"That'll do, pig"
 |
| Babe and friends |
Recently at the farmhouse cinema, a group of us watched the movie “Babe."
The showing corresponded perfectly with the evening of the weather man’s purported “bomb cyclone” arriving in western Washington. As Pooh would say, “It must have been a Windsday.”
Sometimes, movies are simply the right choice, at the right time. Which is gratifying - to enjoy the evening's entertainment with a calm, joyful expectancy for Ram's special motive in His movie selection.
About a half hour into the movie, the incoming bomb cyclone officially downed the power on South Camano. This brought about an early intermission in our movie-viewing, before we arrived at huddling around the laptop, with about 60% battery remaining.
As we became more intimately invested in the story of this wonderful little pig, the storm began to blow through the farmstead of the movie as well. It was not unlike the scene we were enjoying at that moment; flickering flame of the woodstove, candle burning, and the animals hunkered down.
The movie progressed to reveal a dynamic interplay of characters, in the animals which lived together on the farm. Their interactions, personalities, and perceptions of one another; their unique purposes, and ultimately, their individual choices, to grow through selfless service of one another, or to remain small.
Babe is unequivocally the star of the show - a kind of baby Krishna, who the sheep-herding farmer Hoggett can’t resist. Babe possesses an endearing sweetness and innocence, which ultimately allows everything to work out for the best.
Upon Babe’s arrival on the farm, the little orphaned pig is adopted by Fly. Fly is the momma of a litter of shepherd pups.
Perhaps the most nuanced and dynamic journey of evolution is that of Rex - the primary shepherd dog on the farm, and Fly’s companion. Seemingly destined from a young age for greatness in his ‘field,’ Rex lost much of his hearing while trying to lead a flock of sheep to survival through a ferocious thunderstorm. Not only did he lose many of the sheep in that storm, but his injury would prevent him from ever being able to compete to prove his status among the shepherds dogs of the region.
As Babe comes to find favor from nearly all the critters and people of the farm, Rex’s wound from before festers into a systemic infection of self-righteous indignation. After the miracle of Babe’s first successful shepherding of the sheep, Rex’s derangement goes so far as to attack his own partner, Fly.
Fly, in the role of the divine mother Herself, transcends her own upsets and reactivity, to continue shepherding Babe and the rest of the animals, while seemingly eschewing any tendency towards negativity or self-pity.
For Rex, in the state of perpetual reactivity and littleness that he has fallen, Farmer Hoggett has no choice except to sedate the dog, and keep him permanently tied up. Days go by; weeks. Unable to work, Rex is forced into the cold, hard solitude of facing himself and his actions, before finding his opportunity for salvation.
Babe has continued to prove himself, by his simplicity and genuine goodness. As a shepherd to the flock, he went so far as to even save the sheep from a pack of wolves.
Pleased with this extraordinary pig, Farmer Hoggett signs him up to compete in the regional sheep herding competition. Yet, these sheep don’t know Babe, and instead of listening to his kind requests and gentle instructions like the flock at the farm, these new sheep laugh at him.
Rex, having been a continued witness to Babe's sincere goodness, is now fully awake and ready to do the right thing. He sprints back to the farm flock to ask them what can be done. For their love of Babe, they reveal to Rex their secret sheep incantation, to which all sheep listen, but with two conditions for Rex: 1) That he treat the sheep better, and 2) That he never use their secret mantra against them.
Rex agrees, and returns to the fair with celerity to deliver the key to the sheep kingdom; not for himself, but for the little sheep-pig, Babe.
Babe goes on to win, much to the enjoyment of the rather raucous county fair crowd, with the redemption of the fully awakened Rex as a necessary guiding light. No longer serving himself, or with attachment to ideals of his own rightful place and recognition, Rex instead gives those away, for the good of all, and for his own transfiguration.
We too, who aspire to be shepherds in this work of the Masters, are blessed to have the sacred sheep mantra shared with us:
“Baa-ram-ewe! Baa-ram-ewe! To your breed, your fleece, your clan be true! Sheep be true! Baa-ram-ewe!"
God, Christ, Gurus. God, Christ, Gurus. To your family, to your destiny, to your flock, be True. Shepherds, be True. God, Christ, Gurus.
Comments
Post a Comment