Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Great movie.  For those of you able to attend, I truly hope you enjoyed the last day of school for the fall term.  It was an immensely interesting week, full of symbolism and intrigue.  Whether you recall the lecture from Fr. Len or reflect on the movie, the events of the week should have opened your eyes to mysteries of the church and Christianity.

The movie is based on the book by C.S. Lewis.  It is one of seven books he wrote about the land of Narnia.  While in no particular order, the three stories made into movies have focused on the Pevensie children and their adventures in Narnia.  The stories and the movies are full of symbolism depicting Lewis’ translation of his Christian faith.  Once you are aware he is writing about Christianity, it is easier to pick out the analogies, but if you are unaware, the stories are simply good.  They are full of mystery, adventure, and spirit. 

It is believed by many, C.S. Lewis’ intention was to write good stories which would capture the imagination and hearts of readers of all faiths.  He did not want to limit his audience or the impact his stories may have.  He wanted the stories to be read and loved by all people.  The readers would come to love the character of Aslan and look for that kind of character in the real world.  As a result, they would come to find Jesus Christ. 

After knowing the movie is an analogy of Christianity, what symbolism or similarities strike you the most?  (You can use examples from all three movies or the books if you have read them)  Are there any commonalities between the topics Fr. Len shared and the movie?  Now knowing C.S. Lewis was writing about Christianity, does it make the story more or less interesting? 

Pearl Harbor

In the 1930’s and 1940’s the United States chose to operate under the idea of isolationism.  After the fallout of World War I and the immense debt not yet to be fully repaid, the United States was under tremendous pressure from citizens and politicians to take a neutral stance with respect to the break out of war in Europe and Asia.

This proved to be more difficult than thought.  Although the United States could pretend to ignore the issues occurring between Germany, Italy, Japan and the rest of the world, it was a matter of time before we would be forced to choose sides and join the fight.  One primary issue was trade.  International trade was critically important to the financial stability of the country.  Our preferred alliance with Britain and our defense of China showed the Axis powers are true loyalty would one day side with the British.  That being said, it was in the best interest of Germany, Italy, and Japan to keep the United States out of the battle for as long as possible.

This became a greater challenge for Japan than for the other countries.  Japan was highly dependent on the United States for iron and oil.  Both resources were critically important to a country engaged in warfare.  As the Japanese aggression grew in the Pacific, the United States implemented a number of embargoes disallowing the trade of oil with the Japanese.  Our refusal to trade without concessions from Japan was the beginning of the United States entry into the war in the Pacific. 

In November, Japan began plans to attack the United States at Pearl Harbor.  Unbeknownst to the United States Navy, the decision was made to move most of the US fleet to Hawaii in preparation of the coming war.  The United States never suspected or anticipated and attack at Pearl Harbor.  Japan had given no indications of their intentions.   

Early in the morning on December 7^th, the Japanese Navy attacked the American fleet.  By the end of the attack more than 2,000 soldiers and civilians were dead.  Nearly all of our battleships were either sunk or badly damaged.  The next day President Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the American people and to Congress urging the declaration of war.  Three days later Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.  We were now engaged in World War II.

What do you think of the United States decision to stay neutral?  When is it a good time to stay neutral in your life?  What is your reaction to the thoughts of a foreign country attacking the United States?  How should we respond?  Is it different today than in 1941?  If so, why?

Jimmy V Week

“Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” 

                     Jimmy Valvano, 1993 – announcing the Jimmy V Foundation

December 1-7 is Jimmy V week on ESPN.  You may not know who Jimmy Valvano was, but if you have had the misfortune of knowing someone afflicted with cancer, the odds are he and his life’s mission impacted your life. 

Jimmy Valvano was a successful basketball coach, commentator, and author.  He was a person of strong conviction and personal drive.  At an early age he pulled out white index cards and began to write down his personal goals for life.  He wanted to play high school and college basketball, he wanted to become an assistant coach, go on to become a head coach, cut down the nets in Madison Square Garden and win a National Championship.  At age 36, he was able to pull out those cards and cross off every item on the list.  Throughout his life he developed a personal philosophy which allowed an ordinary man to accomplish the extraordinary.  He once commented, “There are 86,400 seconds in a day.  It is up to you to decide what to do with them.”  Jimmy V chose to cherish and make the most of each one. 

After accomplishing his goals on the basketball court, he explored new directions from writing to commentating.  He was not interested in limiting himself to a single profession.  He embraced diversity in his life and his interests.

In 1993, Jimmy Valvano was given an obstacle that would prove to be his most difficult.  He was diagnosed with cancer.  The cancer proved to be too much for him to personally overcome, but through his vision and passion he has inspired and continues to inspire funding for education and research to cure cancer.  At the time of his diagnosis, cancer was an underfunded and devastating disease.  His charismatic and infectious attitude towards life and easy appeal to people made him an ideal person to raise the awareness of cancer and its impacts on our world and to raise arms to find a way to cure cancer.  While no cure has been found, through continued research many forms of treatment have been developed.  The Jimmy V Foundation has risen over $100 million in the past 18 years to fund cancer awareness and research. 

Jimmy V is an inspiring person.  His attitude towards life, even in the face of overwhelming obstacles is something to admire.   

The URL below is a video clip from the 1993 ESPY awards when he received the Arthur Ashe award for Courage.  During his speech he announces the Jimmy V Foundation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E&feature=channel

The URL below is the highlights from the 1983 National Championship.  It was one of the most exciting endings the tournament has ever seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFolL4Is-sU&feature=related

What do you think of Jimmy Valvano, his life and his mission?  Do you have or are you developing a personal philosophy for how you live your life?  If so, would you mind sharing?  Who inspires you to be a better person?  What qualities do they possess you admire?