This Thanksgiving, I will remember those who do not share a dinner
with members of their family, and I will think of those who desperately
mourn the loss of someone who has passed on.
My heart also breaks
for those who, like me, wonder why a world of unbelievable beauty and
love can also possess such unspeakable hate and evil.
When times are difficult, it can be hard to hold a spirit of Thanksgiving.
We may dress nicely and live comfortably, but on a whole different level the world sometimes feels like a dark, dirty place, with seemingly no way out.
I thought of all that last week when my wife and I saw “The 33,” a movie with a less-than-glorious storyline about 33 real-life miners in Chile trapped a half-mile below the Earth’s surface. But it was a movie about more than just rocks and drill-bits and engineering techniques.
It was a story about hope. It was a story about brotherhood. And its symbolism said that if we truly want to find our way beyond the struggles of our present existence, all we need to do is look up. And believe.
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ANTONIO BANDARAS PLAYS Mario Sepulveda, a leader among the 33 because of his unwavering belief that everything will be okay. He remains confident and positive, despite the lack of food and clean water. He not only preaches love and unity, he models it.
When, predictably, some of the men resort to bickering and hopelessness, “Super Mario” wants none of it. They have to work together. They have to be there for one another. At a point when many of the guys were ready to quit, he said, “I believe we will make it out of here because I choose to believe it.”
Tough circumstances often choose us, but the manner in which we handle them is the choice we get to make.
Hope is contagious. Perseverance is power. In a world that espouses blame, change and revenge,
“The 33” is a metaphor of the belief that help from above is the best way to find comfort.
It was what I needed to hear, just when I needed it most.
Like “Titanic” and “Apollo 13,” we knew how this movie would end. Just when all hoped seemed lost, the light appeared. They were all lifted up to a better place, where they reveled in the arms of their loved ones.
Later, Mario would reflect on the intense struggle while underground. He said, “I’ve been with God and I’ve been with the Devil. They fought. But God won.”
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THIS THANKSGIVING, I will remember those who do not share a dinner with members of their family, and I think of those who desperately mourn the loss of someone who has passed on.
But my prayer for them will have two components. One is for comfort.
The other has to do with faith.
The light is coming.