Passion

Passion -- what does passion to you mean? fireworks or romantic vibes you get when you see another ? or passion, love for something, an object that you do, you see? i guess, more accurately, and generically, "strength of feeling". fits like a glove doesn't it.

Did you know that before the 16th century, passion meant suffering ??? In Latin, "Pati".. it was from the past participle stem "pass-" it was coined in post-classical times, the noun, passio. It was only after the 16th century, that the meaning of passion transferred from "Pain" to "sexual attraction", "anger"... and whatever we term it in this 21st century.

After a word search into the word Passion from the movie Passion of Christ, do i understand why the title went hand-in-hand with the movie, which depicted the last 12 hours of Jesus of Nazareth. The controversies behind this movie, even, the controversies amidst the historians over the death of Jesus. Did you know that for centuries, historians recorded down his death, but have lacked in putting the reasons and justifications of his death penalty?

The movie depiction on the last 12 hours has indeed set me in a pensive mood - no, not cz of all the gory and bloody scenes that everyone's been talking about. i guess, i wanted to look beyond that - i feel that Passion is more then just a gory movie. . . and no, i'm not about to preach... somehow, it just got me thinking.

Number one -
note, have you ever seen a more cruel race then the romans. i was reading a couple books that used the WWII in asia as a backdrop. Came across to me that the Japos are 1st class sadists. Can't really imagine the tortures that they could come up with. However, these, they torture are people, whom they think are enemies... a threat to their nation. a threat to their conquests, to their advancement in territorial victories, their success in building a larger, stronger empire. After watching the Passion, the Romans have struck me as an even more sadistic, and cruel people. Given the fact, that Jesus was not a threat in any way to them, but yet, they were delighted to see him bleed, to see him being tortured.

Number two -
recorded in history, there was such a man who suffered, and hung on a cross for a crime that none knew. i was sitting there for a slight over 2 hours - watching him being dragged around, pushed around, whipped, scruged, and lastly hanged. i couldn't bear that 2 hours of sitting there, watching someone being tortured. imagine how one feels being tortured for a full 12 hours. . . think abt that. if you think the life of jesus is one that is a myth, something that christians tell to get "non-believers" to go church, so that they may go heaven, raise up hands and sing - well, then good for you. If you do believe, imagine the agony of 1 man who has to take this physical torture, more then the agony you are going through while sitting in the comfort of a nice airconditioned theatre watching someone being tortured. hmmm.... My point - its tough to see one person being tortured for two hours - but hey, what about that full 12 hours he needs to go through?

its beyond blood and gore - this movie is more then that really. that bloody face which is straight thrown on the screen in-your-face type... well - just know that capital punishment isn't always a pretty sight my friend. ;)