living for a dream?
There was a dream....
and it was Rome.
Powerful words that framed a heroic film--one of my favorites. I've just finished experiencing The Gladiator again. It is one of those stories that moves you. Makes you desire; search for purpose.
I come away from these stories (and film often moves most deeply with the visual and the music enriching the story)--I come away from these stories feeling humbled, I think. Feeling like I am less of a man that I thought I was, that I am not as true as I dream to be. It is difficult to live for a dream--to make a vision real through sweat and perseverance, emotions, reason, and pain...but no blood.
It must be easier to die for a dream than to live for one. The dreams I dream have no enemies with swords. I cannot take up a spear and lead men to victory against tyrrany, or oppose cruelty simply by turning my back on the oppressor in a statement of defiance--a defiance with the penalty of death.
Despite my pacifistic leanings, I do not believe I truely am one. I would take up the sword to strike down injustice if the cause was clear. But, for me, my foes are not so clear. They are out of range. I cannot defeat the pandemic of AIDS in Africa by accepting arrows into my chest, or by suffering torture. I cannot remove the boot of oppression from the sweat shop workers in developing countries by execution, or by death in a hopeless battle. I must live for my dreams. Someone already died for them.
and it was Rome.
Powerful words that framed a heroic film--one of my favorites. I've just finished experiencing The Gladiator again. It is one of those stories that moves you. Makes you desire; search for purpose.
I come away from these stories (and film often moves most deeply with the visual and the music enriching the story)--I come away from these stories feeling humbled, I think. Feeling like I am less of a man that I thought I was, that I am not as true as I dream to be. It is difficult to live for a dream--to make a vision real through sweat and perseverance, emotions, reason, and pain...but no blood.
It must be easier to die for a dream than to live for one. The dreams I dream have no enemies with swords. I cannot take up a spear and lead men to victory against tyrrany, or oppose cruelty simply by turning my back on the oppressor in a statement of defiance--a defiance with the penalty of death.
Despite my pacifistic leanings, I do not believe I truely am one. I would take up the sword to strike down injustice if the cause was clear. But, for me, my foes are not so clear. They are out of range. I cannot defeat the pandemic of AIDS in Africa by accepting arrows into my chest, or by suffering torture. I cannot remove the boot of oppression from the sweat shop workers in developing countries by execution, or by death in a hopeless battle. I must live for my dreams. Someone already died for them.
posted by Unknown @ 12:51 AM
2 Comments:
At 4:03 PM,
Anonymous said…
It's much easier to die for something, than to live for it. To remain here and edure it's everything pain, struggles, and battles. To have to chase a dream sooo bad to see if we really want it.
Now this was not the case for Jesus, but I am not talking about Him. That was totally different, becuase that was the dream that he had to pursue. His dream of having His father's people return to him, and have an open heaven between with Him.
Jesus died for us, so we need to continue to live and puruse the Father's dream for us daily.
*Ezra
At 1:04 PM,
Unknown said…
Ya know, I'm not sure that being the Gladiator or the Braveheart is the most heroic life. Now, it is heroic death. The problem is that heroism is not easy. If a man lives 50 adult years in pursuit of one dream of justice or liberty--giving his life, possessions, and grit without surrender or deviation--is he not a hero? Is 50 years of living heroism greater than 1 year of courage and a moment of death?
It's difficult to judge, but I think the reason we praise the Gladiator, is because we see him live and die in that moment with such purpose that we instinctively assume he would have given the rest of his natural life for the cause should he have survived the moment. It's a critical mass--a life of heroism compressed into a moment of ultimate courage.
[thanks y'all, for reading and commenting]
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