V for Vendetta

I recently watched a disturbingly powerful movie. The title was V for Vendetta. The movie was set in England in a future that is too close to home. The basic premise of the movie is that the (Plot spoiler coming) government has instituted martial law following an outbreak of terrifying viruses that are threatening the existence of the nation. Unfortunately, and known to very few, the outbreak was created by those aspiring to power and used as a tool to catapult them into control. The only solution to the outbreaks was total government control, centralizing the power in a very "Big Brother" fashion.

The main character, originally bent on revenge for wrongs to him and country, realizes that overthrow of the government can only come from the people and only succeed with peaceful protest and with a little help from symbolic gestures, given power by the people, through an idea. The idea being that the muzzle of a gun works only so far, peace and words built on ideas and ideals are ultimately the most potent weapon available.

While this is a dark movie in many a sense, it is also one of great hope and also some truth. Among the notable quotes from the movie, to me, is this: "You wear a mask for so long, you forget who you were beneath it."

How true is this thought in our daily lives? Are we living with a manufactured mask of Christianity that makes us forget what we are underneath? Not only in the spiritual sense, but in the greater world view as well? Also, how many of us walk around with a Mask of composure, or professionalism, hiding the chaos or pain that we are dealing with underneath. We pretend everything is ok until it all seem very normal. Ignoring the underlying reality that shapes us every day, we compromise our integrity to be like our peers and be liked by our peers.

Another quote from the movie is particularly convicting and along the same line of thinking: "I'd only told them the truth. Was that so selfish? Our integrity sells for so little, but it's all that we really have. It is the very last inch of us, but within that inch, we are free".

Do we value that integrity that we have? Do we treasure it and act in a manner that befits the value? Or, rather, do we loose that freedom, sold for the price of "acceptance"?