Christian Viewpoint By John Dempster: Never forget to look up and take on challenges
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In the new Netflix movie Don’t Look Up a massive comet heads earthwards, threatening our planet with catastrophic damage.
In the USA, where the film is set, the discovery is met both with denial and attempts to exploit the crisis for economic and political advantage, while the news agenda prioritises celebrity stories over the reality of the threat.
It’s a sharp and pertinent satire, of course, exuberantly over-played by its stellar cast as partisan attempts are made to divert or break up the comet.
Our planet is indeed under threat – from climate change.
Collectively, we are failing to act decisively, due to individual and corporate confusion, denial and greed. Meanwhile, the future we are choosing hurtles towards us.
“Don’t look up” is American President Janie Orlean’s campaign slogan when the approaching comet is visible to the naked eye. Pretend it’s not there!
But the movie implicitly challenges us to “look up”, to acknowledge the threat, to appreciate the delicate beauty of our planet (there are intermittent glimpses throughout of the loveliness of nature), to appreciate that, as Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dr Randall Minty would put it: “We really do have everything.”
When our heads are buried in the relentless thrum of social media, the relentless dramas of conflict and doom may seem to be the only narratives in town.
Don’t Look Up only hints at a counter-story to the frantic shenanigans of politics, business and media.
Two characters (Minty and Kate Dibiasky, played by Jennifer Lawrence) have a passion for getting the truth out. And as the movie draws to a close some of the characters find a quietness – a sense of community, forgiveness, love and even redemption.
Someone prays movingly as the threat from the comet grows. “Dearest Father and Almighty Creator,” he begins, “we ask you for grace tonight, despite our pride, your forgiveness, despite our doubt.
“Most of all Lord we ask for your love to soothe us through these hard times. May we face whatever is to come in your divine will with courage and open hearts of acceptance.”
The counter-story in human society is a deep down movement of love with God as its origin and driving force. Jesus invites us to join this movement, entrusting ourselves to the love of God, letting that love shape us and all our relationships, moulding our thoughts and actions as we face the kind of challenges Don’t Look Up highlights.
“At least we tried,” Kate Dibiasky says. Nobody is perfect, but at the end of each day we can ask: “Did I stand with spectators, or run with the crowd? Or did I seek out those who were acting out of the counter-story of love, and join in?”
