Yesterday I was working on a little project while my wife watched DVD's of the first season of the ABC show, "Brothers and Sisters". I kept joking with her that the basic plot of every episode involved people yelling at each other and crying. It reminded me of something I'd wanted to blog about for awhile now which were some spiritual themes central to two recent fantasy blockbusters, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
In the case of The Lord of the Rings, a central theme was the importance of friendship. Massive armies clash on various battlefields, but it is ultimately steadfast friendship embodied primarily by the character of Samwise that ultimately wins the day and saves the world.
"Be ye a refuge to the fearful; bring ye rest and peace to the disturbed; make ye a provision for the destitute; be a treasury of riches for the poor; be a healing medicine for those who suffer pain; be ye doctor and nurse to the ailing; promote ye friendship, and honour, and conciliation, and devotion to God, in this world of non-existence."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 72)
Equally important is the theme of friendship across races symbolized by the bond between Legolas (an elf), Aragorn (a man) and Gimle (a dwarf) who emerge as a virtually unstoppable team, providing a glimpse of a future world of peace and unity.
"If you desire with all your heart, friendship with every race on earth, your thought, spiritual and positive, will spread; it will become the desire of others, growing stronger and stronger, until it reaches the minds of all men."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 29)
If friendship is the heart of "The Lord of the Rings", family is the heart of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." The Pevensie kids from England bring their family baggage with them into the magical world of Narnia, precipitating the betrayal by one of the children of his siblings which places the fate of the whole world in jeopardy. Family unity and reconciliation (with a little help from a certain Lion) defeat the forces of evil and become a strong foundation for a promised kingdom.
"Compare the nations of the world to the members of a family. A family is a nation in miniature. Simply enlarge the circle of the household and you have the nation. Enlarge the circle of nations and you have all humanity. The conditions surrounding the family surround the nation. The happenings in the family are the happenings in the life of the nation. Would it add to the progress and advancement of a family if dissensions should arise among its members, fighting, pillaging each other, jealous and revengeful of injury, seeking selfish advantage? Nay, this would be the cause of the effacement of progress and advancement. So it is in the great family of nations, for nations are but an aggregate of families. Therefore as strife and dissension destroy a family and prevent its progress, so nations are destroyed and advancement hindered."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 100)
Did you see these films? What, if any, spiritual themes did you see in them?
3 comments:
Hi Phillipe,
Forgive me if I give you more a book answer than a film answer, but here are a few themes I got out of Lord of the Rings:
The vital importance of legitimate leadership: The tension between true leader and acting leader frequently brings death, defeat and dissent. Think of all the ramifications of Gondor being without a king.
Power/evil corrupts: I'm still wrestling with this one. Possession of the ring is a heavy burden, with lasting ill effects. It sets you apart from other people and makes you damaged goods.
"Leaders of religion, in every age, have hindered their people from attaining the shores of eternal salvation, inasmuch as they held the reins of authority in their mighty grasp. Some for the lust of leadership, others through want of knowledge and understanding, have been the cause of the deprivation of the people."
(Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Iqan, Page: 15)
Hey, one of the quotes you mentioned reminded me of "The Matrix" - "...in this world of non-existence." Do you know of other references that are similar?
Also, your blog's main quote is similar to a recent Fireside talk I gave here in Singapore titled, "Vision: Our Destiny". The framework was to have the audience consider the Baha'i faith as our common destiny, as opposed to a faith, religion, or philosophy. If it is considered only as a faith, religion, or philosophy, then individuals may consider it disconnected to everyday actions. Anyway, take care my friend and thank you for the blog entries.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Spiritual themes? You mean like having the main hero be betrayed, tortured, shamed, killed and come back to life again? I think the whole series is a pretty straightforward Christian allegory.
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