I'm not one for emotions, or at least I wasn't. As I wrote in my previous entry, I've begun weeping at the strangest moments, and I add the film 127 Hours to that list. Yeah yeah, most girls cry during movies about weddings or tragic love losses, but tears don't usually fall during tales of epic survival. But alas, they did... both times I watched it.
James Franco portrays Aron Ralston, a man that thrived off of independent adventure. He was the type of guy who found great satisfaction out of getting himself into the craziest of situations and getting himself out of these crazy situations without interacting with a single other person. The thrill of self-success drove him, and consequently, nearly cost him his life.
When Aron left home early that morning, he hadn't told anyone where he was going. And why would he? He was able to successfully smooth over any bumps in the road that previously shown themselves. It's so easy to get a high from independent success; the triumph leaves you hungry to test the limits of one's abilities, much like the kid who likes to see how far he can push his parents' rules before getting put in time out. I know; I'm guilty of it far too often, but I'm learning that that high cannot and will not satisfy.
God created each person with unique capabilities, but no one can do everything. This is why community is so crucial. Just as God created us with these unique capabilities, he didn't give us everything so that we would have to rely on other people...to rely on God. Sure, we've all heard this sermon before, but there are far too many of us who are still addicted to self-achievement. We rise and we rise to a point where we think the peak of the dream is. The view from the top shows the building blocks of accomplishment, and for a while the feeling is incredible. But then it gets quiet, and eventually you'll find yourself alone and quite possibly, stuck between a rock and a hard place.*
In the solitary moments Aron spent trapped in the cave, he flashes back on all the moments he denied community's invitation. He revisits each moment that could have prevented him from being trapped there in the first place and he begins to feel incredibly sorry. If only he had returned his mother's phone call. If only he had let his friend at the surplus/map store in on his adventure. If only he had continued hiking with the girls he met right before his near fatal jump.
Aron may have had the survival skills and determination (and undoubtedly God's miraculous hand) to free himself from the rock, but he was still stranded in the canyon. Cutting his arm off was not the end of story, there was still another journey to take, and this one he could not do alone.
Emerging from the cave, it was obvious that Aron was not going to make it very far if he did not get immediate assistance. Dehydrated and delirious, Aron was able to spot a family walking a fairly short distance in front of him. If Aron wanted to survive, he was going to have to call out and ask for help. He could not rely on himself.
And this is the moment I cried. As I watched Aron cry out for help, tears streamed down my face. It was a moment so incredibly humbling; one that finally embraced community and the strengths of others.
I can't get over this beautiful moment and it is something I want and need to remember. I'm not shunning independence, that too is a beautiful gift. But we must find the balance between independence and community. I pray that we would learn to embrace who God created us to be individually, embrace the unique qualities and abilities of those around us, and how we are meant to live in community with one another so that then we can fully rejoice in the beauty of life.
*Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place is a novel written by Aron Ralston.
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