Children of Heaven (A Movie Reflection)

            The tale of two children in the movie communicates to us a lot of interesting values that we can somehow say similar to Christian values. We may be are different in religious beliefs but we are sure that all of us are aiming for peace and tranquility within our community and the whole world at large. Though the movie is set in an Islamic country yet we share the same values. We, as Christians, may be are biased on looking at Muslim lives as reported by media as any terrorist attack is always associated to them. We should not create a hasty generalization in judging the acts of their fellow because they do not represent the whole.

            If I’m going to look the movie from the Christian point of view then it is not appropriate since I would be Christianizing the Muslim values. Rather it would be fairer if I’m just going to point to values that represent peace and love for a human being. Moreover, I’ll include the values of minor characters, which I was also struck.

            First is when the father of Ali was entrusted with a bag of sugar to cut and pound into small pieces. No single block of sugar was used when his daughter gave him a cup of tea. He told his family that the sugar was entrusted to them and he doesn’t want to destroy that trust.

            Second is the value of showing love to another person. Ali, the main character of the movie, showed his love by taking care of his sister. Out of love, he sacrificed his studies just to let his sister wear his pair of sneakers. He was then always late when he attends classes. He was even caught 3 times. Ali was also a giver as we had seen in the movie. He gave his pencil and pen to his sister. Though we might see it as an act of bribery so that his sister would not tell their parents that Ali lost her shoes however I don’t see it that way.

            Third is the value of prioritizing the needs of the family before friends. Ali gave up playing football because his mother was ill. He wanted to play the finals but he can’t. At first, I thought that as I child he would just leave his parents and play the football finals but he reclined with his friends. I think family for them is very important. No matter if they lose their friends but not their family. Ali may not be accepted anymore by his friends yet he still followed his conscience of taking care of his mother and doing the household chores together with his sister.

            Fourth is the value of being faithful. The little sister of Ali kept his promise that immediately she would run fast so that she can give the pair of shoes to her brother. She was faithful since he always followed that promise to his brother. To that action he was faithful. But when the shoes fell to the drainage, she was very persistent of getting back the pair of shoes. She never stopped running and following the sneakers just to get it. As she went home, he felt guilty and sorry because she arrived late and her brother is very late already. She didn’t have a face to see her brother and even placed herself at the side of the wall.

            Fifth is the value of determination. Ali joined a marathon and planned to win 3^rd place since the prize includes pair of shoes. He even cried in front of his teacher just to convince him that he wanted to join and win the race. When the race was about to end, he was intentionally pushed by a fellow racer and it send him to stumble on the ground. However, because of his determination to win, he never gave up and still continued the race. But he didn’t get the 3^rd place rather the 1^st place. He may be the winner but he was not happy since he didn’t get the pair of shoes as promised.

            Thus, all these values do also exist in the Christian teaching. We can’t say then that one is better than the other. I just realized that no matter what our religion is but if we are only grounded on these values and principles we could create a harmonious community and life. In way or another, I am reminded of the saying, “it is not your religion that would save but your faith.”