Heavier Things

I've finished re-reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and now I'm re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I had read them all very quickly and in short succession, so it's almost like reading them for the first time again. I love it. It's hard to describe because it's a rarity when a book can make me feel the way the Harry Potters do. I have absolutely no respect for such snobs who refuse to read these books because they're looking down their noses at them. "Children's books" has somehow become a tainted category to these people, and I detest such outright snobbery.

Maybe a little of this bitterness stems from the fact that I've been cooped up inside all week-end writing a women's studies paper. Not to mention that I woke up to snow on the ground this morning. SNOW!! On Friday it was around +10C, and now there's snow??!?!?!? God hates me, it's the only explanation.

Speaking of God, I saw The Passion of the Christ last Tuesday. I've had some very interesting conversations leading up to it, and resulting from it. It's fascinating to see how very deeply this movie touches people: it's either disgust and fury, or a certain awe of it. Andrew and I were in the cab on the way to the theater, and we started discussing philosophy and religion. I was explaining Kierkegaard's rendition of the Abraham story, and how I enjoyed it because I felt the exact same way as Kierkegaard: I myself do not have faith, but I have the utmost respect for those who do. As Kierkegaard put it, "faith begins precisely there where thinking leaves off". At this point, the cabbie turns around while at a stoplight and asks "You going to see The Passion of the Christ?"... heh.. that struck Andrew and I as pretty damn funny.

After I was back in the apartment, I found I was unable to do any work. I was that moved by the movie, it made my life seem so trivial and trite. Here I was worrying about a paper I would have to write (the damn WS paper, no less) while I had just watched a man scourged practically to death and then nailed to a wooden cross. What's even more interesting is I'm atheist, yet this depiction of Christ and the crucifixion still managed to touch me.

A girl in my WS class and I were discussing the movie, and she was upset because she felt the movie was historically inaccurate. Now, I understand her view but I was also simultaneously annoyed by it. 1.) We don't know ANYTHING 100% accurately about that particular time period. We don't know how truthful and objective the Bible is, therefore we have no basis to complain about what's accurate or not. Fact is, we don't know. 2.) This was someone's VISION, someone's personal depiction of the events. We have to keep this in mind. I've been told that Gibson took many Christ stories and combined them into one cohesive unit. Yes yes yes, we know Satan does not actually physically appear in Bible stories, but that's not the point. Satan was present whenever Christ, or one of his disciples, were doubting. I thought that was extremely clever and well done.

Seems like I've rambled on enough about this already... heh.. but that just shows my point: I really enjoy the discussions that have arisen in response to this film. This sort of thing doesn't happen often.

In addition, I've officially closed a chapter of my life this week-end. I realized, which was like a slap in the face, that I was being ridiculously naive about a particular person. I was expecting too much of him, and I finally realized that he'll never change. He'll never listen to a damn thing I say. He hears, but he never listens.

posted by Joanna @ 2:30 PM