship topic in this semester that Rev. Wang has to resort to the book of Ecceslastes to answer the question, and it is one of the message that the movies 'Greenmiles' want to speak to the audience. Tonight I have a chance to watch this touching and thought-provoking movie again. It's better to write down my lingering thought before I forget.

The movie didn't give us any answer or anyway out. To the director, the world is gloomy and we are living in this corrupt and unjust world, and to die young is better than to live a long life. When the innocent John - (the main character in the movies who have healing power, and who was wrong accused and put to death penalty) - were offered a chance to escape by Tom Hans (the prison warden in the movie), he refused to live. For him, life is tired and ugly, and it is better to die and go to heaven that to be a lonely sparrow in the rainy road - a line in the movie that struck my heart. To a certain extent, this gloomy worldview is true because human are sinful. Everybody don't like dark, just as the main character John. We want to live in a world that is simple, full of joy and happiness that mirrors the heaven. Yet,the world will brand us as 'naive'. Being in the world but not of the world, being the light of the world in the darkness, and being a simple good (or so called naive) person among the complicated and evil people is very tiring, and foolish.

Is living long a blessing or a curse? The main character Tom Hans receive the spillover healing power so that he can live a long life. Yet,during his course of life he saw the passing away of his wife, his sons, his friends and his companions one by one. He saw this as an atonement for his execution of the innocent John. What is the purpose of living then? Living only for atonement is a curse.

The above is some'negative' and gloomy message in the movies, yet it protrays a vivid description of life, and a profound question that human souls are searching and searching over centuries. What is the purpose of life? If I am not a christian, I can't see anyway out of this puzzle. If we know that one day we will die, and the things that we are doing in this world are only temporary shadow that will make you tired and suffered, and will fade away as dust one day, what's the purpose of living then? For us as a christian, we know that we have a way out, because we have Jesus in our heart. Ee have the eternal promise that one day we will meet Him face to face that he will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the older order things has passed away (Rev 21:4); that in this current order of world we have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal.2:19-20).

The director of Greenmile use the mice to illustrate his idea of heaven. For him, heaven is a place that is much better than in the world. The begining lyrics of the background music is 'Heaven, I'm in heaven...'. The movies can also direct us to the cross if we want to ponder upon it. In the film, those who witness the death penalty of the main character (John)has a lot of hatred for him, as he was the murderer from their eyes. On the road to the Cross, Jesus also choose to suffer, humbly bearing the insult and hatred from the people who misunderstand Him and who want to kill Him. Yet this analogy is imperfect. The final world the main character 'John' said is 'I am sorry for what I am'. Maybe he is tired, maybe he never intend or choose to be a guy who have special power to heal. But for Jesus, though He was overwhelmed with pain, he choose the Cross. This is his heavenly calling and his destiny, because He love us.

Maybe Greenmiles is the road of suffering, or maybe it is the final journey towards the end of our life. We all have our Greenmiles as the movie say. Maybe the loneliness is difficult to bear. Yet we know that with Christ in our heart, we will not fear and we will have courage to move on. Whom I have in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desires besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion. (Ps73:25-26)

Some thoughts on Geroge Kennan and Prophetic Message

Tonight I have read an interesting article about George Kennan. In the diplomatic field, He have been labelled the 'father of containment', as the policy reccomendation that he has sent back from Sovient Union to USA through a long telegram in 1947 has become the blueprint of the US policy during the early cold war era. Deviating from Kennan original intention, US decide to use military method to contain Sovient Union by empowering its ally in Western Europe and Japan. Ever then, the word 'containment' was ever attached to Kennan.

The article state that Kennan has set a high standard for the policymaker to articulate the policy blueprint . To meet the standard,
1. It should be original and highly creative;
2. It should attract the attention and gain respect from the intecllect and academian, in order to stimulate further research;
3. It should not be just an empty word. It should transform the government behaviour and set path for a new direction for the country to follow.

If the above point was placed in the church context. It is called Prophetic message. In the secular world, human try to develop their idea and brainpower to contemplate the future and to transform the world in a way that they saw fit. Some has succeed and left the world with their legacy, even though the legacy they left may do more harm than good. Some has failed. Just wonder in God's kingdom, where are the 'prophet' of this age who has received calling from God to proclaim God's special message to transform people and the world? and how many false prophets are there who are laying people with yoke and burden that people cannot bear?

Coincidently I have read another interest article from a christian website, that many time in the contemporary world the 'prophet' (those who have a message to bring) are often challenged by the priests (1 Peter 2:9-10, lay people are royal priests). The macro-message from the 'prophet' seems to be so distinct from the real life of 'priests' from their localities, that the 'priests' prefer to follow something that can yield immediate value.