X-Men: The Last Stand
A couple of weeks ago Norm and I saw this movie and we both enjoyed it. It was hilarious to see Kelsey Grammer, a.k.a. Frasier Crane, as a gigantic blue Smurf! If you go see the movie make sure you stay through all the credits. I won’t give away any of the secrets, but I want to expound upon some ideas that have come to mind from this movie’s story.
If you’re not familiar with the story line, the X-Men are people who have some sort of genetic mutation that makes them superhuman in many cases. Sometimes their mutation is invisible to others such as the ability to read minds or have super strength. For others the mutation is quite visible, such as blue skin and hair or wings. Those people with the mutation that creates a special ability such as invisibility or the ability to supersede the laws of gravity and time and space as we know it become a “danger” to society, at least to the minds of many in society who fear them.
Some of the mutants band together and create a special school and society in which they use their abilities for good so that they are able to assure society and the government in particular that they are not a danger. Others use their abilities for evil and for their own gain and wreak havoc wherever they go. Still other mutants decide that they want nothing to do with either group and hide out or blend in with society and keep their special abilities a secret. Unfortunately with some of the mutants their genetic mutation causes them to hurt others, although not intentionally, and thus they withdraw from society.
The first two X-Men movies dealt with their coming together as a group and then defending themselves as people who wanted to just be part of society and not feared by others. This newest movie brings into the story a cure that will get rid of the genetic mutation and make the mutants normal again.
For me what is intriguing about this story is the idea that those who are different somehow are shunned or feared by those who are “normal.” As a person with a lifelong physical disability I can somewhat relate to this experience. I am blessed that I live in a society who accepts me and creates opportunities for me to live as normal a life as possible. However, there are times when being different creates barriers for me to fully participate or to be fully accepted.
Now I don’t want you to think that I consider myself a genetic mutant. It is true that my disability is caused by a genetic defect, but I am not a mutant, at least not in the sense of the X-Men because I don’t have any special abilities or superhuman strength. Oh, but wouldn’t it be nice if I did!
There are those who think a genetic defect is a mutation that must be gotten rid of. Our great scientific technology has allowed the origin of many genetic defects to be discovered. Unfortunately, this has not led to a cure but rather it has led to the destruction of babies in the womb because they carry a genetic defect. It sickens me to know that the scientific advancements that enable doctors to know exactly what gene defect in the human DNA causes spinal muscular atrophy, the condition I have, enables the destruction of babies in the womb who are determined to have that defect. Down’s syndrome is another one of those genetic defects that can be determined in the womb and many babies in the womb are destroyed because they have this mutation. Instead of finding a cure for a genetic defect, scientific advancement is an excuse to extinguish precious lives.
Am I someone who is in need of a cure? Certainly I have physical problems that I would love to see disappear from my life. Those who know and love me except me as I am, and for that I am eternally grateful. I have character flaws that need to be cured and I have a spiritual need for healing, as we all do. God offers a cure to my spiritual needs and I accept his cure. His cure is one that is instantaneous in the moment I receive it and also one that will be a lifelong journey.
How about you? Are you someone who needs a cure?