The World of Grandpa Don

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Review ...
A sci-fi hallmark (and wry commentary on the political climate of the 1950s), The Day the Earth Stood Still is less concerned with special effects than with its potent message. A humanoid messenger (Michael Rennie) from another world lands in Washington, D.C., with a warning to Earth's people to cease their violent behavior. But panic erupts when Rennie is shot by a nervous soldier and his robot companion, Gort, begins to destroy the capital.

When I saw this movie many years ago, It was, for me, a fascinating sci-fi flick and that was all. The recently released DVD release brought out some points that escaped me in my less mature days. It is not just the story of a visitor from another planet in a galaxy far away. He comes to warn us that we must cease our violent ways, nation fighting nations, people fighting people, violence of all kinds.

The relates that the inhabitance of these far away societies had been watching us and perceive that we are on the verge of  attaining the ability of space travel. Their message is that our violent practices will not be tolerated. They have devised a fool proof method of policing the universe. They have created indestructible robots with overwhelming power to destroy on an enormous scale. When the robots detect violence of any sort, they immediately destroy the aggressor! As a result, every one is peaceful, or dead. 

The "bonus" material of the DVD points out that the author of the story is writing to the situation in our world in the 1950's. He is, in fact, advocating that the United Nations be equipped with an independent army having the mandate to strike down all aggression by anyone in the world. It would be a powerful police force for maintaining peace by force. That of course never happened because to create such a force would impinge on the sovereign rights of nations. 

However, in recent years, we have moved toward this concept in several instances starting with the UN police action of the Korean war, (still not resolved) to the independent US action in Iraq. It has been deemed necessary in order to answer the aggressive actions of nations and individuals. To many, including myself, this action has become justified as a short term solution due to the inability to deal with the situation in any other way. Some aggressors, in their fanaticism, only respond to force. The problem is that it doesn't seem to work as it has been applied. We temper our force with kindness, not willing to totally destroy the aggressive nation and so this solution is not successful. 

Does this mean that we must inevitably resort to the peace maintained by an overwhelming force and total destruction? Some would point to God's destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as the justification for such a force. If they don't shape up. destroy them!

I can't believe that. It is not God's way. If it was, He would not have endowed us with free will. But, you say, free will applies to individuals, not nations. OK, but what is a nation, but a group of people. Every organization, whether it be a nation, corporation,  church, community, or club is a group of people. The way to change the actions of any of them is to change the actions and attitudes of the individuals who comprise them. 

You an I may not be able to directly influence the actions of a nation or any any such group. We can change ourselves. In doing so, we can influence those in whom we come in contact. We can act peacefully and with kindness and consideration of those whom we are in contact. As more of us live this way, more will be influenced to do so, not by preaching and certainly not by force, but through the example of our actions and the witness of the inner peace it brings to us.

I think it is quite possible that this is the plan of God in creation. When the hearts of all humanity are turned to love and peace, the Kingdom of God will be here. It will take longer than destruction by force but short term solutions tend to be just that, not lasting. We must change our hearts, ... our motives, not just our actions.

Always be more kind than you need to be. ... and change the world.

Also see "Sodom and Gomorrah".

Don Plefka
11/11/03