The 2 Dreams from "No Country for Old Men"

I can't say I would recommend either the book or the movie, because they are both very violent. But I have an affinity for Cormac McCarthey's book's because of the amazing talent this man has, he is an artist, and the spiritual depth is always very present. But it needs to be stated that his books are dark, and the movie's from the books are dark. But I don't think he uses violence for the sake of violence, he is using it as a tool to make a point.

I wanted to focus on the 2 dreams at the end of the book and the end of the movie, because I think there extremely powerful. The first dream is very small, but carries huge importance, "he met his father in town, and he gave me some money, but I lost it," His father passed onto him a tradition of goodness, but he lost it. We have to take authentic tradition, and build our life upon it, because much of the wisdom has been hard one, but if we don't, we will repeat all the same mistakes of the past. Within the Catholic Church there is literally a gold mine of saints, sinners, doctrine, art, liturgy, you name it, and we can learn from all of it.

The second dream is the most clear hint of the books intent, his father is riding his horse in the snow, the cold, and the dark, and he is going ahead of him to fix a fire. The world in this book is very dark, and clearly our own world is very dark, but what the sheriff finally learns is his fathers key message, that you can't spend your time worry about how dark the world is, you need to spend your time and energy "fix in a fire, in all that cold, and all that dark," That is really our mission, to reflect God's goodness and to be a part of God's goodness and beauty in the world.

Every time we do good for others, we are fix en that fire in the dark. That is why I love the "green card" of Alcoholics Anonymous so much, because they offer as one of the cures for alcoholism, to do 3 hidden acts of charity everyday. The clear implication is to get the focus off ourselves and onto other people, these small acts move the foundation of the world, and we are spending our energy in the right way, "fix en that fire in the dark".

The Powerful Message of Hoosiers

Every October 15th I have a tradition that I've passed on to my kids to watch the movie Hoosiers. October 15th is the official start of the college basketball season, and I've been doing this since my freshman year of high school. I used to just love the basketball element of the movie, which is terrific. The story of an incredible underdog that goes on to win the Indiana State championship. Recently, the other elements of the movie have really grabbed me, and there's two major theme's that run through the movie, which are huge!

1.) Forgiveness and a Second Chance- The movie chronicles a successful college basketball coach Norman Dale, who actually won a Division 1 national championship, but during a game was so angry with a player, that he hit him closed fist to the jaw. He was fired and banned from ever coaching college basketball again. He is given a second chance by a Christian head master in Indiana, at a small farm school. His conversion could have stopped there, but he continues the blessing by giving everyone that he comes into contact a second chance. The disrespectful players, the teachers and parents who can't stand him, and most dramatically, the second chance of Scooter, played unbelievably by Dennis Hopper (Everytime I watch it, I always say to my wife, this guy is an acting genius). I have said many times on this blog the quote from George Foreman, "Foregiveness is the thin line that holds the world together," There are so many blessings that God is ready to pour out if we foregive.

2.) Focus on the Bigger Picture- A couple weeks back I quoted the Orthodox monk from the Vanity Fair Article, "The smart man accepts, the idiot insists,", or said much better by Jesus, "Focus on the Kingdom of God, and all things will be added besides,". Norman Dale was given a second chance, and the rest of the time he simply focuses in on doing the next right thing. If we do the next right thing, God will take care of the big picture. Its difficult when we want to win in the short-term by sacrificing our morals, but this is where Faith and Trust come in, the times we want to push back, we have to give it over to God and Trust.

Fasting from Technology

I was given a great idea from First Things Magazine, to fast from all technology on Sunday's each week. So I tried it from 5:00 pm on Saturday to Monday morning, and I have to say that it was an incredible blessing. It let me focus on rest, when your checking your text's and your e-mails through out the day, your not completely resting.

Technology can be an incredible gift, I always think of the road system of the early Roman Empire, which allowed St Paul to travel freely and spread the gospel far and wide. When used as a tool, technology can be a huge blessing for spreading the gospel, and bringing people together. But it can also become an idol. Here is a quote from the Lord of the Rings on the Ring by Bilbo, see how much it resembles the way we view Smart Phones, and computers.

"Now that it comes to it, I don't like parting with it at all, I may say, and I don't really see why I should. Why do you want me to? he asked, "It would be a relief in a way not to be bothered with it, It has been growing on my mind recently, sometimes I've felt it like an eye looking at me, and I am always wanting to put it on and disappear, don't you know, or wondering if its safe, and pulling it out to be sure. I tried to lock it up, but I found I couldn't rest without it in my pocket. I don't know why, but I can't seem to make up my mind,"

That was a word for word quote from the Lord of the Rings. I didn't change anything. The words that jumped out at me, were, "I was always wanting to put it on and disappear". That is the main point, that technology has accomplished bringing worlds together, but in some ways it has made us grow apart from the people closest to us, because instead of engaging around a table, or becoming a better conversationalist, we can go to our nearest computer or smart phone, and disappear like Bilbo. The problem for Bilbo, Gollum and Frodo, if you use the ring too much, you lose your ability to be a hobbit. If a human disappears through technology too much, they lose their humanity.

My wife and I were laughing so hard the other night, when two high school kids were walking up the street, and they were both texting while they walked, not talking to each other, so I called out, "are you texting each other," It seems At&t stole my joke, in a recent commercial a couple over dinner texts each other instead of talking to each other.

The whole point is to make sure that technology never becomes an idol, that we use it as a tool, and one good way to secure against this, is just to turn it off from time to time, which for me, will continue to be on Sunday's.

The Beauty of Modesty

A Missionary priest that I'm friends with told me a story of riding a bus in the country of Nicaragua. When he boarded the bus in the country, the women were dressed so modestly that he was overcome by their beauty, to the point were he actually desired to give up his seat on the bus, he wanted to protect them. Then as they entered the city, a group of women poured onto the bus, and he felt an incredible desire to guard his eye's, because these women were dressed so immodestly. He was struck that these women all looked alike, they had almost the exact same features, but the first group led him to want to protect, they inspired manly virtues in him, while the second group inspired fear in him, and probably lust in many of the other men from the bus. Whether intentional or not, the dress brought out the worst desires of the men involved, while the first group brought out the best in all the men involved.

I thought about this while watching the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Rear Window with Grace Kelly, and then right after the movie, my wife and I finished the movie, we watched the end of the tv show "Dancing with the Stars,". During the movie, I watched one of the most physically beautiful women ever for two hours, and her dress was so modest and dignified that it led me to a good place, it gave me the desire to protect. I even commented on this to my wife during the film, that her dignity let me focus on her actual acting, her craft.

Then we watched the interviewer for Dancing with the Stars, and I had the exact opposite desire, it was fear, for her dignity and for my own. Grace Kelly was a lot more physically beautiful, but never for a moment was I afraid of her beauty. Modesty in culture is a good thing, but were afraid to speak about it, because we don't want to sound repressive or prudish. But its true, and its not only true for the men involved. Its true because the dignity of woman is important.

A lot has been made in our culture that men should grow up, and start seeing women properly, that if men lust after a women dressed immodestly, then he should have a change of heart, and see women's true beauty. This is all good, men should constantly strive to see women as God intended, but the more that women can do to lead men to the proper place, the better, for every one's dignity involved.