All For One & One For All

Was watching the show "The Man In The Iron Mask" only recently, a story I have always been fascinated with since I was a primary schoolkid. The legend forever linked with the tales of the Three Musketeers, the exploits of Athos, Portos and Aramis, and the swashbuckling heroics of D'Artagnan... man, those were the days when I still believe in knights and honor.

Yet this is one heck of a show, since I thought Leonardo Di Caprio actually showed that he could actually act... and still Jeremy Irons was brilliant as D'Artagnan. The music was by WG Snuffy Walden, one of my fav composers, who also happens to be responsible for the theme song from The West Wing. All in all, the show has always been a favorite of mine, predictably because of its bittersweet ending which I so love.

All for one and one for all. Rather like the same motto as what we saw in Black Hawk Down, when the pet phrase was "leave no one behind". The same idea that they live and die together, and for each other. And as I was watching it for at least the tenth time now, the last scene where the 4 heroes decided that they shall all die together as they charged the king's musketeers, and something abt the scene never fails to capture me.

I don't think I've come anywhere close to seeing the kind of spirit in my tuanqi before. I mean, the bible exhorts all of us that we're all one body made up of many parts. One for all and all for one, right? Sadly, no. Conflicts aside... even within a fellowship at peace with each other, things just become too peaceful, that no one seems to be alive or awake. I've never had the opportunity (mebbe being totally insensitive, I missed it) to do something for someone in my tuanqi that required me to have that will-be-willing-to-pay-any-price attitude. No one seems to have such a need, no one seems to believe in asking for it.

So what's missing? One question the Youth Min leadership has been asking non-stop for so long is "why the lethargy?" I mean, I'm not even talking abt churches with the bulk of well-meaning christians who are willing to offer the bare minimum in service... where the problem is in getting someone out of that huge pile to commit more. In my church's case, its even difficult getting someone to do ushering. Inevitably the ushers are late for service themselves. And I ask myself - if they can't even do something as low-commitment as that, what hope is there to find people who are willing to stand up to be counted?

"Greater love hath no man than this, that he would lay down his life for a friend."

I guess if we ever want to live out the practical reality of heaven, and to bring the kingdom of heaven into our midst, we really shd learn to start loving one another. A little more of that all-for-one mumbo-jumbo will prob go a long way to establishing the kingdom of heaven on earth.

... ... thus ends my break from studying. Hehz....