Went to see Revenge of the Sith last night. Very impressed! Redeemed all the things I disliked about episodes I and II.
One thing especially caught my ear - a quote: "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." The more I think on this, the more I am convinced that Lucas has something here. The claim is not that truth does not exist, or that truth cannot be absolute. The claim, as I hear it, is that it is impossible for human beings to fathom the entire absolute truth.
A compelling part of the movie is the rationalization Palapatine uses to convince Anakin to come over to the dark side. In addition to saving Padume, he promises an end to war, peace and solid rule. What is revealing is that Palapatine delivers exactly what he promises here. The Republic is unified into an empire that knows peace and strong rule, but it is a rule of the Sith. All people rationalize their actions, good or bad. The difference is whether we aknowledge this fact and hold it up to the scrutiny of others.
Those human beings that dare to believe they can deliver the entire truth - that absolutes lie within their feeble human grasp - are playing into the hands of pride and hubris, which can only lead to evil. This does not mean that we cannot seek the truth, or that we cannot perceive it in part, but it is like the reflections on the cave wall (Plato) or through a glass darkly (Paul). Our truth-seeking must be done in a spirit of humility and we must truly listen to others, accepting that they may have pieces of the truth that we don't.
In a world that seems so frightening (although I would maintain that Americans have very little to fear in comparison to 90% of the world population) people want absolutes so that they can hide from their fear. But as Christians, the only absolute we have is the person of Jesus Christ. To insist that Christianity should be a religion that provides absolute answers to all questions of belief and ethics without serious discernment on our part is to force it into a mold similar to the religion of the Pharisees of Jesus' time that he derided.
Sith deal in absolutes and are supremely confident in their world view. Jedi understand the world is not so clear-cut and are humble before the powers that form us.
I think I'll stand with the Jedi - even if it means being offed by a petulant cyborg with a light saber.
David+
Went with the Canterbury Club to see the new Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie on Friday. I was pleasantly surprised. It took a lot of liberties with the book, but then again, any film adaptation has to, especially with a book that relies so much on an inner monologue. I felt it was true to the spirit, and many of the things I really wanted to see were there.
