On the advice of my son who is always accurate when it comes to movie recommendation for me, I went to see the movie “Spy” Friday night. In many respects it was precisely the sort of movie that I would normally avoid; one which you could not pay me to go see. As the name implies, it is about United States spies and their attempt to stop the selling of a nuclear bomb by a group of people. In the course of carrying out their duties there are a great many people damaged and even killed by various methods including hand-to-hand combat.
The movie is also, paradoxically, a comedy. I, along with what sounded like the rest of the audience, found myself laughing. I mean, really laughing, as opposed to a mild chuckle now and then. When Melissa McCarthy’s character Susan Cooper, agent turned desk jockey, turned spy, surprises even herself with her amazing hand-to-hand combat ability as well as her expertise with a gun, I “found myself” laughing along with the rest of the audience. This may have been partly because Ms. McCarthy’s character is this middle age, heavyset suburban looking soccer mom whom one does not expect to have these kinds of skills. It may also have been because this woman, who most of the other agents thought would be useless in the field, shows the doubters who happen to be mostly male just how it is done! Thus, rooting for her character is rooting for the underdog to win. Suddenly, this avowed pacifist who happens to be me is laughing, clapping and telling this character, “You go girl. Kick some a..” She is my kind of woman – talented, strong, bright, and ready to prove the nay Sayers wrong. I am ready to team up with this woman. Perhaps I will even start dating women again!
Now, of course, I could claim that the creators and producers of this movie have used some subliminal techniques to morph me into the conservative, right wing, and hawk. That would explain my behavior and let me off the hook. I could also claim that an invisible alien took over my mind and I am no longer present and, thus, not responsible for my enthusiastic response to this very violent movie.
Of course, the truth is that it was me finding the movie, including the kick a.. violence, so much fun. The is the part of me that as a young boy loved playing cowboys and Indians (yikes! Even though I allegedly have some Native American heritage, I was not always playing the Indian). This was the same part of me who rooted for Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy and later John Wayne. With my toy six-shooter I was ready to mow down all the “bad guys”.
Even as a child there was this other part of me, which hated violence, and fighting of any kind. When I once was asked to explain the etiology of my pacifism, I blamed it on the fact that as a boy who was small in statue and who looked 10 at least until he was 30, I adopted pacifism as a self-defense stance. I could then righteously claim to abhor violence and look down on those who chose violence. At the same time I knew that there was a part of me who wanted to be that tall, muscle bound, hunk that rescued all those in distress and still went after the bad guys.
Thus, when that immature part of me which thought violence could be an answer, had been buried beneath thousands of words defending the pacifist stance, the six shooting, and kick-a. little boy emerges in some very public place such as a movie theater shouting, “Go girl!” to a very violent character. Undoubtedly this is the same part of me who has always taken a break from books by Thomas Merton, Eckhart Tolle, and many other “spiritual teachers” by reading a mystery or spy novel. I do this on a daily basis. I could claim that it is my love of mathematical puzzles, which leads me to these sorts of books. That would be part of the truth. The other part of the truth is that I love the illusion of a simple world in which people are divided into good people and bad people - An illusion in which the good people are expert A. Kickers and quickly bring down the bad guys.
Of course, I know that the world is not this simple. By the same token I know that there are these myriad parts of me, which often seem contradictory. Part of my spiritual growth is to lovingly, laughingly fess us to the reality, which is I. Go Girl! Kick some a..!
RSS Feed