When you can live forever what do you live for?
by SusanI’ve enjoyed the Twilight vampire saga by Stephenie Meyer. The content is so rich with yummy angst that there’s plenty to talk about: desire, temptation, friendship, manipulation, suicide…. But the topic that keeps spinning in my head is the movie’s tagline: When you can live forever, what do you live for?
The promise of eternal life is something many Christians long for and sing about. But in looking forward to a new tomorrow, they often overlook the power they possess to deal with a very ugly today.
The Twilight story roots characters in the present world while illustrating the difficulties of living forever. The Cullen vampires are incredibly healthy (immortal), wealthy (years playing the stock market), wise (endless school and travel), and gorgeous. They are billed as heroes because unlike most vampires, they have chosen to eschew human blood. They hunt less tasty animals instead. Clearly, it’s a noble struggle on behalf of humanity, but is restraint enough of a cause? When you can live forever, what do you live for?
Only one of the Cullen family answers to a higher calling. Carlisle is a doctor who derives great satisfaction from treating humans although it took a lot of passion to sustain a career that constantly appeals to his appetite. The rest of the Cullens, however, could rightly be called “bloodsuckers,” since they live in society but don’t give back to it.
With their talents, they could do so much good in the world, or even in their own school. Instead, we find them cloistered together around a small cafeteria table, talking only to each other, wasting their resources on the frivolous pursuits of fast cars and perfect clothes. Utterly bored to death, but unable to die.
Followers of Jesus are called to so much more than living for tomorrow. What do Christians live for today? What did Jesus live for?
Tags: boredom, eternity, goal, purpose, Stephenie Meyer, Twilight, vampire
December 7th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
“The promise of eternal life is something many Christians long for and sing about. But in looking forward to a new tomorrow, they often overlook the power they possess to deal with a very ugly today.”
Excellent! Although the storyline tends to suggest it, the Cullen’s practice of restraint does not make them heroes. I practice restraint every single day: in what I eat, in how I speak / what I say, in the amount of time I spend on Facebook (barely), etc. In some cases, I am compelled to do or say things that might be hurtful to others, just as the Cullens are compelled to attack people and drink human blood (ewwww). My practice of restraint, like there, is a GOOD thing, but it’s a far cry from doing GOOD. I love Carlisle, and I think the rest of the world can take a hint from him. Carlisle goes beyond restraint, he breaks into ACTION.
December 8th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
The restraint reason is mostly an excuse. If you know that you can’t control yourself in a certain situation, then the thing to do is to avoid that situation and find something else that’s helpful to do. The Cullens’ problems may be more extreme than most people’s, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways and ways around them.
February 13th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Hey did you know that these vampires are fictional characters that aren’t really wasting their talents sitting at a school lunch table?
Please people. I’m a Christian too, but this is a STORY!
February 28th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Here’s an excellent discussion of Twilight, where some of the Mormon thoughts and practices are shown to have had an impact:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/februaryweb-only/17.51.0.html