Thursday, May 8, 2008

Les Miserables


Last night, I took my wife to see the play Les Mis to celebrate her graduation. I enjoyed the time together and the play.

The story is about mercy, forgiveness, justice, the oppressed, love, etc. I am always intrigued by stories that bring out the theme of the mistreatment of the poor and their cry for justice. This story was based much around that struggle.

The classic song "Do you hear the people sing" captures much of that:

Do you hear the people sing? Singing a song of angry men? It is the music of
a people, who will not be slaves again! When the beating of your heart echoes
the beating of the drums there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!


Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Beyond
the barricade is there a world you long to see? Then join in the fight that will
give you the right to be free!

The lyrics only tell part of the story. With music in the story, they carry much more weight.

Those who are oppressed will always cry out!


Why is it that we can read stories, hear a song, see a great play and be moved, but then never do much to work to practically change the things that we are challenged with?

Les Miserables is a great story seen around the world most often by the people of the world with resources. Why doesn't it grip their (my) heart to change things?

2 comments:

thowald said...

Kevin,
Great question. I think many times we as humans can watch or hear something that reveals an injustice and it gives us the opportunity to be outraged about it. That initial outrage can make us feel good about owrselves that we actually "care", but after that we feel we have done our duty. We have sympathized and even empathized with those who are being treated unjustly.Thus in our own minds have met our moral obligation to "care" about our fellow man and then go about our own business. It is there that I think we can find the key, we are preoccupied with our own lives and forget about loving our neighbor as we love ourselves and just love ourselves. I can say guilty as charged . My prayer is that I learn to walk just as Jesus walked.

KG said...

Good thoughts Tim. I think that we do often feel better that we have "cared" and then feel off the hook to act.
Lord, help us to have the heart love as you love. Help us to act as you would want us act.