The Dark Knight
Though I won’t recommend that kids watch it (it should be rated R for excessive violence rather than PG13), The Dark Knight is truly “a rich, multi-layered movie filled with great performances, memorable dialogue, and moral complexity.” (Gary Robinson, The Choices of Bruce Wayne, Breakpoint 7/22/08) It made blockbuster history by posting US$158.4 million in its opening weekend, beating Spiderman 3 by more than $7 million! (Heath Ledger’s untimely death after portraying the devilish Joker in the movie surely fueled much interest in the movie. But in fairness, the producers did not capitalize on his death in the promotion of the movie.) Indeed, it’s a rich movie, both literally and figuratively!
I won’t share the plot so as not to spoil the fun. But, in one scene, Batman was about to crack under pressure. His ever-loyal butler, Alfred, exhorted him, “Endure! You can be the outcast. You can make the choice that no one else will face—the right choice.” I like the lesson distilled by Breakpoint on the movie: “To attain their greatest good, he finds he must sacrifice the good will of the people he’s trying to help. …Will we move forward, heedless of what people will think or say? Or will we shrink back into the shadows of safety?” It would be wonderful when our decision is both right and popular. But, both in the reel and the real life, it’s not always together.
A parent must make the right decisions, even if their children would not agree with that judgment call. An employee should not lie for his employer, despite the threat of termination. An employer must decide to practice biblical ethics, though his business might suffer for it. A teenager must take a stance for his faith, at the expense of losing his so-called “friends.” A student ought to avoid cheating in his exams, even if it could cost him his scholarship. Life and leadership is about making the right choices, albeit unpopular and costly.
Brethren, endure!
P.S.: Please volunteer to help the Passion Manila, August 1, 730PM, PhilSports Arena (formerly ULTRA). For more details, log-on at the http://www.268generation.com/ or call Sowers at (632) 7521696.
I won’t share the plot so as not to spoil the fun. But, in one scene, Batman was about to crack under pressure. His ever-loyal butler, Alfred, exhorted him, “Endure! You can be the outcast. You can make the choice that no one else will face—the right choice.” I like the lesson distilled by Breakpoint on the movie: “To attain their greatest good, he finds he must sacrifice the good will of the people he’s trying to help. …Will we move forward, heedless of what people will think or say? Or will we shrink back into the shadows of safety?” It would be wonderful when our decision is both right and popular. But, both in the reel and the real life, it’s not always together.
A parent must make the right decisions, even if their children would not agree with that judgment call. An employee should not lie for his employer, despite the threat of termination. An employer must decide to practice biblical ethics, though his business might suffer for it. A teenager must take a stance for his faith, at the expense of losing his so-called “friends.” A student ought to avoid cheating in his exams, even if it could cost him his scholarship. Life and leadership is about making the right choices, albeit unpopular and costly.
Brethren, endure!
P.S.: Please volunteer to help the Passion Manila, August 1, 730PM, PhilSports Arena (formerly ULTRA). For more details, log-on at the http://www.268generation.com/ or call Sowers at (632) 7521696.
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