"'e used sarcasm, dramatic irony, metaphor, satire, pathos, puns -- 'e knew all the tricks!"
So goes a line from my favorite Monty Python skit of all time: "The Piranha Brothers." I couldn't help but think of it when seeing the title of McManus' latest entry: Pathos.
pa-thos \ 'pa-,thas, -,thos, n [Gk, suffering, experience, emotion, fr. pashein (aor. pathein) to experience, suffer; perh. akin to Lith kesti to suffer] 1: an element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion 2: an emotion of sympathetic pity.
(from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary)
Interesting choice of words. The entry is centered around Star Wars. Many surmise that the successful stories and movie series is fixated around George Lucas' Hindu worldview. In the prequels, Anakin must choose between the Jedi way (which is void of passion) and the way of the Sith (which is ruled by passion). He has fallen in love with Queen Amidala, so his dilemma is great. He goes the way of the Sith and becomes the infamous Darth Vader.
On one side is a life void of passion, a life of detachment. The other is unbridled passions that recklessly lead to ruin.
"...unrestrained passions, passions lacking a moral compass, will lead us to a life that is self-destructive and will hurt anyone who chooses to come near to us."
That sounds so true in the story of Darth Vader's life, doesn't it?
"Jesus gives us another way," McManus states. "Let him change you at your core, then let your passions fuel your life." Notice the use of the verb "fuels" instead of "rules?" Big difference, huh?
"Spirituality and desire are not in conflict from the perspective of Jesus. In fact, he teaches that a genuine spirituality results in the passionate pursuit of life."