Monday, June 30, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Constant
Hi All,
here is a piece published in the June edition of Outflow, the Jesus House monthly magazine. It was written before the end of the fourth series of Lost, so while some of the questions posed have now been answered, I think the the message remains constant! (no pun intended! ;-) ) Enjoy!
The Constant is the title of one of my favourite episodes of the hit television series Lost. If you’re not familiar with the show, it charts the experiences of the Passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 who crash land on a mysterious island. Since the dramatic plane crash in the pilot episode, viewers have been subjected to four agonising seasons of the survivors desperately trying to get off the island, little knowing that the outside world thinks they’ve all perished in the ill-fated crash. Only a fraction of the show’s initial record-breaking viewership remains now, but after three and a half seasons, it seems there are glimpses of hope for the faithful who remain, as the light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to flicker for the lost passengers trying to escape the island.
For three seasons, the show contained flashbacks – in each episode these flashbacks would focus on a different character, giving viewers an insight into who these characters were and how they wound up on the ill-fated flight that got them to the island. In the current season, “flash-forwards”, instead of flashbacks are used to give an insight into what happens to them after they finally get off the island, implicitly indicating that they do eventually leave the island - well, some of them anyway. This has given viewers renewed hoped that four years of sticking with the show have not been in vain! The format for the episode in question has an extra-special twist, incorporating a concept from the sci-fi genre that would perhaps be more at home in a Star Trek or Dr Who episode – time travel.
In The Constant, the spotlight is on Desmond Hume, a Scotsman who wasn’t on Oceanic Flight 815, but shipwrecked on the island years earlier while trying to sail around the world in a pointless and futile attempt to prove himself to the love of his life, Penny and her father. Now a mysterious freighter ship has appeared just off the island, and while they are shuttling from the island to the freighter on a helicopter with one of their would-be rescuers, they encounter a storm. Temporal side-effects from the storm leave Desmond’s consciousness shuttling between 1996, where he is serving in the British army, and 2004, present day in the Lost series. A side effect of his time travelling is amnesia, or more precisely, he has no memories beyond 1996, which means that he doesn’t recognise anyone in 2004 nor does he remember how he got to the island!
Desmond’s condition is familiar to Daniel Faraday, a physicist on the island who appears to have studied the phenomenon. Faraday explains to Desmond that he must find a constant in the two eras, something familiar in both times to cure himself of the time jumps, which are beginning to occur with increased frequency and will eventually cause a brain aneurism that will lead to his death if not dealt with. He must find something or someone dear to him in both time zones that can anchor him, that he can use a reference point. He decides that his ‘constant’ is going to be Penny and now he is in a race against time to contact her in 2004, in order to save his own life. This may prove near impossible, considering that in the 1996 timeline, he has just broken up with her and she has moved house and changed phone numbers to make a clean break. A dramatic scene ensues, where he asks an angry and reluctant Penny for her new phone number, promises not to call her for another eight years and begs her to pick up the phone on Christmas Eve of 2004, the date that he is due to make the call that will save his life!
The concept of The Constant reminds me of our passage through life. Sometimes life can be confusing and lacking in meaning. It is difficult for most people to live a meaningful and fulfilled life without knowing their purpose or reason for living. Even though as Christians we ought to know the reason we are here on earth, we sometimes need a constant reminder of the facts, otherwise, rather like Desmond, we run the risk of our world being turned upside down completely when we encounter the storms of life. Our relationship with God should be our Constant, and we ought to be continuously anchored in His word, the Bible, lest we forget our purpose, abandon our callings and are found wanting when the big tests in life come. The confusion that engulfs Desmond’s life when he is trying to find his constant is rather like the confusion that can set in, either gradually or suddenly when we take our walk with God for granted. The trials of life can sometimes force our hands, causing us to exhibit tendencies and traits that we were unaware existed within us, leading to identity crises, and in the extreme, a fight for our very lives – our spiritual lives (Ephesians 6:12 tells us the we wrestle not against flesh and blood!).
But The Constant is also a love story. In a dramatic final scene, Desmond makes the call that will save his life in 2004 and Penny answers the phone. It’s the first time they’ve spoken in years and Penny reveals she’s been searching for him for the three years that he’s been missing. They profess their undying love to each other several times and she promises to never stop trying to find him (the exact location of the island is a mystery to the outside world – in fact she’s one of a handful of people who even know it exists!). And this is what makes this closing scene so dramatic, that despite having overcome impossible odds to find each other, they both know that their reunion in person has to be put on hold, and indeed may never happen. Will she find the island? Will Desmond make it off the island or freighter alive? Only time will tell, but experience tells me that some love stories, like that of agiant-sized ape and a petite New York City actress, are ill-fated from the get go!
Nevertheless, since we all enjoy happily-ever-afters, let’s hope that things work out for Desmond and Penny. After all, for two people who’ve endured a terrible break-up to hold on to their love for more than eight years is nothing short of amazing – one could argue that it is taking love to Biblical proportions! Jacob working for seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage and another seven years when he finds out he was given Leah instead springs to mind. Just like the prodigal son, Desmond is welcomed back with open arms and all past transgressions are forgiven. For Penny, the overwhelming joy of finding him again made any prior resentment she harboured against him irrelevant! Likewise, in our walk with Christ we must truly understand that He wipes the slate of our past clean – His love is all encompassing, transcending the boundaries of time and unparalleled when compared with the finite nature of human love! So the pertinent questions that everyone ought to answer for themselves are these – Who or what is your Constant? Is your Constant firm enough for you to feel secure in the knowledge of your past, present and future? Is it strong enough to anchor your identity for all eternity? Like Desmond, to make sense of the present day and where we are headed, we also have to go back to the past, some two thousand years ago to find our Constant. The Constant who is the same yesterday, today and forevermore – Christ who gave His life for us on the Cross of Calvary!
here is a piece published in the June edition of Outflow, the Jesus House monthly magazine. It was written before the end of the fourth series of Lost, so while some of the questions posed have now been answered, I think the the message remains constant! (no pun intended! ;-) ) Enjoy!
The Constant is the title of one of my favourite episodes of the hit television series Lost. If you’re not familiar with the show, it charts the experiences of the Passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 who crash land on a mysterious island. Since the dramatic plane crash in the pilot episode, viewers have been subjected to four agonising seasons of the survivors desperately trying to get off the island, little knowing that the outside world thinks they’ve all perished in the ill-fated crash. Only a fraction of the show’s initial record-breaking viewership remains now, but after three and a half seasons, it seems there are glimpses of hope for the faithful who remain, as the light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to flicker for the lost passengers trying to escape the island.
For three seasons, the show contained flashbacks – in each episode these flashbacks would focus on a different character, giving viewers an insight into who these characters were and how they wound up on the ill-fated flight that got them to the island. In the current season, “flash-forwards”, instead of flashbacks are used to give an insight into what happens to them after they finally get off the island, implicitly indicating that they do eventually leave the island - well, some of them anyway. This has given viewers renewed hoped that four years of sticking with the show have not been in vain! The format for the episode in question has an extra-special twist, incorporating a concept from the sci-fi genre that would perhaps be more at home in a Star Trek or Dr Who episode – time travel.
In The Constant, the spotlight is on Desmond Hume, a Scotsman who wasn’t on Oceanic Flight 815, but shipwrecked on the island years earlier while trying to sail around the world in a pointless and futile attempt to prove himself to the love of his life, Penny and her father. Now a mysterious freighter ship has appeared just off the island, and while they are shuttling from the island to the freighter on a helicopter with one of their would-be rescuers, they encounter a storm. Temporal side-effects from the storm leave Desmond’s consciousness shuttling between 1996, where he is serving in the British army, and 2004, present day in the Lost series. A side effect of his time travelling is amnesia, or more precisely, he has no memories beyond 1996, which means that he doesn’t recognise anyone in 2004 nor does he remember how he got to the island!
Desmond’s condition is familiar to Daniel Faraday, a physicist on the island who appears to have studied the phenomenon. Faraday explains to Desmond that he must find a constant in the two eras, something familiar in both times to cure himself of the time jumps, which are beginning to occur with increased frequency and will eventually cause a brain aneurism that will lead to his death if not dealt with. He must find something or someone dear to him in both time zones that can anchor him, that he can use a reference point. He decides that his ‘constant’ is going to be Penny and now he is in a race against time to contact her in 2004, in order to save his own life. This may prove near impossible, considering that in the 1996 timeline, he has just broken up with her and she has moved house and changed phone numbers to make a clean break. A dramatic scene ensues, where he asks an angry and reluctant Penny for her new phone number, promises not to call her for another eight years and begs her to pick up the phone on Christmas Eve of 2004, the date that he is due to make the call that will save his life!
The concept of The Constant reminds me of our passage through life. Sometimes life can be confusing and lacking in meaning. It is difficult for most people to live a meaningful and fulfilled life without knowing their purpose or reason for living. Even though as Christians we ought to know the reason we are here on earth, we sometimes need a constant reminder of the facts, otherwise, rather like Desmond, we run the risk of our world being turned upside down completely when we encounter the storms of life. Our relationship with God should be our Constant, and we ought to be continuously anchored in His word, the Bible, lest we forget our purpose, abandon our callings and are found wanting when the big tests in life come. The confusion that engulfs Desmond’s life when he is trying to find his constant is rather like the confusion that can set in, either gradually or suddenly when we take our walk with God for granted. The trials of life can sometimes force our hands, causing us to exhibit tendencies and traits that we were unaware existed within us, leading to identity crises, and in the extreme, a fight for our very lives – our spiritual lives (Ephesians 6:12 tells us the we wrestle not against flesh and blood!).
But The Constant is also a love story. In a dramatic final scene, Desmond makes the call that will save his life in 2004 and Penny answers the phone. It’s the first time they’ve spoken in years and Penny reveals she’s been searching for him for the three years that he’s been missing. They profess their undying love to each other several times and she promises to never stop trying to find him (the exact location of the island is a mystery to the outside world – in fact she’s one of a handful of people who even know it exists!). And this is what makes this closing scene so dramatic, that despite having overcome impossible odds to find each other, they both know that their reunion in person has to be put on hold, and indeed may never happen. Will she find the island? Will Desmond make it off the island or freighter alive? Only time will tell, but experience tells me that some love stories, like that of agiant-sized ape and a petite New York City actress, are ill-fated from the get go!
Nevertheless, since we all enjoy happily-ever-afters, let’s hope that things work out for Desmond and Penny. After all, for two people who’ve endured a terrible break-up to hold on to their love for more than eight years is nothing short of amazing – one could argue that it is taking love to Biblical proportions! Jacob working for seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage and another seven years when he finds out he was given Leah instead springs to mind. Just like the prodigal son, Desmond is welcomed back with open arms and all past transgressions are forgiven. For Penny, the overwhelming joy of finding him again made any prior resentment she harboured against him irrelevant! Likewise, in our walk with Christ we must truly understand that He wipes the slate of our past clean – His love is all encompassing, transcending the boundaries of time and unparalleled when compared with the finite nature of human love! So the pertinent questions that everyone ought to answer for themselves are these – Who or what is your Constant? Is your Constant firm enough for you to feel secure in the knowledge of your past, present and future? Is it strong enough to anchor your identity for all eternity? Like Desmond, to make sense of the present day and where we are headed, we also have to go back to the past, some two thousand years ago to find our Constant. The Constant who is the same yesterday, today and forevermore – Christ who gave His life for us on the Cross of Calvary!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Memoirs of a Motor Racer
“When I grow up, I want to be a race car driver”. These were the words I spoke to my bemused father when he asked me what I wanted to do for a living when I was older. I was five years old at the time and he had no reason to take my childish ambition seriously. He probably dismissed my words as quickly as one would dismiss any misguided dream harboured by a child untouched by the harsh realities of life. But that dream was about to become a reality...
After putting on my race suit, I check that my gloves are correctly fitted and then I try my helmet on. I check my gloves again. My palms are sweaty. After a moment of deep meditation, I take a deep breath, stand up with my helmet in left hand and stride purposefully out of the locker room. While it may be my first race ever, I am determined not to let any anxiety get the better of me. I climb into my car for the start of the race. I am third on the starting grid. Yes, I was third fastest in qualifying – not bad for a rookie. The weather had been great, my car was buzzing and I had simply been in one of my “do you feel lucky” moods. The conditions had been perfect; I drove some stunning bends and finished less than half a second behind pole position. The big question on my mind now was whether I could repeat such a flawless performance in the real thing, when the stakes were highest.
I look up and I can see the dark clouds hovering above us. It looks like the skies aren’t going to be so kind today. I am deeply focused as I take my place on the grid. I’ve got the Ferrari in pole position and the McLaren in second in my sights. The break of light showers from the heavens can barely break my perfect concentration as I expectantly wait for the red light to turn green….and there it goes! My car seems to jerk into motion and the BMW, which started fourth on the grid storms past me as we turn into the first bend. The cars in fifth and six are on my shoulders as we emerge from the bend. I try to block their paths but my start hasn’t been quick enough. I let them go past me knowing that if I remain calm and perform like I know I can, I’ll still get my chance later on. No race is determined after one lap. I hold seventh place for about half the lap, but something seems awfully wrong as I feel eighth breathing down my neck. The power and drive seem to have deserted my vehicle – it’s not performing with the zest with which it undertook the qualifying session. My team signals a pit stop after just one lap. Oh no, this is a disastrous start. As I pull into the pits, I begin to contemplate the most disappointing debut in the history of sport, and this after promising so much too. I change karts, and despite the record breaking four-second pit stop, when I leave the pit lane I’m in sixteenth place and it’s only the second lap of the race!
Okay, remain calm, I tell myself. I may have fallen way back and while I now have a mountain to climb, all I need is some inspiration to spark me to unprecedented glory. Think Chariots of Fire, Think Miracle of Damman, Think Cool Runnings....no wait – not Cool Runnings – they didn’t cross the finish line! The new vehicle is absolutely purring and I get into a nice rhythm. It doesn’t take long before I am in the ascendancy; I’m going past my rivals at the rate of about one driver per lap. My car change has paid off handsomely and I’m going faster and faster with each passing lap. I’m overtaking like a man possessed. With twenty laps gone I’m back in eighth place. As I turn into the long stretch of the track I can see seventh in the distance. I have him in my sights but I’m focusing on the road now as it will take me a while to cut his lead down to size...
Ten laps to go. I am now breathing down the neck of seventh place, who is in a fierce battle for position with the two cars ahead of him. He’s barely a second ahead of me. This doesn’t give me much time to react when, turning the sharpest corner on the whole circuit, they become entangled and are involved in a nasty three vehicle collision! My heart skips a beat and as would anyone else’s who is becoming gripped by my enthralling comeback. It looks for a second that it might get cut short prematurely....but then my unscathed vehicle emerges from the dust and the rubble of the multiple car pile-up. My reflexes are too good to be stopped by such accidents. Destiny beckons. I’m back in contention now and before long I am approaching the McLaren and the BMW in second and third places respectively. They’ve been in a bitter battle for second all race long, overtaking each other several times. But all that is about to change. As we approach the sharpest bend on the track once again, the two of them are deadlocked. With laps running out, I will have to take my chance now to stand any chance of catching the Ferrari. There’s no room to pass on the outside or the inside of them – there is barely the width of a car between them but somehow I manage to squeeze through. I feel the strong torrent of wind between them rush across my face and there is barely a whisker separating my kart from theirs on either side of me. As we emerge from the corner, all they can see is my exhaust. Wow! They’ll be talking about that manoeuvre on the news tonight! The final lap. And I’ve finally caught the Ferrari. The momentum is with me but he is still ahead of me, by fractions of a second. He will do well to hold me off. He proves up to the task at every bend and corner. Until now, I have been untroubled by the light drizzles but now it is raining heavily. This doesn’t help overtaking conditions on sharp bends. It seems that the end of the race may have come a lap too soon, but I must keep believing that I can still win. In my mind’s eye, I can see myself beating him at the chequered flag, but in reality, the heavy downpour is blurring my vision. I have one final chance to realise my vision as we enter the final straight. I put my foot flat on the accelerator and I seem certain to zoom past him....but suddenly he swerves in my direction. My reflexes are quick but the conditions are poor. The front of my kart clips his and I go skidding into the gravel and slam straight into the course barriers! I’m too stunned to tell you at what speed exactly I was going when I careered into the barricades. I can tell you that I didn’t cross the finish line. I’m sitting in my kart stuck and with my hands raised up, waiting for the paramedics and rescue services to arrive to cut me out of this mess as quickly as possible. I see a couple of people running towards me but I can’t really make them out. As they arrive, I hear a very familiar voice call out to me, “Son, are you okay?” I look up and as my dizziness from crash clears up I can see my father standing with the course marshal. “Do you want to continue the race or would you like to retire?” I give them a thumbs up and the marshal pushes my kart back onto the track. I take the chequered flag in fourth place. Not bad for my first time go-karting. I narrowly miss out on a podium place, but I live to fight another day. I am twelve years old now and my dream of being a formula one driver is very much alive. After all, even Lewis Hamilton started out racing go karts!
After putting on my race suit, I check that my gloves are correctly fitted and then I try my helmet on. I check my gloves again. My palms are sweaty. After a moment of deep meditation, I take a deep breath, stand up with my helmet in left hand and stride purposefully out of the locker room. While it may be my first race ever, I am determined not to let any anxiety get the better of me. I climb into my car for the start of the race. I am third on the starting grid. Yes, I was third fastest in qualifying – not bad for a rookie. The weather had been great, my car was buzzing and I had simply been in one of my “do you feel lucky” moods. The conditions had been perfect; I drove some stunning bends and finished less than half a second behind pole position. The big question on my mind now was whether I could repeat such a flawless performance in the real thing, when the stakes were highest.
I look up and I can see the dark clouds hovering above us. It looks like the skies aren’t going to be so kind today. I am deeply focused as I take my place on the grid. I’ve got the Ferrari in pole position and the McLaren in second in my sights. The break of light showers from the heavens can barely break my perfect concentration as I expectantly wait for the red light to turn green….and there it goes! My car seems to jerk into motion and the BMW, which started fourth on the grid storms past me as we turn into the first bend. The cars in fifth and six are on my shoulders as we emerge from the bend. I try to block their paths but my start hasn’t been quick enough. I let them go past me knowing that if I remain calm and perform like I know I can, I’ll still get my chance later on. No race is determined after one lap. I hold seventh place for about half the lap, but something seems awfully wrong as I feel eighth breathing down my neck. The power and drive seem to have deserted my vehicle – it’s not performing with the zest with which it undertook the qualifying session. My team signals a pit stop after just one lap. Oh no, this is a disastrous start. As I pull into the pits, I begin to contemplate the most disappointing debut in the history of sport, and this after promising so much too. I change karts, and despite the record breaking four-second pit stop, when I leave the pit lane I’m in sixteenth place and it’s only the second lap of the race!
Okay, remain calm, I tell myself. I may have fallen way back and while I now have a mountain to climb, all I need is some inspiration to spark me to unprecedented glory. Think Chariots of Fire, Think Miracle of Damman, Think Cool Runnings....no wait – not Cool Runnings – they didn’t cross the finish line! The new vehicle is absolutely purring and I get into a nice rhythm. It doesn’t take long before I am in the ascendancy; I’m going past my rivals at the rate of about one driver per lap. My car change has paid off handsomely and I’m going faster and faster with each passing lap. I’m overtaking like a man possessed. With twenty laps gone I’m back in eighth place. As I turn into the long stretch of the track I can see seventh in the distance. I have him in my sights but I’m focusing on the road now as it will take me a while to cut his lead down to size...
Ten laps to go. I am now breathing down the neck of seventh place, who is in a fierce battle for position with the two cars ahead of him. He’s barely a second ahead of me. This doesn’t give me much time to react when, turning the sharpest corner on the whole circuit, they become entangled and are involved in a nasty three vehicle collision! My heart skips a beat and as would anyone else’s who is becoming gripped by my enthralling comeback. It looks for a second that it might get cut short prematurely....but then my unscathed vehicle emerges from the dust and the rubble of the multiple car pile-up. My reflexes are too good to be stopped by such accidents. Destiny beckons. I’m back in contention now and before long I am approaching the McLaren and the BMW in second and third places respectively. They’ve been in a bitter battle for second all race long, overtaking each other several times. But all that is about to change. As we approach the sharpest bend on the track once again, the two of them are deadlocked. With laps running out, I will have to take my chance now to stand any chance of catching the Ferrari. There’s no room to pass on the outside or the inside of them – there is barely the width of a car between them but somehow I manage to squeeze through. I feel the strong torrent of wind between them rush across my face and there is barely a whisker separating my kart from theirs on either side of me. As we emerge from the corner, all they can see is my exhaust. Wow! They’ll be talking about that manoeuvre on the news tonight! The final lap. And I’ve finally caught the Ferrari. The momentum is with me but he is still ahead of me, by fractions of a second. He will do well to hold me off. He proves up to the task at every bend and corner. Until now, I have been untroubled by the light drizzles but now it is raining heavily. This doesn’t help overtaking conditions on sharp bends. It seems that the end of the race may have come a lap too soon, but I must keep believing that I can still win. In my mind’s eye, I can see myself beating him at the chequered flag, but in reality, the heavy downpour is blurring my vision. I have one final chance to realise my vision as we enter the final straight. I put my foot flat on the accelerator and I seem certain to zoom past him....but suddenly he swerves in my direction. My reflexes are quick but the conditions are poor. The front of my kart clips his and I go skidding into the gravel and slam straight into the course barriers! I’m too stunned to tell you at what speed exactly I was going when I careered into the barricades. I can tell you that I didn’t cross the finish line. I’m sitting in my kart stuck and with my hands raised up, waiting for the paramedics and rescue services to arrive to cut me out of this mess as quickly as possible. I see a couple of people running towards me but I can’t really make them out. As they arrive, I hear a very familiar voice call out to me, “Son, are you okay?” I look up and as my dizziness from crash clears up I can see my father standing with the course marshal. “Do you want to continue the race or would you like to retire?” I give them a thumbs up and the marshal pushes my kart back onto the track. I take the chequered flag in fourth place. Not bad for my first time go-karting. I narrowly miss out on a podium place, but I live to fight another day. I am twelve years old now and my dream of being a formula one driver is very much alive. After all, even Lewis Hamilton started out racing go karts!
777 Saga Returns in 2009
Hi All!
I just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone who followed the 777 saga through to the completion of the Quintology! I do hope that you thoroughly enjoyed reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing the story! I'll be taking a hiatus from this particular story for now, but I plan to return in 2009 to pick up from where I've left off in 2008, so watch this space!!!
In the mean time, a writer never ceases to do his thing! So do please sit back and enjoy the random musings of this restless mind!
I just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone who followed the 777 saga through to the completion of the Quintology! I do hope that you thoroughly enjoyed reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing the story! I'll be taking a hiatus from this particular story for now, but I plan to return in 2009 to pick up from where I've left off in 2008, so watch this space!!!
In the mean time, a writer never ceases to do his thing! So do please sit back and enjoy the random musings of this restless mind!
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