What Would You Do With Seven Pounds

Apparently, the blogosphere is full of Christmas musings today, and I find that strangely appropriate. I never put much stock in holidays, including Christmas, so whenever I bump into a celebration, it's always sort of unexpected. I love that Christmas enables my family to be relatively (pun intended) together for a couple of weeks, but I can do without the presents and elaborate dinners. I do love the church services, though.

I don't know why I feel that way about Christmas. I'm never filled with this overwhelming love or mercy that others seem to acquire, nor am I especially cynical or overly stressed. I guess I wish Christmas could just be.

But it's been a good holiday thus far. I've visited with all the people I wanted to, watched all the Christmas specials I love, and eaten tons of sugar-coated and salt-covered snacks. Oh, and I learned to make homemade mocha that's almost as good as the stuff the lady at school concocts.

Let me go a little pop culture and tell you about Will Smith's latest Seven Pounds. I can't really say much without spoiling the movie, though. The narrative structure of the film is slightly disrupted, think Momento or Pulp Fiction, so part of the fun is trying to figure out what's going on. Still, the movie is still really cool, save a rather misplaced love scene that involves Smith's Ben Thomas and Rosario Dawson's Emily Posa, who is on the verge of heart failure, and probably shouldn't be engaging in any sort of strenuous activities.

Without giving too much away, I'll just point out that although the film's ending is expected, Ben's journey is captivating, and maybe a bit inspirational. That journey highlights the struggle one makes in deciding to be a sacrifice for others, literally and figuratively. Of course, that reminds me of Christ and His ultimate sacrifice, which ironically makes me think of The Dark Knight. If Seven Pounds follows Ben's conflicts leading up to a sacrifice, The Dark Knight hints at the staggering benefits of that sacrifice. At the end of the film, soon to be Commissioner, James Gordon, explains to his son the importance of Batman:

SON: Why's he running, Dad?
GORDON: Because we have to chase him
SON: He didn't do anything wrong.
GORDON: ...So we'll hunt him because he can take it.

It's really to read the crucifiction story into many superhero tales, and I think this Batman one is oddly appropriate. Christ didn't do anything, wrong, but He took on all the punishment for all the crap we churn up here on earth. It's comforting to know that we're taken care of, no matter what. And that is what Christmas is all about. Well, that food, and Red Ryder BB guns.