III. Be our own heroes in our lives
If you refer your dictionary, you will find that there’re actually two definitions about the word “Hero”. The first one is “person who is admired b many for his noble qualities or his bravery”, the other is “chief male character in a story”. In this section, what I’m going to talk lies in the second definition, so the title actually refers to we can be the masters of our own lives.
Jenny put forward a question about the “Spiderman” that what had happened to that “green monster” and why he had to kill Spiderman. I would like to answer it, as I’ve mentioned above that I had my own reservation about the content of these Holly world movies. I enjoy them, for they signified something critical for us to think over. Take the Spiderman for example; the green monster was originally a famous scientist. He had serious financial problem in his research project, as he was told that he wouldn’t be offered funds for his experiment any more. With the overwhelming desire for fame and achievement deep in heart, his personality began to distort and split into two. In one of the experiments, he volunteered to test on himself. Unfortunately, one of his fission personalities with wickness managed to take the lead, and transformed him into a demon with revenge. He wanted to make reprisals to extirpate all those foolish men who had done “wrong or unjust” to hurt his previous ambition. Spiderman, a high school boy happened to get the unbelievable fighting power. His beloved uncle was killed by somebody evil, so he was inspired and determined to fight against any evil force. Like water and fire that can never yield to each other, their meetings turn out to be a life-and-death struggle. I think it’s easy why the green monster always want to kill Spiderman. It’s exactly in accordance with the reason why Spiderman always want to eradicate the green monster. It’s proven that never can justice and wickness coexist and assimilate each other. It’s their density to sweep the opposite hindered power in their way.
What I truly found interesting and meaningful in the theme of this movie is that we should always take completely control over our own negative emotions so that it won’t be able to mislead us to the self-suicidal and extinguishing road. The poor “Green monster” just serves as the best example. He used to be a renowned scientist with many admirations, even from the little boy, who later acted as Spiderman. In this aspect, he was originally “a hero”, but crazy pursuit for his own ambition made him turn a deaf ear to the kind suggestion that his dangerous experiment shouldn’t go on. What’s even worse, he was eventually found go extreme in his psychology, and turned out to be a devil. Nothing can be more terrible than such a contrast transformation!
It’s said that as human beings, we are born with negative emotions deep in our heart, though we may not realize them at all, just like the Green monster, at first it was even beyond his consciousness that he could behave like that as a demon. It’s defined in the perspective of religion that there’re six sins, such as wrath, greed, selfish (maybe conceit or jealousy. I’m afraid that I fail to remember what specific these six sins are; maybe Mary can help me to figure it out later). With all of those bad attributions, which are really hard to control, everybody is sort of guilty, like lost lamb in the world filled with temptations. Christians therefore firmly believe that the lord is the Shepherd or Savior to rescuer people’s lost soul.
I’ve actually spared some time to go to church in the past a couple of weeks. I read and learnt the Bible, and listened to the Minister’s service. Ironically, I used to take all these kind of things as nonsense, due to the instillation of Marxism from childhood, but now I begin to view it from another angle, and in a more realistic and comprehensive way. I must say I’m not a Christian. For me, whether there exists the God doesn’t seem to matter at all. The Bible, which is believed to be said by the God, in my eyes, is just sort of the highest moral standard that brings you inner tranquility if you speak and act according to it. Reading the Bible, you are just equipped with the weapon to guard against those negative emotions, minimize their destructive impacts, and thus heading for being true and kind to both yourself and people around you. That’s exactly the overwhelming power of religion over its followers, which has also changed my previous attitude.
As a matter of fact, I don’t believe in everything that is written in the Bible, after all I’m not and needn’t to be a Christian. For instance, the basic principle, which’s believed to prevent you from punishments is that you should bring as many people to the God as possible to also have them saved, besides, your money is supposed to be used to persuade more people to believe in the God. It doesn’t make sense for me, because religious belief, as I suppose, is one of the basic human rights as freedom, say, you can choose your own belief. Nevertheless, I can fully understand and accept such kind of behavior from the perspective of the Christians. That's what this religion has taught me, try to be kind to others by thinking in their shoes.
I could still remember that when I first walked in campus, many fellow Chinese students came to me with smiles and inviting me to join their religious club or attend their religious activities. Though rejecting them most of the time, I did find they looked very nice. There seemed to be something shinning brightly from their body. Now I seemed to figure out that it’s the glory of inner kindness this religion has taught them, though they were turned down without hesitation. Moreover, when I traveled to Canberra this winter vocation, the girl sitting next to me was from Perth, one of the capital cities in the west Australia. She told me that she was really bored, because one of her part-time job colleagues always tried to persuade her to also believe in the God. She had responded over and over again that she had no interest in it at all. However, her colleague was so patient with her persuasions. Maybe you will think she is sort of insane, or really feel bored to face this situation, but the motivation I’d like to remind you behind her great persistence is exactly her kindness and empathy for others. As Christian, she believes everybody is her brothers or sisters, and she is obligated to help others to be also saved by the father God as soon as possible.
It seemed that I’ve strayed from the topic. The purpose I’m talking over religious is to share with you how I cope with my negative emotions with the help of religion, because the tranquility in your soul will certainly enables you to take responsible of yourself and your own life.
As for you guys, you can work out your own way that fits you. Let us the masters of our own emotions, instead of being enslaved by them as the second “Green Monster”.
August 9, 2004
