"Once" Is Not Enough, Twice is Too Much
Matthew 11:17
"And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented."
Lina and I watched the film "Once" last night. It had been on our Queue for months languishing like a child in line for one the new roller coaster's at Hershey Park. I moved it up and had it sent after I read a glowing posting about it from my friend in film Todd Klick. He has a highly attuned cinematic sense. IF he likes something, it should follow that I should too.
I will not give away the story...I really abhor when people do this...it is like whispering to someone what their Christmas gift is going to be. If the film stinks, then I am glad to know this ahead of time. No use of eating garbage if someone else of good taste tells me to not take the lid off a particularly stenchy flick. If the film is tasty, then let me eat it. It is OK to commend it but then back off.
The only work where I am glad to know both the story and the ending ahead of time is the Bible. If I didn't know that this world was going to be redeemed and recreated, I'd probably perish from despair. So I won't spill the beans here on the details about the film even though I really, really, want to. You might have already seen it anyway as you are way ahead of us on the hipster happening wave.
The film had me thinking about the place of music in our lives, how it accompanies us in the happiest (like weddings) and saddest (funeral) events of our lives as well as the everyday when we are driving around the car or getting our teeth cleaned at the Dentist's office...the whir in beat with the "Soft Rock."
One time, when I had my second knee surgery down at the University of Pennsylvania with the 76ers surgeon Joe Torg, the surgical staff gave me headphones, with a classical music CD playing, to listen to in order to calm my soul before the non-general anesthetic operation (he had to keep me conscious, to find out where my knee hurt, so that he could cut out nerve endings....Dr. Torg could only use a little local anesthetic to take some of the edge off). I could hear, and most certainly feel the clipping, in real time.
At the end of the surgery, Dr. Torg said I was the second bravest patient he had ever operated on. The guy in first was a Marine who refused all anesthetic. He is probably the same type of Marine who pins medals on his bare chest. I considered the Dr. Torg's comment a compliment as I like to fashion myself as a tough guy (although my wife can make me whimper with a slight touch of tickle...me a mighty oak felled by a mere breath). The Marine probably also wanted to listen to "Slayer" as his knee got cut open. None of that classical creampuffery.
Thinking about the accompanying role of music, also had me thinking about this verse in Matthew (it is in Luke too). Jesus is basically telling His enemies, "Nothing pleases you." Some people, no matter how hard you try, just ain't going to like anything you do. Jesus is perfect and has enemies, how more so us, weak sinners that we are? We have earned at least some of our enemies. Adam Clarke observes, "There are some to whom every thing is useful in leading them to God; others, to whom nothing is sufficient. Every thing is good to an upright mind, every thing bad to a vicious heart." To one of such obstinacy, once is not enough and two is too much.
We need to watch 'Once" again before we send it back. Are you sure you don't want me to tell you more about it?
"And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented."
Lina and I watched the film "Once" last night. It had been on our Queue for months languishing like a child in line for one the new roller coaster's at Hershey Park. I moved it up and had it sent after I read a glowing posting about it from my friend in film Todd Klick. He has a highly attuned cinematic sense. IF he likes something, it should follow that I should too.
I will not give away the story...I really abhor when people do this...it is like whispering to someone what their Christmas gift is going to be. If the film stinks, then I am glad to know this ahead of time. No use of eating garbage if someone else of good taste tells me to not take the lid off a particularly stenchy flick. If the film is tasty, then let me eat it. It is OK to commend it but then back off.
The only work where I am glad to know both the story and the ending ahead of time is the Bible. If I didn't know that this world was going to be redeemed and recreated, I'd probably perish from despair. So I won't spill the beans here on the details about the film even though I really, really, want to. You might have already seen it anyway as you are way ahead of us on the hipster happening wave.
The film had me thinking about the place of music in our lives, how it accompanies us in the happiest (like weddings) and saddest (funeral) events of our lives as well as the everyday when we are driving around the car or getting our teeth cleaned at the Dentist's office...the whir in beat with the "Soft Rock."
One time, when I had my second knee surgery down at the University of Pennsylvania with the 76ers surgeon Joe Torg, the surgical staff gave me headphones, with a classical music CD playing, to listen to in order to calm my soul before the non-general anesthetic operation (he had to keep me conscious, to find out where my knee hurt, so that he could cut out nerve endings....Dr. Torg could only use a little local anesthetic to take some of the edge off). I could hear, and most certainly feel the clipping, in real time.
At the end of the surgery, Dr. Torg said I was the second bravest patient he had ever operated on. The guy in first was a Marine who refused all anesthetic. He is probably the same type of Marine who pins medals on his bare chest. I considered the Dr. Torg's comment a compliment as I like to fashion myself as a tough guy (although my wife can make me whimper with a slight touch of tickle...me a mighty oak felled by a mere breath). The Marine probably also wanted to listen to "Slayer" as his knee got cut open. None of that classical creampuffery.
Thinking about the accompanying role of music, also had me thinking about this verse in Matthew (it is in Luke too). Jesus is basically telling His enemies, "Nothing pleases you." Some people, no matter how hard you try, just ain't going to like anything you do. Jesus is perfect and has enemies, how more so us, weak sinners that we are? We have earned at least some of our enemies. Adam Clarke observes, "There are some to whom every thing is useful in leading them to God; others, to whom nothing is sufficient. Every thing is good to an upright mind, every thing bad to a vicious heart." To one of such obstinacy, once is not enough and two is too much.
We need to watch 'Once" again before we send it back. Are you sure you don't want me to tell you more about it?
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