Potent Passion

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Arrow Season1 Episode 10Passionis like a wild fire. I always admired people who died/fought for a cause. WhenI was a kid, watching a movie in which a character died/fought for people theyloved or a cause they championed always stirred up something in me to findsomething/someone to fight and maybe die for. So watching Arrow shouldhave inspired me.Arrow is a television show about Oliver Queen,the vigilante/hero of Starling City and the sonof the CEO of a billion dollar company. He did not grow up as a martial artsmaster fighting off anyone who tried to hurt him or those around him. Onlythrough his father’s death and 5 years on a deserted island did Oliver Queenlearn the skills to protect a city. This episode of Arrow focused onfear. Having lived on a deserted island for 5 years with nothing to lose andnothing to hope for, Oliver learned to master his fear of death. However, oncehe returned home to his family, the fear that he mastered slowly slipped out ofhis reign and took a hold of him. Oliver was afraid of losing his family andfriends and he was afraid of what they would go through if they lost him asecond time. But Diggles, his sidekick took Oliver’s love for his family andfriends and turned it into an unstoppable weapon. Diggles says, “You think thepeople you let in have taken your edge, I think it gives you one, maybe astronger one even. You can stare down death with something to live for or not.”In the end, Oliver Queen’s love for his family and friends help him defeat thebad guy (a firefighter) who ended up burning to death, hence the title of theepisode, “Burned.” This episode of Arrow does an excellent jobencouraging people to be passionate for their loved ones and for justice. It isevident the creators of this television show believe human beings were createdfor a purpose – to care for and protect those we love and stand up for justice.Though in the show the main character does seem to go a bit too far by killingall the people who do wrong to the city, the message is clear that we shouldall stand up against injustice and crime.Unfortunately,passion is like a wild fire. I am afraid for passionate people. I am afraid forpeople who are passionate for the wrong thing. I thought I would be inspiredonce again to pursue my desires with zeal, but this time I learned there is adark side to passion. Oliver Queen doesn’t kill the bad guy in this episode,rather the bad guy commits suicide. Once Oliver points an arrow at his chestand asks him to get help, the bad guy decides to kill himself because he knowshe won’t be able to live so long as the man he is trying to get revenge on isstill alive. Though this firefighter knew how to extinguish a building on fire,he couldn’t extinguish his passion for revenge.       Sothen how do you try and save those who are so passionate about the wrong thing?For example Muslims? Terrorists?      Isyour passion for Christ inextinguishable? Is your passion for Christ catchingon others?