the struggle continues on the screen and in the human soul...

The struggle between good and evil, coming to a world near yours... My mind has been reeling all day thinking about good vs. evil, both in and outside the context of the film. By the film I of course mean the imminent release of "Star Wars Episode III". Some of the things I've heard about the movie have me contemplating the evergoing battle between good and evil that is present in religion, pop culture, and anywhere else you might care to look.

It's surprising that I find this movie interesting me quite a bit when the last two were simply terrible. Though I of course would see the movie anyway for the audio/visual Star Wars bonanza that it will be, I must admit it's the subtler themes attracting me to this one. I hope they do deliver.

The idea of good and evil is one we are fascinated by in our pop culture. However, it really is a totally arbitrary thing to label one good and another bad. It's all a matter of motivation and perspective. Speaking in terms of the movie, it had never occurred to me that a young Darth Vader didn't know he was inherenty "bad". I always assumed he was consciously heading toward evil. The idea that the lines got blurred for him as a young "jedi" so that he couldn't tell the difference fascinates me.

Both as a movie viewer and human being this point can't get enough attention because of its application in everyday life. Interestingly enough, Lucas may have spun this out there with political motives, but of course once it's out the door it's mine to interpret as I please. Whether I'm interested in his politics or not the idea is completely apolitical.


I'm struggling to bring this out of the context of the movie and get accross what I'm trying to say, yet the part that interests me is the "blurring of the lines" between good and evil. It makes me wonder where the lines are blurred so that I can't see clearly anymore in my own life and in our world.

I guess the whole idea of good and bad is based on some sort of moral/ethical code stemming from religion, laws, or other sources. Given the number of laws, religions, and other basises for thought out there, it's understandable why it be so difficult to tell what is good or evil. Labelling something good or bad is virtually impossible since it can be the total opposite for someone else and all the while everyone involved could thing they were on the "good" side. However, I could write a book on that topic and I'm already rambling enough. The point here as a friend of mine mentioned to me today is more that every man has shades of good and evil in them. We inherently have it, which is one of the things that makes this theme so attractive for us to read about, view, and think about. The question I wonder is can we see the difference within ourselves or are we blinded by other factors from making a sound call on that? I also wonder where the lines are blurred that I haven't noticed. Am I unknowingly sliding in one direction or another, and if I were, would I know?

I wish I could articulate this better, but hopefully I'll improve as my blogging continues...and the beat goes on...