I have mixed feelings about The Stoning of Soraya M – so mixed, in fact, that they are hard to sort out.
First, but probably least important, is that I don’t think the movie was that well done. The acting was mediocre, and the ending smacked too much of Hollywood. Even if it really happened that way, they should have avoided that cheesiness.
Second, the hypocrisy of the husband and the whole village seems at first unbelievable. It’s so absurd, so egregious, so over-the-top that it’s unimaginable. And yet, we really don’t have to look far to find similar examples – some of us don’t have to look farther than our own hearts. And perhaps that’s the value of this story: to take those absurd hypocrisies of ours, take them out of the dark and shine the bright light of day on them to help us see how ridiculous they are. That’s worth some introspection. (more…)
Do not desert an old friend;
a new one is not on par with him.
A new friend is like new wine:
until it has matured, you do not enjoy it.
[Ecclesiastes 9:10, with apologies to my new friends, with hopes that they will become old friends in time]
Listen to this traditional Slovak song. I’ll print the words below, with apologies to my Slovak friends until I can figure out how to add the diacritical marks to my blog. Also, I ask my Slovak friends to offer their translations of the text in the comments section.
Vychodí, vychodí ponad kostol hviezda,
coze sa ti, milý, moja krása nezdá,
coze sa ti, milý, moja krása nezdá.
Nezdá sa mi, nezdá, od jedného casu
kedy Tvoje oci premenili lásku…
kedy Tvoje pery premenili lásku…
kedy Tvoje bozky premenili lásku…
Do not let anyone’s insolence bring you to your feet;
he is but waiting to trap you in your own words.
[Ecclesiasticus 8:11]
Live at peace with everyone:
accept advice, however, from but one in a thousand.
[Ecclesiasticus 6:6]
Do not keep your hand wide open to receive,
but closed when it is time to repay. [Ecclesiasticus 4:31]
I have wanted to read something by Cormac McCarthy for a long time – since my friend Geoff recommended All the Pretty Horses to me not long after it was published. I’m not sure why I delayed. But recently my friend Lynne wrote on my Facbook wall to tell me to read it. She said something about it’s being “devastating.” So I took the trouble to order the book and read it.
“Devastating” is a good word. In thise story the world is devastated – there has been some sort of disaster and almost everything has been burned up. Everything is gray, covered with ash. And many of the few people left live like animals. The main characters are a father and his young son who was born on the day the earth was devastated. They wander through the blackened world trying to survive by scrounging for old cans of food, drinkable water, scraps of anything that can be used to help them survive. (more…)