Last night I watched a movie called “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.” I have not been so touched emotionally by a movie for such a long, as I was tonight.
The movie is about 2 boys from completely different sides of the tracks, and the hidden friendship that grows between them. The one comes from a rich well off background, while the other comes from a broken and lost one. One of them wears smart suits and expensive clothes that tie him to his father’s work, and the other boy’s clothing is nothing but blue and white striped “pajamas.” And he has not seen his father since he went off to work a few days ago. The first boy’s Father is a General in a ruling army, while the other boy’s Father is a watch maker. Both of the boys are eight years old but they are separated by one thing. Race. One comes from a English German background, while the other comes from a Jewish background. One destined to be protected by a brain washed community and one destined to be unprotected by their ethnicity. I will not tell you how it ends, but the movie will leave you stirred emotionally.
This move made me think of humanity and the atrocities that are done in the name of people who are brain washed into thinking their actions are right. We are the only species of Mammal that kills others for no reason at all. All others kill for living necessity. Why do we do this? Why Germany and the Jewish nation? Why Rwanda and cultural differences? Why America and Iraq? This is not a blog that will get too much into the politics and so forth; this is just a blog where I ask the question, why? The war between Israel and Palestine has been going on since Biblical times and now it is at a point where no-one knows why. The pain from all the above is felt by God, and if a movie pulls my heart, I just can’t imagine how God must feel when He sees His people attacking each other. Some even saying it is done in His name. In U2’s new cd, there is a song called “Get on your boots” which speaks about the mess that man has made of the world, so it’s time for the woman to take over and see how they do. Funny maybe? Truth maybe? There is no answer why people do such atrocities, fight in wars, use race or culture as reasons. All I know is that we are specie that needs help.
Even now, each one of us has the potential to hurt someone, even kill if not thinking. Sure, this is not an epidemic such as the above examples, but we need to address our symptoms of humanity. Anger, retribution, justice. Think of a car that’s just cut you off, a person who jumps the queue you have been in for 10 minutes. The thief who has broken into your car…this happened to me last week and as the thief ran off, without thinking I jumped into my car and searched for him all around the area. With one thought; seek and knock him off my bumper. I was not thinking, blind rage mixed with adrenaline – a very bad cocktail. I did not find him, and I drove back to the church where I was (yes, thieves don’t mind where the car is!) and I sat back in my chair, heart racing and realising that I could have done something stupid.
I go back to my point that we are a specie that needs help. All the help we can get. Because no amount of mortars, tank and gun fire, machetes and gases will stop blood shed. We cannot stop ourselves from destroying ourselves. In the movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” the alien is asked why he is here, why he has to wipe out humanity. His answer was, speaking about humanity, “If you survive, the earth will die. If you die, the earth survives.” I believe as a generation now, we have more and more responsibility for our actions, being it in business, politics, academics, wherever we can touch other people. We do not have the luxury of sitting back and watch things break apart around us. This generation is called to stand for what is right and protect our moral codes, our passion to see change in our countries, stop wars, atrocities, personal vendettas. How? This can start at grass root levels, with small things around us and affecting others. Think of it as a stronger level of the movie “Pay it forward.” But there is one thing we have to be aware of, and that is by ourselves as humanity, we have no chance to make the changes we need. In ourselves, others, countries and the earth we live on. One of the reasons we were put on earth was to protect it, and protect ourselves in the process. Are we doing this? We are a species that needs help, to help other our earth species. And the only way we are going to achieve this is by realising we need help from the creator of all species of life, God.
We are not here just by chance for a short term life where we can please ourselves, look out only for ourselves and then one day just die. For what? And where to after we die? What is going to be written on our gravestones? Why did we live our lives; what did we do that is worthy to be engraved in stone? We are not here just to do the school, study, white picket fence with a good job etc. If we were created by the King of all species, the King of the entire universe, would we not have a greater purpose than just the “9 to 5” life?
I can blog more on that later, but let’s realise (in the band Lifehouse’s lyrics), “We were meant to live for so much more.” This generation could very well be the one that changes humanity and history. Look past yourself and see a bigger plan than you have ever dreamt of. And the bigger person that holds it all - God. There is more to life than this. Let's take it on, and own this generation of hope.
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