Culture 101 (part 8) - Snow White

Snow White

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

- C. S. Lewis (reference: goodreads)

   

When I was a child, my father took me to Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) at the local drive-in.  And he enjoyed it more than I did, though I liked it, too, even to this day. Disney knew how to reach the kid and kid within the grownups.

And in recent times, fairy tales have made a come-back on television as well as the movies;  Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998).  Grimm (2011 - ).  Once Upon a Time (2011 - ).   Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).  Mirror Mirror (2012).  Only to name a few.

Fairy tales reflect a piece of our soul - the dreams, the fears, the hopes, the drama of being human.  And Snow White deals with death - from the jealous queen sending the huntsman to slay an innocent princess to the maid tasting death with a bite of the poisoned apple.

In 1933, the Betty Boop cartoons did a spoof of Snow-White, which magnified the dark side of this fairy tale.  In the clip below of this short, Cab Calloway sings St. James Infirmary Blues in the background of nightmarish images.




This short reflected the culture after the horrors of World War One and during the hopelessness of the Great Depression.  Death and futility were prevalent.  And these experiences are common to every member of the human family.

Solomon wrote about futility in this lament:

As no one has power over the wind to contain it,
so no one has power over the time of their death.
As no one is discharged in time of war,
so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
Ecclesiastes 8:8  (NIV)

  

Stuff fairy tales are made of.

Yet, there is another side in the Gospels.  Death is sleep.  It's only temporary.  As this week is Holy Week, culminating in Easter, many Christians celebrate this victory of life over death.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:20 (NIV)

The Disney version of Snow White reveals death as a sleep.  Someday, her Prince would come and wake her from her sleep.  And with the Prince, Snow White would live happily every after.



Fairy tale?  Not!  Death and resurrection are part of the Easter story.  Death no longer has its sting.  [reference:  1 Corinthians 15:55]

And the Prince - the Prince of Peace - will come and wake the dead, as He has promised:


Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

John 5:24, 25 (NIV)

When that happens, the bodies of those who sleep in Christ will wake up and live happily ever after in His everlasting kingdom.

And Fairy Tales - such as Snow White - are part of our culture as they reveal a greater truth about who we are and our destiny.

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Previous posts on Easter:

Earth Shaking Easter - a wake up call (2010)

Easter - The Sign of the Prophet Jonah (2011)

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Previous posts in the Culture 101 series:

Culture 101 (part 1) - Reagan's Challenge (2012)

Culture 101 (part 2) - Easter Eucatastrophe (2012)

Culture 101 (part 3) - Paul Revere's Ride (2012)

Culture 101 (part 4) - Gold Diggers and the Great Depression (2012)

Culture 101 (part 5) - Blue Bloods and 9/11 (2012)

Culture 101 (part 6) - Gilligan's Island and Breast Cancer Awareness (2012)

Culture 101 (part 7) - Band of Brothers  (2013)

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Photo from wikipedia:  Snow White

Science 101 (part 1) - Vernal Equinox

Ecliptic Path

When I was in kindergarten, my teacher sent instructions home to my parents so they could  illustrate to me what happens as the world turns.  This was my first introduction to Astronomy 101. We used the visual aids at hand - an orange, pencil, and candle. Crude, but effective.

My mother skewered an orange (the earth) with a sharp pencil (the axis of rotation)  as juice squirted out at its poles.  For a moment, things got a bit sticky.  She lit candle and its light bathed the skin of this speared fruit while she rolled the pencil in her fingers to spin the orb about its axis.

Not only did this show me why we had day and night, but also why we got the seasons with the tilt of the axis.  Little did I know that when I grew up, so many were ...

Not as smart as a kindergartner!

Not even teachers.  On the local news, I recall a journalist asked a woman about what caused winter.  She knew the answer to that as she proudly proclaimed she was school teacher.  The earth was closer to the sun in winter.  That's why.   

Not.

Maybe it was in the southern hemisphere.  Partial credit here?  Actually the earth is closer to sun when it's winter in the northern hemisphere.  (reference: Why Earth is Closest to Sun in Dead of Winter | Space.com)   But that is not why we have the seasons.

I'm sure the woman was a good teacher, but she was not alone in here lack of knowledge of basic astronomy.  Many smart and educated people don't know this.

During my work life in a technical field, my co-workers were diverse from all over the country as well as the world.  One young man that I had shared a cubicle with had no clue what caused the seasons.  Yet, he was eager to learn and I pointed to a website with some good graphics -  much like the one below.

He got it and was appreciative.  And I cut him some slack, as he was one of the Vietnamese boat people and had a challenging childhood.  While I was watching Star Trek in my youth, he had lived under a repressive regime, the aftermath of the Vietnam War.  But to his credit, he escaped to the United States and went on to college earning degree in engineering - and that took some gumption.

There is much we do not know.  Some may not be important to us or be our passion.  Yet with the ubiquitous internet, there is access to all kinds of information.

So I began another series dedicated to the basics of science -

*  Science 101  *

And for the advent spring this March 20, 2013, the Vernal Equinox, the clip above pretty much explains it.  (reference: March Equinox: March 20, 2013, 11:02 UTC)  And the video so much better than reading the multitude of words I could write about it.  I love YouTube!

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Some of my articles on physics:


Black Holes - What does it look like inside them?

The Scotsman who beat Einstein 

Fractal Dimensions – Twilight Zone? No, Nature!

Mr. Spock and Dr. Einstein

Winter Driving - It's all about the friction

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Photo from wikipedia:  Ecliptic Path

Signs of the Times (part 3) - Layoffs

layoffs and food lines

Has the recovery happened yet?

To many,
and for too many 
- no

Currently, unemployment in the United States is around 8% (latest 7.7%) and has stayed at that level for some time.  That does not even factor in those who have given up looking for work or are underemployed.  (reference:  Unemployment Rate Down As Americans Give Up On Work - Forbes)

For the trends, check out:  Unemployment in the U.S. - Google Public Data Explorer.  And there is even a web site dedicated to layoffs:   Daily Job Cuts - Layoff News 

Doesn't that lift your spirits? sarcasm-off

To his credit,  Michael Hyatt offers some positive steps to cope during this recession:  7 Ways to Keep Your Spirit Up in a Down Economy | Michael Hyatt  and 10 Benefits of a Recession | Michael Hyatt.

Since I have had my share of layoffs during my working life, I have felt the gambit of emotions that go with losing a job, losing part of my identity, as well as experiencing the frustration and rejection while looking for work during a weak economy. I sympathize with those who have been laid off.  I've been there.  You are not alone.

And on this "cheery" topic, while perusing the web, a revival of a play got my attention -
  
Quartermaine's Terms
 [reference: Quartermaine’s Terms, April 13th, Wyndham's - Telegraph]

What got my interest was that the main character, St. John Quatermaine, called Sinjin, had the same name of a fictional character I created in an eBook (see Anastasis).  A review of Quatermaine's Terms piqued my curiosity - teasing that the play ended with an act of cruelty leaving Sinjin's future looking very bleak.

The writer didn't say what that cruel act was - but I just had to know.  Since I was not about going to hop on a plane and fly "across the pond" to London to see the play before it closed in April, back to the internet I went.

Bingo!  

I found the TV movie version from 1987 - "Screen Two" Quartermaine's Terms (TV episode 1987) - IMDb.

* Spoiler Alert *

The story was set in the 1960s at an English school to teach foreigners.  The final act, the teachers gathered before the holidays where they heard news of a death and an announcement of a new principal.  Then in the final minutes, with a veneer of politeness, Sinjin gets sacked - right before Christmas.  (Even Ebeneezer Scrooge was not so cruel to Bob Cratchit at Christmas.)

In the final scene below, I could feel the loneliness and hopelessness of Sinjin as he struggles to conceal his crushed spirit.  Undoubted, so many have been there (myself included) when losing a job and wondering about the future.




Layoffs are cruel as are many other kinds of loses in this life.  Yet, people do carry on and overcome them.  Perhaps that is why this song from the musical Carousel has endured.  The words speak to the spirit as all human beings, at times, struggle during dark days and have the hope that -

We Never Walk Alone




Layoffs are one of the signs of the times.

For all those who lost jobs, wonder what is next, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

May ...

You Never Walk Alone.  

As the good Lord promised -

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; ...

Isaiah 43:2,3 (NIV)

Final thoughts:

Some wisdom from Max Lucado, when you feel like giving up:  God Never Gives Up | Max Lucado

And another moving song by Sissel:  Sissel - Bridge Over Troubled Water - YouTube


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Previous posts in this series:

Signs of the Times (part 1) - Camping in the Parks (2012)

Signs of the Times (part 2) - Layaway (2012)

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Photo from:
everystockphoto.com - food lines

Pray4American (part 7) - For such a time as this

Man wearing a mask on the Jewish holiday of Purim

Providence

It's not just the capital of Rhode Island.

Providence means that the hand of God is in the glove of human events  (reference: Dr. McGee quote)

Speaking of Providence, there is a feast to commemorate such an event. In 2013, the Jewish holiday of Purim is celebrated from sundown, February 23 to sundown, February 24.

The story behind this holiday is a good yarn, found in the Old Testament Book of Esther.  It's fraught with racial hatred and political intrigue, yet through Providence good ultimately triumphs over evil .

Many sites write about it, such as About.com which has The Story of Purim.  And for a good summary of the Book of Esther, check out the  Esther Study Guide.

Through Providence, Esther won a beauty contest to become the next queen of Persia.  Later, her guardian Mordecai revealed wicked Haman's final solution to exterminate the Jews in the Empire and spoke of her Providential position -

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. 
And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14
NIV

Most likely there were several million Jews living in the Empire at that time.  So Esther - by her wits - delivered more of her people, if you go by the numbers, than did the great names of Moses, Joshua, Gideon, or David.

Below is a musical summary of Esther's story.




The story speaks to me today.  Like the pagan court described in the Book of Esther, it seems our leaders govern as if God does not exist.  The challenges we face today seem like there are no solutions or at least ones that we are willing to undertake.  Many "prophets" and "doomsayers" point to America's decline and economic collapse which will consign us to the dustbin of history.  They could be right.

Yet in Esther's story, though God or prayer are not specifically mentioned, both are so evident in the background as God is in the shadows, working behind the scenes, protecting His own.  And throughout any age, the greatest stealth weapon we have is prayer.

And in our day as we need an "Esther" who has the ear of the king, I was quite heartened by Dr. Benjamin Carson's speech at the recent Prayer Breakfast with the President and Vice President.



For such a time as this ...  please join in prayer for our nation.

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Heavenly Father

We confess as a nation we have turned from You and have been so ungrateful for Your bountiful blessings.  Yet, even for a people out of Your will, You are ever faithful to keep watch over Your own.

The Book of Esther encourages us as it demonstrates Your care even when Your people are out our Your expressed will.  During such godless times, though the wicked Haman had plotted to exterminate Your people, You were abiding in the shadows watching over Your own.  Through Your Providence, You raised up Esther "for such a time as this” to thwart the plans of the enemy and give victory to Your people.

With the example of Esther, we take heart for our nation.  Many, it seems, in high places have risen against You and Your people, calling good evil, and evil good, (Isaiah 5:20).  Through Your Providence, Heavenly Father, we ask that You raise up men and women filled with Your Spirit – for such a time as this.  Give us a heart of repentance so we may we turn to You, the only Savior and the only Source of Wisdom to overcome the daunting challenges we face in our nation and in this world.

In Jesus Name
Amen

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Bonus:

Here is the song written by the  Liberated Walling Wall - For Such a Time as This - put to dance celebrating not only God's deliverance of His people in Esther's day but other times in the Old and New Testament.

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Keep praying for America.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance.

Psalm 33:12

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Previous post on this topic:

Lots - Lady, Luck, Lessons (2011)

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Previous posts in this series:

Pray4America (part 1) - National Day of Prayer (2012)

Pray4America (part 2) - FDR's prayer on D-Day (2012)

Pray4America (part 3) - FDR's Flag Day prayer - June 14, 1942 (2012)

Pray4America (part 4) - It's a Wonderful Life, America (2012)

Pray4America (part 5) - United we stand? (2012)

Pray4America (part 6) - Christmas in Iran 1980 (2012)

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Photo:  Wikimedia - Purim Mask

Timeless Truths (part 2) - Love

Heart of the Milky Way - Valentine's Day

The greatest force in the Universe ....

Yes ... I admit it.  I have been known to watch cartoons.  But what does this have to do with Valentine's Day ... or love?  Let me tell you.

In my younger years, I had the television tuned to a cartoon channel as I was going about my business.

The format for this particular set of shows, featuring superheroes, had a goofy looking animated host.

As MC, this toon plugged upcoming shows and made comments during the breaks.

Nothing unusual or memorable about that.

But one afternoon was different.

While promoting the upcoming show, the voice - on script - plugged the featured superhero with superpowers as

"the most powerful force in the universe."

Then  - for a second - the MC went off script and added - 

"that is, except for love."

Bravo!

Though I remember little details about the shows, these words of this wise cartoon host stayed with me.

As shown by the heart circling the Milky Way in the night sky, February is the month of St. Valentine's Day.  It is a holiday in which we celebrate love.  The cards and gifts exchanged usually are on the theme of romantic love.  But love does more than make the world go around.  (Love Makes the World Go Around)

Indeed as the wise little toon said, love is the most powerful force in the universe ... 

and, I may add, beyond.

Consider the words of Jesus when asked -

 ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
 ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22
(NIV)

Jesus not only stated the greatest commandment was love, but quoted these commandments about  love from the Old Testament - Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18  

And, likewise, a great picture of love is found - of all places - in the Old Testament.  It is the story of the prophet, Hosea.

God spoke to Hosea and told him to marry a prostitute named Gomer.  Gomer was unfaithful and left Hosea to pursue other lovers.  Eventually, Gomer's lovers grew tired of her and dumped her.  She sunk so low that she fell into the bondage of slavery. Yet, Hosea sought out Gomer, bought her out of the slave market, and restored her as a free woman and as his wife.

From this experience, Hosea knew how deeply God hurt when His people were unfaithful to Him, pursuing other gods.  From the depths of his heart, Hosea proclaimed to the nation about God's amazing, tender, pursuing love.

Below is a clip of the story of Hosea set in modern times.

(reference:  http://youtu.be/2xAiLH-LDP0)

Indeed, God loves us, as He has said  ...

I have loved you with an everlasting love;

I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
 Jeremiah 31:3

(NIV)

So let us ...

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

Psalm 118:1
(NIV)

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*  Have a Blessed Valentine's Day *

  Please click on link  for a special eCard:  This is how we know what love is

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Timeless Truths will continue ...

- where the ancient proverbs and wisdom will be shown how they still apply throughout the ages.

As always, this timeless truth stands  ...

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:

but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Isaiah 40:8
(KJV)

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Previous post in series:

Timeless Truths (Part 1) - A Cup of Cold Water (2013)

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Photos from:
wikimedia - Heart of the Milky Way - Valentine's Day
everystockphoto.com - superhero stamps

Culture 101 (part 7) - Band of Brothers

Auschwitz Liberated January 1945

War is hell ...

Yet, in the history books, not many words are spent on the great periods of peace.  Peace and tranquility seem to be boring - at least in literature.  That gives credence to the saying - no news is good news.  (So said Ludeovic Halevy.)

But wars are the things that great stories are made of.  The epic battles are retold in many forms -  songs, ballads, plays, poems, stories, novels, movies ...  They are rich with heroes, villains, victims, oppressors,  political leaders, military generals.  The plots are replete with conflicts on many levels, suffering, passion, cowardliness, valor, victories, defeats, tragedy, triumph.

In the 20th century, World War Two was perhaps the most devastating of wars in that century - at least in scope of its global conflict and causalities.  As Hitler rolled up the map of Europe, the battle lines were drawn.  The Axis powers - Germany, Japan, Italy, ... - pitted against the Allied powers  - the British Empire and its Commonwealth, free France, the United States, the Soviet Union, after Hitler double crossed them.

As the tide turned against Germany, the Soviets were one of the first to liberate the inmates of the concentration camps -  such as Auschwitz on January 26, 1945.  (reference:  Soviets liberate Auschwitz)

Here is a short clip of some of that story - one of great emotion.



In the last 70 years, numerous stories have been told about World War Two - books, movies, TV shows.

One of the first major retelling of this real life drama in the 21st century was the 2001 HBO mini-series, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, based on the Stephen Ambrose book - Band of Brothers.

As the trailer below shows, Band of Brothers is the soldiers' stories from Easy Company of the US Army 101st Airborne division.  These soldiers were in the war from before the Dawn of D-Day to the surrender of the Nazis.





The title - Band of Brothers - comes from Shakespeare's play - Henry V.

One scene is The King's Speech of the 15th century, as Henry rallies the troops on the Feast of St. Crispin  (October 25) to fight the French at the Battle of Agincourt.

From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
(reference:  Henry V)




It reminds me of Aragorn's speech at the black gate in Lord of the Rings, as shown below.

Undoubtedly, J. R. R. Tolkien was very familiar with Shakespeare ... as was Peter Jackson who directed the movie.



But I digress ....

Back to the liberation of the concentration camps.

One of the most moving episodes from the Band of Brothers mini-series is Episode 9 - Why We Fight.  Easy Company encounters their first concentration camp.  The sight of man's inhumanity to man broke the heart of even the most hardened combat soldier.




Plays from Shakespeare like Henry V, war movies like Band of Brothers, and fantasies like Lord of the Rings are told not only in books, but by the story tellers of our day - the movies.  All great stories have the multi-faceted elements of the human drama of struggle - good vs. evil, defeat and victory, and the roller coaster of human emotion.

And Band of Brothers, Henry V, and Lord of the Rings
 are part of western culture
still being told by our story tellers.


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Previous posts in the Culture 101 series:

Culture 101 (part 1) - Reagan's Challenge (2012)

Culture 101 (part 2) - Easter Eucatastrophe (2012)

Culture 101 (part 3) - Paul Revere's Ride (2012)

Culture 101 (part 4) - Gold Diggers and the Great Depression (2012)

Culture 101 (part 5) - Blue Bloods and 9/11 (2012)

Culture 101 (part 6) - Gilligan's Island and Breast Cancer Awareness (2012)


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photos:  Wikipedia - Auschwitz Liberated January 1945

Timeless Truths (Part 1) - A Cup of Cold Water

A Drink of Water

And whosoever shall give to drink
 unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water
only in the name of a disciple,
verily I say unto you,
he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Matthew 10:42
(KJV)

What a vivid image illustrating the words of Jesus, spoken nearly 2000 years ago.

The picture above was the Wikimedia picture of the day for May 9, 2007.   It was a candidate for the "Picture of the year 2007" and is considered on the finest images in Wikimedia Commons.  The description:

" U.S. Army Sergeant Kornelia Rachwal gives a young Pakistani girl a drink of water as they are airlifted from Muzaffarabad to Islamabad, Pakistan, aboard a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter on the 19 October 2005."  (reference:  Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

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Giving a cup of cold water seems like a small thing, an insignificant act.  Yet, small acts of kindness speak volumes and can pay eternal dividends, especially during dark days.

From the countless acts of kindness, such as giving a cold cup of water, here are two examples from real life and fiction that stand out.

1. Schindler's List

World War Two was a dark time, and, during the Holocaust, offering a cup of cold water to the Jews or other outcasts was done at great peril.  In the movie, Schindler's List, Oskar Schindler did just this, right under the noses of the Nazis.

Throughout the book and the movie, in order to do business Oskar Schindler is continually bribing SS Officer Amon Goeth.  On one such occasion during a blistering summer day, a train of prisoners heading for the concentration camps rolls by them.  These kinds of people are seen by their oppressors as less than human and treated worse than animals - without food, water, and other necessities.

Yet, using his wits, Oskar maneuvers to have the hot cars hosed down and cooled while the prisoners are given water to drink.  Amon laughs at this act as a cruel joke, giving the condemned hope as everyone knows most - if any at all - would not survive long.  Yet, Oskar persists and bribes the NCO escort on the train to open the doors and give them drink when they stop along the way.

The first part of the clip below shows some of this scene.



The book, from which the movie was based, follows up on this scene with more detail.  Two of the prisoners on this transport, who survived the war, let Oskar know that the NCO did frequently order the doors open and had their water buckets filled.  Though most had perished, the water was a small comfort.  (reference:  Schindler's List, by Thomas Keneally, Chapter 29) 

What makes this story so remarkable is that it really happened, and this small act of kindness was done at great risk.  Though Oskar Schindler would be considered a backslidden Catholic - he was a womanizer, war profiteer, open fraternizer with the Nazis, he acted on the words of Jesus whereas more virtuous men lacked the courage to do so.

2.  The Hunchback of Notre Dame

This theme of small acts of kindness in dark times runs throughout the works of  Victor Hugo.  His novels  interweave godly acts of light on the dark background of a mad world.

In The Hunchback of Notre Dame,  the denizens gawk at a deformed man, considered less than human, who was flogged and tortured to satisfy a perverted sense of justice in 15th century France.  But the gypsy girl Esmeralda gives Quasimodo a drink of water while better men do nothing.

Esmeralda.  Quasimodo.  Both are outcasts. Again, this small kindness of one outcast to another speaks volumes.

A clip of the scene below is from the silent film version of the movie - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) .



Today, another of Victor Hugo's novels, Les Miserables (2012), is on the big screen as a musical.  And a turning point is an act of kindness by the bishop of Digne, which forever changes Jean Valjean.

Big doors swing on little hinges.
- W. Clement Stone (1902 - 2002)

So the course of  history or the saving of a life can be changed by a small act of kindness.

This leads to a new thread -

Timeless Truths

- where the ancient proverbs and wisdom will be shown how they still apply throughout the ages.

And what better way to end the first part of this new thread with these timeless words:

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:

but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Isaiah 40:8

(KJV)

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Previous posts on similar topics:

ZAMM (part 6) - Sloth, or just not caring ...  (2012)

Anastasis (part 5) - Bible in the Oxyrhynchus garbage dump  (2012)

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Photo from:  Wikipedia - Humanitarian Aid