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by Samuel Bak
OT00443B1 New Brunswick Theological Seminary
Memorial
by Samuel Bak
The story in the film engaged psychological love story about a shy young man who is in love with an older woman who lives in the building opposite his house. Windows and glass seem to be the several symbols that use to represent the barriers between two persons. An older woman’s inner guilt at how she treated the young man is represented by a scene where she spills milk on the table. An older woman who has been sleeping with another man explains that she believes it is possible to love two persons. As she begins to describe what each man provides her, she pauses, reflects, and then shifts from self-justification to self-accusation. It gives us a lesson that It is not right "to wish for everything; that's pride." Loneliness is a dreadful disease that these two persons to do strange things in their search for connection with others. Some reach out in perverse ways, the only way they can. Others engage in promiscuous sex. Both of these approaches are examined in consideration of the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery."
ReplyDeleteProverbs 4:1-27 addresses to the multiple children. As it was written by Solomon, it appears to be constitute David's instructions to him. Wisdom is exalted here as the principal thing to pursue, keep faith with, love, exalt and embrace. David seemed to be telling Solomon to, in a figurative sense, marry wisdom. And David's instruction was heeded initially. When presented with a choice of blessings from God, Solomon asked for wisdom and God was extremely pleased. Sadly, Solomon's later marriages to foreign women, who led him away from God, was a betrayal of his figurative marriage to wisdom. This chapter emphasis on the "path" or "way" one chooses to go. To get to the right destination, one must stay exactly on the only path that leads there. Verse 18 is especially significant and inspiring. This tells us to keep all these principles firmly in mind and to watch where we're going so as to stay on the right path.
-The 5th Commandment group-
(Q & Danille)
ReplyDeleteThe film last week gave us a wakeup call on the impact of stalking someone. Imagine having someone peeping at you from a distance and all along that person is so close by who simply is the other because they are invisible in your life. The young man in film fantasized over his neighbor who was an attractive older woman. The young man was head over hills for her and by the end of the movie she was head over hills over him. The message in this film is loud and clear, thou shall not commit adultery. The young man obsession eventually led to his meltdown once his fantasy was fulfilled. The young man tried to take his life at the end of film, because he pretty much had nothing left in the tank emotionally to continue. He wouldn’t return her calls, and was very low key when they last met her before the film ended. Lurkey spirits are not safe, because based on the film they are self destructive.
Proverbs 4:1-27 Speaks volume. We looked at this scripture from an Experience theology angle. Experience theology from any particular context can be the best teacher life can give. It has art, laughter, joy, right turns, maybe turns, and no turns. This scripture has anointed instructions that is lights to any non or believer path way.
When reading Proverbs 4, there were images flashing through my mind from the film. The most distinct one would be the interaction with the man in the white coat outdoors.
ReplyDeleteYou might recall the first interaction when he stumbled and turned to apologize to the man...now read Proverbs 4.12 and 19 "When you walk, your step will not be hampered; and if you run, you will not stumble...The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what they stumble over." The young man, who knew what was happening was excited and happy. However, if we look at the man as one who is wise, and on the path of living wisely (he was the only one dressed fully in light colors and in the daylight - the woman, even when dressed in light colors was very much in the dark/night) - that is when the young man stumbled, he was on a different path, and his walking, his footsteps showed evidence of this.
"Wisdom...do not forsake her, and she will keep you love her and she will guard you" Speaking to the text within a literal world of metaphors--Wisdom as the ultimate.--her. Can the leap be made. Did this young ideal man hope this woman was his "Wisdom" goddess? This young idealistic man was searching for her--the woman he thought would bring all of the wisdom of adoring love and completeness into his life. He hoped he had found wisdom through the lens of his telescope and when she was not Wisdom--this deified goddess, but a jaded, broken sexualized independant women who fell short of his idealization of love, his world imploded. Does this speak to finding wisdom in our life? Not the imatator of truth but the Truth that is only found in Wisdom.
ReplyDeleteAs Proverbs tells us to embrace wisdom for she is good. In every way that wisdom should be embraced, the woman in the film had embraced "adultery." In the way that the proverbs tells us where wisdom will lead, the woman in the film shows us where "adultery" leads us.
ReplyDeleteAdultery Group
professor, I believe I did it again, not placing the names on my comments (lot on my mind). Anyway, the comments sennt today October 4th Ken / Carla
ReplyDeleteAdultery of course comes while Magda is having sexual encounters with variuos men. Adutlery by definition is when one who is committed and joined together in marriage decides to have sexual relations outside of that marriage. however, Lust can be seen as a form of adultery even if the act has not taken place. Jesus in the sermon on the mount equates the act of lusting to adultrey when he stated:"But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:27). It is therefore the conclusion that both Magda and Tomek committed this act.
Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery reflected in the film showed how tainted love can become. Adultery is a relationship of passion and at times little wisdom. The passion can consume and in the young man's case almost destroy a life.Proverbs 4 speaks of two ways of life and calls us to forgo the way of evil which is " the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom" which is the path both the young man and the woman found themselves in the end. The young man's idea of love became corrupt and dangerous and the woman's concept of love made her vulnerable and alone.
ReplyDeleteDays later as my thoughts reflected on the film, I see it as carry a wide range of emotions, and human interactions. The young man believed that since in loved, or desired the woman, that he had a right to be a peeping Tom in her life. But, it was a wrongful act, which lead to him stealing a more expensive piece of equipment in order to do what gave him pleasure. Initially, one may question the woman's behavior and morals, but I question whether or not a man would have be held to the same standard of morality. She was still a attractive woman, I question why was she sneaking in the late hours with men that were not her husband? What had transpire in her life that would cause this type of behavior?
ReplyDeleteAt one honest moment she shared with the young man, that she really loved one of the men, who was single, and she believed that he never contacted her, but what really happen is the the y.man stole the letter, and kept them from her. It was not that innocent.By stealing her letters, did he block her opportunity at real love? Next, the friend's mother that he lived with, blocked her from seeing him at the hospital, (when she wanted to tell him how she really felt) because she was afraid of being alone. So, the friend's mother got up daily to deliver the milk for him, as a means of blocking. Overall, The youngman decided that he no longer wanted her, when he actually got close enough to she the real woman, he got close enough to look into her face, and decided that he did not like what he saw. Appartently, it was easier for him to believing in fantasy, and not the real thing.
The young man is the film thinks that the older more experienced women has wisdom. As he watches her with other men, he thinks that she must know what love truly is and means. The young man hopes that grasp and experience wisdom by loving and being with the older woman. However, he finds as stated in Proverbs 4 that what appears to be wisdom is not always the truth. He is forsaken by what he thinks is wisdom. However, he later gains wisdom and the older woman learns about love.
ReplyDelete