Prometheus, Maybe A God For Our Times?
The Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center in partnership with the Joanna Macy Center of Naropa University will present Ridley Scott’s science-fiction film “Prometheus” in the Sycamore building on the Naropa campus, February 13, 7 PM.
According to the late Roger Ebert, film critic, “Prometheus” is a magnificent science fiction film, “all the more intriguing because it raises questions about the origin of human life and doesn’t have the answers.”
Encyclopedia Britannica says that Prometheus, in Greek mythology, was one of the Titans, the supreme trickster, and a god of fire. His intellectual side was emphasized by the apparent meaning of his name, Forethinker. In common belief he developed into being a master craftsman, and in this connection he was associated with fire and the creation of mortals.
In this time of U.S. resumption of nuclear weapons production and countries threatening each other with the possibility of physical and/or economic violence, it seems to me that we need Prometheus, the Forethinker to help us find a creative way to true peace. The U.S. intends to manufacture up to 80 plutonium pits a year, the centerpiece of every nuclear weapon.
Another example of the threat of violence is the recent coming together of “Thousands of gun-rights activists — some brandishing their military-style rifles — crowding the streets surrounding Virginia’s Capitol building Monday to protest plans by the state’s Democratic leadership to pass gun-control legislation,” reflected firm resistance to reform.
On the other hand, on Wednesday, against this fierce resistance, the Virginia Senate approved legislation that would allow authorities to take guns away from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others, as the state moves closer to joining a growing number of states enacting so-called “red flag” gun laws.
And, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, ICAN, on 7 July 2017 – following a decade of advocacy by ICAN and its partners – a majority of the world’s nations adopted a landmark global agreement to ban nuclear weapons, known officially as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. It will enter into legal force once 50 nations have signed and ratified it, so far, 34 nations have both signed and ratified the Treaty.
Join us to watch the film and discuss its meanings for our times.
