Dialogue with the Movie “Downfall”
Part Three:
History and Justice and a Surprise Appearance
Written by Dan McDonald
Image of Mel Brooks’ satirical version of history
History of the World, Part I (1981)
In our previous blog we considered how
the vastness of the subject of history requires us to transform the subject of history into stories. As we
shift to a different focus in this blog it might be well to consider how we
human beings are connected to the history of humanity. I think this connection is etched into the
fabric of our beings. Think of what the
genetic sciences are teaching us in our day.
Each of our genetic codes is distinctly personal and directs the
formation of every cell in each of our human bodies. Yet our genetic codes also reflect the whole
history of the biological journey that has taken place within our
ancestry. Biologically we are connected
to an ancient human past. All that
history is mysteriously inscribed into our genetic composition, yet we come
into this world as special and unique new unrepeatable individual members of
that humanity to which we are connected.
There is not an extreme divergence between who we are bodily and spiritually.
For physically we are connected to the whole history of humanity and yet
are individuals, and spiritually we are individuals with our own perceptions
and personalities who yearn to connect to humanity and even if with hurting damaged
souls we yearn for connectedness. I have
been thinking much about this, especially as I watched this video of the thrilling event
of life taking shape in a mother’s womb.
Watching the video, I envisioned two distinct lines of humanity merging
together from the millennia preceding our human era and realized that in each
of us as individuals the human journey from the time of the ancients to this
day and onward to the gathering of the entire redeemed human race in that Great
Day is being chronicled in our human bodies and genetic codes.
In our present blog we move from
considering the vastness of history and the nearness of the story of history to
consider how invariably when we look at history we contemplate such things as
good and evil, right and wrong, and issues we moderns describe as “social
justice.” Have you ever noticed how we
do that when we consider history? As an
American sometimes I might look with joy and pride at our westward movement as
men and women worked so diligently to create thriving farms, small communities,
public schools, churches across a continent, libraries, and varied networks to
aid the poor. But as I would swell up
with pride I see that not everything about that story was good, right, or correctly
spelled out “social justice.” The
westward movement included conquest and forced removal of the Native Americans
already on this continent. We tricked, lied
to, betrayed, slaughtered, and even used blankets carrying the germs of death
to push them out of our way as we Americanized a continent. Much of our early national wealth resulted
from a system of slavery that enslaved millions of people based on skin color. There arose an America with a privileged
class and an underclass. Many of us who
began looking back at our American history with pride came eventually to hang
our heads in shame. In this I feel deeply
connected with the Germans who created the movie “Downfall”. I know they had to feel such pain and sadness
as they portrayed a dark hour in German history. It was not just the darkness of a national
defeat, but the darkness that from that moment onwards when a German sat down
at the table of humanity there was this in his national past; not really so
much different than the sort of things I bring to the table as an American. I suspect that it was painful for the actors
and actresses and the makers of this film to portray the men and women of a
time which brings Germans to feel shame in their national history.
We look back at history hoping to
find justice but we so often find injustice.
But it seems to me that if a disciple who had heard Jesus teach him
about life were in our midst he might point to a field and say “Look over
there. Do you see the wheat? Do you see the tares? What do you see in this world? Do you see wheat or tares, or wheat and
tares? What do you see in the
churches? Are you ashamed that you see
wheat and tares in the church as well? Now
what do you see when you look into your soul?
Do you see wheat and tares there also?”
This disciple I imagine standing among us disappears as quickly as he
appeared. I am broken-hearted and yet comforted. Was there no one who was good? I looked upon history in search of the good
and found where I saw those who wished to do good that they too did evil. But because I was beginning to realize that I
was not separate from my ancestors but connected to them, what I saw in them
more easily enabled me to look upon myself and see that I too have wished to do
good and have so often become an expression of evil.
“Lady Justice” blind without prejudice
We look for her presence in the past to guide us
into the future.
I think of Lady Justice, how she is
pictured standing so firm, so tall, so erect and unbowed by the corruption
around her. But she was a goddess from
long ago, a myth of a hope that one day we would learn how to implement
justice. I know that those who thought
of her and maybe those who worshipped her had a concept derived from a living
God that made them dream of goodness, righteousness, equity, fairness, justice
for one and for all. I have never seen a
person in my life quite like her. I have
seen only men and women who have been broken by sorrows, by stabs from unkind
words, by being pushed down by bullies, or made hard by becoming bullies. So I never find someone standing so tall, so
completely erect, or so careful to hold those scales so flawlessly so she never
judges unfairly, presumptively, or without prejudice. I find only those who walk with shoulders
drooping and their back slouched forward at least slightly, whose scales are
tilted towards the side where they looked out for themselves before preferring
another.
I could imagine a woman bearing many of Lady
Justice’s features but not at all identical.
She would not be wearing a blindfold.
Instead of a blindfold she would be wearing a flower in her hair with a
shaft of wheat entangled in the flower on one side and a tare progressing from
the other side. She would not be as
stern as Lady Justice, who to be honest I still love with admiring
affection. But this woman would have a
slight smile and especially a kind glimmer in her eyes. I would be almost startled by her presence as
she would pass me. She would probably
not speak a word as we passed by one another.
I would, however, feel better for having seen her smile and that
wondrous glimmer in her eyes. It would
take me a moment to realize that I knew who this woman was. She was that middle one of the three
sisters. They were known for how they
traveled the world to encourage people in their dark days. This had to be her. Yes it was I was sure of it. It was Hope, sister of Faith and Charity. I turned to see if she had gone. Perhaps I was mistaken. I turned expecting her to be gone, but was
hoping to steal one last look at her.
She was standing looking at me if you can believe it! She smiled a smile of kindness it seemed,
nodded her head, turned and then went on her way.
I thought about all those tares. Then I looked up to the heavens and said “I
guess my wheat field will always have a lot of tares. I guess when in the future someone looks at
my fields and my life they’ll have reason to get indignant and ashamed. I guess that is so. Still is there something you might have me to do that is
good, right, and promotes a bit of social justice on this earth?” I sort of kept adding words, because I never know when to just honor him with my silence, and thinking of all those people that made “Downfall” I added “and
would you make sure Hope makes her way to the Germans too and oh yes to all those who got hurt by the Germans and by us Americans." By this time I realized I was just rambling and thought of one thing that I should of said that I hadn't said, “O’ and by the
way thanks for sending Hope my way.”
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