So you seek revenge?
This weekend, I saw the remake of the Western classic, The Magnificent Seven. I won’t bore you with the details of the movie. You can find them all over the internet.
In a nutshell, The Magnificent Seven is a story of the good versus the evil, and those who live in-between. Denzel Washington’s character, Sam Chisolm lives in-between. He’s hired by a widow seeking justice – Emma Cullen (played by Haley Bennett).
The movie is a contrast of those all searching for different things. This comes to the forefront when Emma hires Chisolm. She relays to him her problem (more than personal – it was an entire town in need), to which Chisolm responds, “So you seek revenge.”
Emma’s response stopped the movie for me.
I seek righteousness…but I’ll take revenge.
What do you seek?
All of us are seeking something. We are looking for pleasure or satisfaction. We are searching for comfort or hope. We are waiting for love or wealth. You are on a quest. Do you know what you are looking for?
Sometimes the thing we are after looks so much like the right thing, but it’s completely wrong. Other times our quest is for a good thing, and it might look absolutely bad. Righteousness and revenge are almost mirror images in this movie, but they end up being completely different.
What are you seeing? Is what you are seeking what you really need?
**Minor Spoiler Alert**
At the end of The Magnificent Seven, we see it’s Chisolm who is seeking revenge. We also see how revenge nearly kills him. It’s righteousness, which looks so much like revenge, that saves him.
What are you seeking? Is it what you really need?
Word of the Year
I’ve found over the last 5 years, the Word of the Year project helps me clarify this question. This year my word is BOLD. Throughout the year, I have found that BOLD means beyond what I ever pictured in my mind in January. It’s the same thing each year I do this project.
Seeking one thing for an entire year challenges my motivations, goals and preconceived ideas. It helps me understand what I really need.
What are you seeking? Is it what you really need?
Leave a Reply