The Kingdom ethics are not high ideals but transforming initiatives one must have in order to participate in the Kingdom of God. To learn how to relate to our neighbor is not an easy task. Several times we find ourselves in certain circumstances that make us reflect how we should relate to our neighbor. The movie "Wit" presents a true reality in our society in terms of relationships. People often times do not treat their neighbor in the way they should because they are blind to the message of the Kingdom. Learning and acting according to the Sermon of the Mount is the key to overcome the barriers that often times are seen in the various levels of relationships in our society.
The main character of the movie: Vivian Bearing is overwhelmed. Even though she does not realize in the beginning how tough her situation is, she is constantly fighting in order to find a solution for her problems. One might say her vocation and background play a significant role in her relational life because she often times go back and refers to them as she is trying to figure it out a specific answer in her life. Vivian is extremely sick; she has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer, which determines that she will have to be in treatment in case she wants to overcome the illness.
By accepting the treatment with some reservation due the complexity of her state, she finds herself in a hospital room, where she will have to deal with different people that have different goals and values than her. She keeps thinking over her past and trying to solve problems by acting in an empiric way; she is a very intelligent woman with a PhD in philosophy, which makes her reflect and contemplate different aspects of her life as well as other people that are involved in her life. During the movie, we see her talking to herself always using a very scholarly language which tells us the level of intelligence she is used to in her life. She used to be a very tough professor before she is diagnosed with cancer.
The first person that deals with Vivian is Dr. Kelikian. Head of the research project at the hospital, he is very precise in his use of the words. He is very direct in his explanation of the disease in the beginning of the movie, and he will treat Vivian as an object of study for his research. He is not very concerned about Vivian and her anxieties as a human being, which undermines their relationship. In the same way, Jason, who is a young research doctor who had Professor Bearing when he was still studying at the university when professor Bearing use to teach.
Both Dr. Kelikian and Jason’s attitude toward Vivian failed according to the example left from Jesus. Perhaps their professional career plays out a significant role in the way they have to relate to their patients; however, they do not show any concern regarding respect, love and compassion. Jason still shows a kind of respect and honor toward the professor due all the things she accomplished as a professional in the area of education; however, he does not identify himself with the suffering nor try to show his concern for her emotional, psychological and spiritual needs.
On the other hand, we have Suzie who is a nurse at the hospital and is very concerned about Vivian, during the movie she identifies herself the patient’s suffering. This concept of identification was the same Jesus had for the poor and oppressed in his ministry. Jesus’ main concern was for the lost and his passion was to reveal God will to them. It is interesting to see how Suzie relates to Vivian, when she is experiencing one of the toughest stages of her treatment. When Suzie comes in her room at four in the morning, she is very cautions in the way she approaches professor Bearing, even though her character in the movie is more simplistic compare to other characters regarding her social status, she is the one who gets the deep meaning of a relational life.
One professional way we can engage in this movie regarding our professional lives is to not let professional things such as ambition, money, success modify our mindset which should be rooted in the Kingdom message. Since we have been called to be a “Kingdom Worker” no matter where we are, we should pursue the Kingdom of God first as this verse illustrates; “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33 – NIV). Living the Kingdom message must show out integrity in the various levels of relationship in the many scales of society.
No comments:
Post a Comment