V

On Tuesday night, I had the great opportunity to join my friends Cameron and Anna at a movie night that a bunch of folks from Cam's church put together. They watch a movie each week and then have a discussion afterwards. This week the movie was V for Vendetta. Kenny and I first saw this movie in LA, entering the theater with no idea of what to expect and leaving very impacted. I am happy to report that the second time around was just as profound, though by completely different themes.

Before I go on, I will say that I hate previews to movies because they cause you to go into a movie with a perception already formed rather than letting the art take you some where. So if you've not seen this movie already please stop reading...go rent it, let it move you, come to your own conclusions...

But if you have seen it, here are a few thoughts that really struck me:

Benjamin Franklin said, "Those that are willing to sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither." This theme was very apparent in the film as the society at large allowed their government to use fear and manipulation to attain control over the people. The movie took this to an extreme but the concept is certainly not a foreign one. It begged the question of how much we hand over to preserve our way of life and if we, too, allow the fear of the unknown to be the decisive voice in our cultural and political landscape. Do we elect officials, make decisions, fight for issues because we are passionate for something or because we are fearful of something? Early in the movie, there was an obvious sentiment by the officials that the people would blindly follow and trust. They had conditioned this culture to accept and trust without question or logic. Ignorance is bliss when you feel that it perpetuates your way of life. And so they went on for quite some time not questioning, not challenging, not resisting, even though the government that they empowered was etching away at their freedom. The people came to fear their government, rather than the government their people. If we the people really do live in a democratic society then we actually should have quite a bit of influence over the political process. Do we? And if not, do we care? Or are we, in the same way, choosing to blindly trust in order to maintain the comforts we've grown accustomed to? And if we continue to do so, will the extremes demonstrated in V for Vendetta someday be eerily familiar? These are the questions I had watching the film, these are the questions I still have...