We went to see Les Miserables last weekend. It's definitely a sweeping saga filled with so much sadness and despair, but also a message of redemption. I loved the message that you can choose to change your life. You can do things differently. I think too many people believe they are powerless to change their lives. but I don;t think that's true. We may not be able to control things around us, but we can control our reactions and our thoughts.And we can make choices that affect people in positive ways.
Spoiler Alert:
Jean Valjean was thrown into prison for stealing some bread to feed a hungry child. He spent 20 years in prison and he was mistreated. (When the movie started, I didn't even recognize Hugh Jackman). After he is released he tries to find some work and a place to live but is constantly rejected. Finally, a priest invites him in and gives him food and a place to sleep. Valjean repays this kindness by stealing form the priest. When Valjean is caught and returned to the priest and accused of stealing, the priest has a choice. He chooses to forgive and give Valjean another chance. Because of the priest's mercy, Valjean decides to change his life and he spends the rest of the story trying to do the right thing and extend mercy himself.
Valjean's story is poetic and haunting but at the end he finds redemption because he has turned his life over to God. Jackman was amazing in this role. He was Valjean in every sense of the word. His performance was moving and authentic.
Fantine's story is so sad and full of despair. Every time that Anne Hathaway was on screen I was crying. I had no idea she had such a beautiful voice and she was superb in this role. Her emotions felt so real. But still such a tragic story.
Javert was driven by duty. He hunted Valjean all of his life because he felt it was the right thing to do. He was a very tragic character as well because at the end of the story he felt like a failure. Russel Crowe did an excellent job of portraying Javert. He was raw and full of emotion.
Cosette's story was both tragic and happy, while Eponine's story was tragic but also redemptive. Despite her horrendous parents, Eponine was selfless and truly wanted Marius's happiness. She could see beyond her own needs.
The Thenardiers--totally disgusting. Gross, crass, and every time they appeared on screen I wanted to scream. I found nothing redeeming about them at all. And I strongly disliked the whole "Master of the House" scene. There were raunchy parts that didn't need to be there. It definitely could've been cut down by 2/3. I understand they provided the contrast to the main story, but I could've gotten the gist of that in much less time. The actors portrayed their parts well, I just didn't like their parts at all.
I found the boys who wanted a revolution heroic, yet tragic. It was sad to see their demise, but they died for what they believed in.
The film was epic. The live singing was amazing. I thin it was aptly named Les Miserables because, well, most of the characters were miserable. They lived tragic, dark lives. I loved that because of the priest's mercy, Valjean made the choice to change his life and I think we can all learn something form that. Whether we are the ones who extend that mercy to someone else or we are the ones who need that mercy, we can make our lives better. We do not have to let situations dictate our choices. We can be whomever we choose to be. It is within our power to choose good.
Showing posts with label Agency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Agency. Show all posts
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Friday, July 18, 2008
Free To Choose
“We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.” 2nd Article of Faith
A basic belief of the LDS church is that we are all responsible and accountable for our own individual actions and choices, not for anyone else’s. The Savior’s plan that was presented to us in the pre-existence hinged on allowing us to make our own choices. While Satan wanted to compel us to keep the commandments, Jesus wanted us to choose to follow the commandments of our own free will. We are free to determine our own destinies. David O. McKay said, “Next to the bestowal of life, the right to direct that life is God’s greatest gift to man.” Of course, with that free agency also comes consequences.
One of my favorite lines in Gone with the Wind is when Rhett and Scarlett are visiting shortly after Frank Kennedy’s death and Scarlett says she’s so sorry for what she’s done, that Frank was Sue Ellen’s beau and that she should never have married him. Rhett replies that she’s just like the thief who isn’t the least bit sorry he’s done something wrong, only that he’s been caught.
Our society is all about evading consequences. We continue to develop vaccines to protect against sexually transmitted diseases so that people don’t have to be chaste. We support school programs that teach our kids to be “safe” when it comes to sexual behavior so that they can avoid AIDS or other STDs rather than teaching our kids to be sexually moral. Many lawyers constantly look for ways for their clients to avoid doing time for their crimes. We allow drunk drivers who kill innocent people to receive probation, thus avoiding paying the price for their choice to drink and drive. Even many of our politicians practice this same ideology. President Clinton was the epitome of trying to escape consequences for his actions. Our society teaches us that it’s fine to do whatever we want, just don’t get caught. This is man’s philosophy, not God’s.
Every day we are faced with choices and each of these choices has a consequence. If we choose to keep a commandment we receive the blessing for keeping that commandment. “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21).
However, when we choose to break a commandment, we must pay a price. At the very least, we will lose the accompaniment of the Holy Ghost. At worst, a choice we make may take the life of another, lead someone away from God, or destroy our own chance for exaltation. Regardless of what our society teaches, there is a consequence to every action and/or choice. If we aren’t prepared to accept a consequence, we should not make that choice.
We must also keep in mind that we are only blessed or punished for our own individual choices.
As we seek to teach others about our faith, we must clearly communicate what we believe about the freedom to choose. We choose our lifestyle. We can choose whether or not we’re honest. We make choices each day that show others whether or not we are trustworthy, dependable, or have integrity. We write our own story, compose our own melody, and are the architects of our own lives. As we do so, we will either enjoy the blessings from our choices or suffer the consequences.
Our choices determine not only our life’s path, but our eternal destiny. And, we will only be held responsible for our own individual choices, not for anyone else’s.
Join the Neighborhood Newsletter . . . Subscriptions are free and joining is easy. Just by signing up and maintaining your subscription to receive the yourLDSneighborhood.com newsletter, you become eligible for our "Thank You" prizes. Our dozens of giveaways range from a trip for two to China, to iPods® (each with a $50 gift certificate for LDS music), cruises, and more.
Learn about our amazing monthly, quarterly, and annual giveaways by clicking here.
Return to the neighborhood.
A basic belief of the LDS church is that we are all responsible and accountable for our own individual actions and choices, not for anyone else’s. The Savior’s plan that was presented to us in the pre-existence hinged on allowing us to make our own choices. While Satan wanted to compel us to keep the commandments, Jesus wanted us to choose to follow the commandments of our own free will. We are free to determine our own destinies. David O. McKay said, “Next to the bestowal of life, the right to direct that life is God’s greatest gift to man.” Of course, with that free agency also comes consequences.
One of my favorite lines in Gone with the Wind is when Rhett and Scarlett are visiting shortly after Frank Kennedy’s death and Scarlett says she’s so sorry for what she’s done, that Frank was Sue Ellen’s beau and that she should never have married him. Rhett replies that she’s just like the thief who isn’t the least bit sorry he’s done something wrong, only that he’s been caught.
Our society is all about evading consequences. We continue to develop vaccines to protect against sexually transmitted diseases so that people don’t have to be chaste. We support school programs that teach our kids to be “safe” when it comes to sexual behavior so that they can avoid AIDS or other STDs rather than teaching our kids to be sexually moral. Many lawyers constantly look for ways for their clients to avoid doing time for their crimes. We allow drunk drivers who kill innocent people to receive probation, thus avoiding paying the price for their choice to drink and drive. Even many of our politicians practice this same ideology. President Clinton was the epitome of trying to escape consequences for his actions. Our society teaches us that it’s fine to do whatever we want, just don’t get caught. This is man’s philosophy, not God’s.
Every day we are faced with choices and each of these choices has a consequence. If we choose to keep a commandment we receive the blessing for keeping that commandment. “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21).
However, when we choose to break a commandment, we must pay a price. At the very least, we will lose the accompaniment of the Holy Ghost. At worst, a choice we make may take the life of another, lead someone away from God, or destroy our own chance for exaltation. Regardless of what our society teaches, there is a consequence to every action and/or choice. If we aren’t prepared to accept a consequence, we should not make that choice.
We must also keep in mind that we are only blessed or punished for our own individual choices.
As we seek to teach others about our faith, we must clearly communicate what we believe about the freedom to choose. We choose our lifestyle. We can choose whether or not we’re honest. We make choices each day that show others whether or not we are trustworthy, dependable, or have integrity. We write our own story, compose our own melody, and are the architects of our own lives. As we do so, we will either enjoy the blessings from our choices or suffer the consequences.
Our choices determine not only our life’s path, but our eternal destiny. And, we will only be held responsible for our own individual choices, not for anyone else’s.
Join the Neighborhood Newsletter . . . Subscriptions are free and joining is easy. Just by signing up and maintaining your subscription to receive the yourLDSneighborhood.com newsletter, you become eligible for our "Thank You" prizes. Our dozens of giveaways range from a trip for two to China, to iPods® (each with a $50 gift certificate for LDS music), cruises, and more.
Learn about our amazing monthly, quarterly, and annual giveaways by clicking here.
Return to the neighborhood.
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