I saw American Sniper recently. Two things come to my mind when I think about that movie: 1. Every American should see it, sooner or later, regardless of ones views about war or ones political beliefs. Its moving and gritty -- its moving because its gritty. Whatever criticisms might be leveled by those smarter than me, it certainly does not in any way try to sugarcoat the reality of war. It might help Americans, including American government officials, to think long and hard before sending our men and women to foreign hostile lands and shackling them with all kinds of restrictions, as if theyre police officers conducting ordinary criminal investigations on American soil. Further, I recommend that one not see it alone. Youll likely find yourself wanting to hold hands with another throughout the movie. I did. And I was so happy Dawn Shields was there to offer a hand for me to hold. 2. I think there is a deeply sown desire in the human psyche to either hate or worship anyone (or anything) that receives any kind of public attention. We are quick to engage in either hagiography or demonization. But this is a mistake. The vast majority of people, perhaps all of them, whether into the public eye or not, are not gods, goddesses, angels or saints. Nor are they devils, demons, monsters, or others agents of pure evil. They are human beings. As such, each and every one does some good things, and some bad. The only real difference among human beings is how often a person does good, or the scale of the good they do, as well as how often they do bad and the scale of their bad actions. And everyone *thinks* both good and bad thoughts, its just that some are more willing to admit it than others. Such is the case, it appears, regarding Chris Kyle. He did some good things in the service of his country, protecting the brave people with whom he served from lethal threats in an incredibly difficult, morally foggy, stressful environment. This is the part of his life highlighted in the movie, American Sniper. Does this make him an angel? No. Likely, there were parts of his life where he failed morally. Perhaps there were choices he made that he would change if he could, or make right if he was still breathing. But we shall never know. Those opportunities to continue improving himself were robbed from him when he was still a relatively young man. Still, in this particular way -- doing right some of the time, tripping up and making wrong choices other times -- Chris Kyle is like us: human-all-too-human. Lets remember that as we continue to talk about him, his life, his work, and what it all means. We all fail. And we all should have an opportunity to become better, one way or another.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 15:59:38 +0000
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