Movie superstar Sean Connery plays Alan Quatermain in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. In one scene, he is ambushed, but manages to get all the bad guys except one, who decided to make a run for it. Armed with a long rifle named "Matilda," Alan goes outside after him. As he raises Matilda, a bystander exclaims, "He's too far!" He's right. Alan's eyes are not as keen as they used to be, so he lowers the rifle, disgusted with himself. .
Baby boomers are getting old. Not me, though. I was born in '65, so that makes me... (counting) In dog years, I'm only six years old, dude!.
Does it seem like more and more movies are dealing with real life issues related to aging? I spent a few hours at a buddy's house on Sunday. We saw two movies..
In Second Hand Lions, A couple of nasty old geezers refuse to grow old with grace and dignity. They fight to live life to the fullest. Great movie!.
Then we saw a Y2K remake of a 1959 movie called On the Beach. As a radioactive disaster wipes out the entire human race, we hang out with a submarine crew, heading to Australia, which is the last place on the planet to be destroyed. Knowing they will die, some people loot, some sleep around, and just about everyone commits suicide. I didn't care for this movie. It was completely devoid of hope..
Both movies had a message about how to face the inevitable..
Mrs. Craver asked what I thought about the euthanasia scenario in On the Beach. So, do you think YOU would do it?.
Alan Quatermain's eyes are not as keen as they used to be, so he lowers the rifle, disgusted with himself. Sighing, he grabs a pair of spectacles from from his shirt pocket. Calmly, he dons the glasses, takes aim and drops the bad guy. If it were anybody else, I wouldn't have believed it..
Image by: mickle229
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8 comments:
Craver - I remember thinking The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was a weird movie. That aside, I think aging and it's inevitability is an interesting topic for discussion. Viewed from the world's eyes, aging is to be avoided. But this is because all the world sees is the deterioration of the physical body.
The Bible takes a different view: "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life" (Proverbs 16:31). It has an internal, eternal view. If we are walking with Jesus we are progressively becoming more and more like Him, even as our bodies become weaker and weaker. So the inevitability of age isn't such a drudgery. In fact, I think Christians who bemoan the advance of years are too consumed with the world's view. The Church needs to celebrate age more and hold the elderly in higher esteem.
Now, if you could just remind me of that when I turn forty next year.
It's interesting that the one thing Jesus didn't face is growing old. Though perhaps he dealt with it a little bit vicariously, as implied in his compassionate request for John to care for his mother in his absence.
One thing I have found interesting in growing old is how memories of my youth stay fresh and just as real as when they were only five year old memories. This has made me realize that the much older people I see have just as real youthful memories as well.
wayne
Craver, Thanks for the link.
Yes, how we live as we grow old reflects what either we are, or are not looking forward to, you could say. And though I know there are good things now, we are taught to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," which we know will only take place completely when all things are made new in Jesus, in the justice and grace to come.
Death and aging is very humbling to us. Ultimately, it is the ultimate statement of our weakness and need - we cannot control it..we cannot buy our way out of it...we cannot outsmart it. Perhaps the pain is meant to draw us to God
The question with euthanasia is whether our lives ultimately belong to us or is life a gift from God, to steward till our last breath, no matter how difficult it is.
BTW, I love the Second Hand Lions.
I left this long, thoughtful, brilliant comment this morning, and it disappeared! I'll try to recall, but because my brilliance only comes in small spurts, and it is few and far between....what was I saying?
First, I LOVE the movie Secondhand Lions. It's one of my all time favorites. I think it's because it shows the life they have lived, and also shows the life they are living now, all they have to offer, etc. I want to die with my boots on. Besides, we need men around to give the "man" talk.
Second, my husband has this ability to talk to old people. I watched him in action, and I think it's because he talks to them about life when they were younger. He has heard some amazing stories, many from WW 2, of men being caught behind enemy lines and smuggled from house to house to freedom. Then there are the other stories of the Great Depression, rationing. It makes us realize how good we have it.
Third, my grandmother passed away a few weeks ago, and luckily, we have a lot of memories and stories of her life. She remembers walking by a covered wagon when she was four, and it was her job to gather kindling for the night's fire. Imagine going from that to now! Amazing.
All in all, I like movies that portray the older generation as a treasure, as living history.
As for the euthenasia scenerio...I absolutely would not, no questions asked.
Blessings!
L.L. raises a good point. Since I turn 33 tomorrow it's one I've been thinking of lately.
Yesterday in choir someone commented on how young I was. "Only 33!" they said.
(I live in a retirement community.)
"Yeah, I thought. Jesus saved the universe at my age."
I almost went without commenting on this. Sorry for slacking, folks. Can I say this one thing though? I remember having some of the same thoughts as Mark when I turned 33. I.e., Jesus accomplished his life's mission at 33, and it was no minor task. How humbling, eh?
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