The Face of Love

"I want the last face you see in this world to be the face of love, so you look at me when they do this thing. I'll be the face of love for you."

That is a line from the movie "Dead Man Walking". Sister Helen Prejean says it to Matthew Poncelot on his way to be executed by people who only see him as a monster.

Dead Man Walking is the true story of a nun committed to the soul of a convicted murderer on death row

This line is said just as powerfully in King Kong, although it is not spoken. Ms. Darrow says it to Kong with her eyes and actions.

She is a symbol of beauty against the beast of man. When everyone else runs away from what they don't understand, she runs towards it. Ann is constantly running to Kong. She doesn't spend her time trying to convince her friends or the government that Kong is a good ape. She knows she can't do anything to save him so she tries to ensure that he experiences love and kindness before he meets his fate.

Jesus said the poor will always be with us. What is our role for the suffering and the isolated? How do we rescue those who are being attacked and mistreated? For some, I imagine it's to try to dictate change from the inside: to be a voice of influence in political and social circles. For others, like Ann Darrow, it is to suffer alongside the oppressed. It is to be the face of love in the midst of hate.

Ann is counter-cultural, running towards suffering and danger. She is doing something that would cause others to think is foolish: the firefighters running up a building closer to the flames and destruction, peacemaker teams being the middle man between two warring countries, knowing they may be hated by both sides.

Kong is persecuted and judged and attacked. Man sees something different than what they're comfortable with and react with an instinct which cannot be trusted. If we feel like someone is not on our side, we get defensive. Since a good defense is a good offense, attacking is our reaction to our insecurities.

In the movie Solaris, a team of astronauts start to experience something they do not understand. It doesn't appear to be human so they see it as threatening and want to get rid of it. One of the scientists has this to say:

"We take off into the cosmos, ready for anything - - solitude, hardship, exhaustion, death. We're proud of ourselves. But when you think about it, our enthusiasm's a sham. We don't want other worlds; we want mirrors."

Why is familiarity so comforting and new ideas so scary? Maybe something that appears threatening is actually full of love. How do we get past our preconceived ideas of good and evil? What have we allowed ourselves to be manipulated by?

I think it's ok to react in fear at first. Ms Darrow reacts in fear when Kong kidnaps her. It's how we react to our reactions that can help define who we are. After the initial shock wore off, she was able to look in Kongs eyes and see something that wanted to protect her like a father, someone who would risk his life for hers. She couldn't see that from a distance, running away or shooting guns. She had to be close. If we keep our distance, it's safer. If we don't get to know someone, it's easier to judge who they are based on what we think they should be.

The message of King Kong is especially relevant today in this time of war. We use words like insurgents, serving as a barrier which allows us to justify not caring for another human being. They dig their own grave we say. It's easier to see someone on death row get what they deserve then to wish them life.

The real life Sister Helen from the Dead Man Walking story talks about accompanying a man to execution:

You are in this building in the middle of the night, and all these people are organized to kill this man. And the gospel comes to you as it never has before: Are you for compassion, or are you for violence? Are you for mercy, or are you for vengeance? Are you for love, or are you for hate? Are you for life, or are you for death?" - Sister Helen Prejean

Sometimes thoughtful questions are better than hateful answers. I would hope that I am for life and will leave the question in my head until the right answer comes out of my heart.



george dougherty