Hatred Makes You Strong

I’ve picked out a few very meaningful and interesting excerpts from my most favorite online commentaries. Enjoy

One of my favourite scenes in Star Wars 6 (Return of the Jedi) is the one where Luke Skywalker finally bests his heavy breathing dad Darth Vader. Luke had tried to avoid fighting his dad but when Darth threatened to turn Luke’s sister to the dark side, Luke goes berserk and defeats his dad, cutting Darth’s right hand off in the process. The evil emperor, who has been observing this duel, makes the following offer:

“Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father’s place at my side!”

Every time I watch this scene, I am reminded that indeed, there is a certain strength that comes from hate and I fear afresh for many of my friends who have given themselves to be God’s servants, good people who try to do the right thing in a fallen world. How tempting it is to find strength in hatred especially when you feel your reasons are valid and your goals right.

Those who have been insulated from having to see evil and injustice upfront will find it difficult to understand this temptation. But those who have seen evil blatant, destroying lives, and apparently getting away with it again and again, will know the exhaustion of staying true to the side of the angels, and the temptation of finding strength from the dark side.

But if we claim that we are on the side of God we have to abide by God’s word and God’s word tells us:

[Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21 TNIV)]

Earlier, Paul says: [Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14 TNIV)]

In “The Return of the Jedi” young Luke Skywalker refuses to choose the dark side, willing instead, to suffer and die for the privilege of remaining true to the light. Yet it is his very “weakness” that inspires his father to love once again and to turn back from the dark side. Love, apparently weak, conquers. Ok it is just a movie, and an old movie at that. But it is a great movie, and this is a scene that echoes something true, and it continues to teach us.

www.graceatwork.org

The Winner Stands Alone

The beloved, bestselling international author of The Alchemist returns with another haunting novel—a thrilling journey into our constant fascination with the worlds of fame, fortune, and celebrity.

A profound meditation on personal power and innocent dreams that are manipulated or undone by success, The Winner Stands Alone is set in the exciting worlds of fashion and cinema. Taking place over the course of twenty-four hours during the Cannes Film Festival, it is the story of Igor, a successful, driven Russian entrepreneur who will go to the darkest lengths to reclaim a lost love—his ex-wife, Ewa. Believing that his life with Ewa was divinely ordained, Igor once told her that he would destroy whole worlds to get her back. The conflict between an individual evil force and society emerges, and as the novel unfolds, morality is derailed.

Meet the players and poseurs behind the scenes at Cannes—the “Superclass” of producers, actors, designers, and supermodels, as well as the aspiring starlets, has-been stars, and jaded hangers-on. Adroitly interweaving the characters’ stories, Paulo Coelho uses his twelfth novel to paint an engrossing picture of a world overrun by glamour and excess, and shows us the possibly dire consequences of our obsession with fame.

The plot captivates me the moment I set my eyes on it. Having read The Alchemist which is both thought provoking and mind boggling, I am sure this book will not disappoint with his poetic, realistic and philosophical style, and the symbolic language that does not speak to our minds, but to our hearts. ♥