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Choose on the side of good
Originally appeared on spirituality.com
Whatever battle is raging within us: we always have a choice. These wise words conclude the theme of the third installment in the Spider-Man movie series. It deals with Peter Parker’s internal turmoil between craving revenge and his natural desire to do good and protect others.
The lure of personal satisfaction through vigilante justice is strong, and Parker finds physical strength in the “dark side” of his powers. But in the end he realizes that no matter how strong the temptation toward vengeance, there is no lasting satisfaction in those actions. There is always a choice, instead, for good.
The movie got me thinking about those times in my own life when I’ve been tempted to seek revenge for some wrong done to me or someone I love. Trying to balance the scales of human justice may have seemed logical, even if it only involved giving the offender a piece of my mind. But did I ever really feel better in the end? No. The resentment and anger were still there.
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About the author
Meg Dendler is a Christian Science practitioner just outside Houston, Texas, United States. She writes a regular Internet column: “Spiritually Significant Cinema.”
