The triumph of good over evil…

I wish it was so simple, so easy.  Good triumphs over evil.  The white hats win and ride off into the sunset.  Light overcomes the darkness.

Life’s far from that, especially of late.  Everything is shades of grey, shifting tonally from darker to lighter depending on one’s perspective and position.  It’s difficult as a parent to have to explain that good isn’t clear, can be murky.  How do I explain that which is a difficult abstraction to adults?

This is good sometimes, maybe, under the right circumstances, otherwise this is better, but not best and there may be no best choice…sheesh, that’s clear as mud to me, let alone to a child.

But every once in a while I get to indulge in fantasy, the fantasy that good is absolutely clear and certain, and evil is its total antithesis.  And I get to take my kids along for the ride.

We lounged in bed late this morning, watching The Fifth Element on DVD.  Immersed completely in the simplicity of the message that life is more important than time, that love saves us all.  Cuddled up in our pajamas, reclining against a mountain of pillows, my little energetic hellions for a few moments relaxed and lazing about under the cozy weight of blankets.  Ah, heaven: the message is so clear.  The questions aren’t, who’s the bad guy, but what is a junk?  I feel like I’ve gotten a day off, a vacation.

Better yet, the only grey question is one that gets answered with little hesitation in the course of the film:

“What's the use of saving lives when you see what you're doing with it?"

Love makes it all worthwhile.

Merci beaucoup, Luc Besson, for a lovely morning.  And by the way, thanks for a beautiful dream of the future; it’s not an entirely pretty one, but a hope-filled one.

5:05:25 PM    comment []

RantsCounterRants:  Oderint dum metuant

That is to say: Let them hate so long as they fear.

What a powerful statement.  Is this truly our current foreign policy?

Christopher Key at The Barbaric Yawp brought something to our attention, a letter of resignation from John Brady Kiesling submitted to Colin Powell and published in NYT.

Damn.  I really didn’t think we had any diplomats with spine and ethics under this Administration.

Oh wait, maybe we don’t any longer.

3:09:33 PM    comment []