HOPE, AND GOODNESS

Martin Luther was in a pub, drinking beer and discussing theology. Someone asked him, "If the world was ending tomorrow, what would you do?"
Luther said, "I would plant a tree."

Today, people are dying from a strange new virus. The story above inspires me to pull myself away from fear and anxiety, and to reflect on my belief that the world is infused with the will toward life, and that creation is essentially good. Planting a tree, an act of hope, affirms that. God is still here.

I will now go and plant my metaphorical trees.

MICHELANGELO?

"Masterpieces are not single and solitary births; they are the outcome of many years of thinking in common, of thinking by the body of the people, so that the experience of the mass is behind the single voice." -Virginia Woolf

The Italian government's Culture of Ministry shelled out 3.3 million euros/$4.2 million dollars for a crucifix which might have been rendered by Michelangelo. Might. Such a crucifix rendered by another artist from 15th Century Florence would cost 100,000 euros/$129,700. The problem of identifying the artist could take more time, but does this mystery need to be solved? To take a risk, it could it be an inhibited understanding of art (or an uninhibited publicity stunt) that led the Italian government to pay the going rate for a Michelangelo piece for a crucifix of mysterious
origin.

I propose that one of the reasons Michelangelo was a great artist was the time and place in
which he lived and worked. Art does not occur in a vacuum. Indeed, the reasons a 15th century
artist in Florence could produce a crucifix mistaken for a Michelangelo piece is that they
were tremendous artists in their own right. Perhaps they were influenced by Michelangelo's
work. When people with a shared interest, matched skill and talent come together, they create
more than art. They create an inspiring environment. The same goes for virtually any discipline: science, math, theology, political movements, literature, and the list goes on. We
become relevant when we take part in a conversation.

Does it really matter if the crucifix is a Michelangelo piece? Perhaps. Whether or not the
crucifix is his, it speaks volumes about the talent in Michelangelo's midst. Read more about this in The New York Times.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

First, I love this movie.
The acting, cinematography, story, music, dance....I loved everything. I loved the co-themes of movement and destiny, drenched with irony, that run throughout the movie.

Movement is the opposite of stagnation or oppression, but it is always in the interest of the upper class to keep the poor where they are. Historically, the caste system of India has been particularly brutal in this regard, as class became mixed with religious beliefs.The class a person was born in was interpreted to be their destiny, and very difficult to leave. Modern India has made much more mobility possible. In the recent Indian elections, the incumbent party actually purchased the rights to the theme song of Slumdog Millionaire, "Jai Ho," or "Independence." The words "ja" or "jai" are used throughout the movie to indicate movement. However, this movie portrays the struggle a Chaiwalla must still endure, if he wants class mobility.

The movie's aim is to show that it is Jamal's destiny to win the Indian version of the game show, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" The events of his life provided the answers to the questions. Born in the slums, poor and Muslim, no one expected Jamal to get very far in the contest. As an adult, Jamal works as a Chaiwalla, one who serves tea to more socioeconomically advantaged people. He is humiliated for having the job as a Chaiwalla at the game show, and flashbacks show that he suffered much humiliation, due to poverty, throughout his life. He is tortured by the police, because the show's host thinks it impossible (by honest means) that the Chaiwalla knows the answers, while educated people never got beyond the first few questions. While underscoring that destiny is at work in the universe, instead of being destined for poverty, Jamal the Chaiwalla is destined to win this game show, which will free him from poverty, allow him to have a stable existence, and be with his childhood love.

The character Salim, Jamal's brother, is fascinating to me. Salim became a gangster at an early age, streetwise and tough. He says morning prayers, and then goes off to work as a gangster. He prays for forgiveness every morning before work, which involves injuring and sometimes killing people. At the end of the movie, he sacrificed his own life for his brother's happiness. Before dying from several gunshot wounds, he says with his last breath, "God is great." It was particularly poignant that he died with these words, as his own life was rife with violence and brutality.
Most interesting.