Blogocentric Formulations

Man-Crushing on the Pope & Toy Story

PROMPT: You are invited to spend a week's vacation with a famous person, past or present. Who would you want it to be? Why?


While I'm not sure how much of a vacation it would be, I would definitely want to spend a week with Pope Francis. Is it weird (or a sin) to admit you have a man-crush on the head of the Catholic Church?

Honestly, I'm blown away by this Pope. His teachings on morality, rejecting worldliness, poverty, the role of the church, and so many other issues are just so refreshingly modern and - for lack of a better word - liberal. Admittedly, I'm not a Catholic, or even much of a Christian really, but as an outsider looking in at the religion, I think the Catholic Church has had a very difficult time staying relevant in the modern world. Issues like those surrounding homosexuality, abortion, women in the clergy, etc. are legitimate concerns for many people in the modern world, and it's remarkable to see someone taking the Church in a direction that addresses those issues and encourages people to maintain open and forgiving minds. Even when Pope Francis is opposed to an issue (he doesn't exactly support homosexuality or women who want to be priests), he makes sure to emphasize that those people don't deserve to be ostracized, condemned, or punished.

What I'm particularly impressed by, though, is that he walks the walk and practices what he preaches. While many people would say that we should be less materialistic, how many of us would actually voluntarily give that stuff up? Well, Pope Francis turned down the traditional Apostolic Palace that his predecessors used (a ginormous 12-room suite with views overlooking St. Peter's Square), and instead uses it only for official business while residing in a small apartment in the building used as a residence/dormitory for visiting cardinals and guests. That'd be like someone offering to give me a beachfront mansion in Malibu and me saying, "You know, I think I'm good in my tiny little apartment over here. I don't really need all that." (He's a better man that I am, 'cause if that were the case, I'd be watching the waves from my new deck right about now! ).

He also reaches out to people. He's blessed groups of bikers, stopped to pray with homeless people in the street, and implied that atheists and other nonbelievers who do good works will meet with the faithful in heaven. He often foregoes the bulletproof Popemobile that his predecessors often used for security, and will actually move out into a crowd and greet the people who have gathered to see him.

I would want to spend a week with this guy just to pick his brain about the world, life, the afterlife, and his thoughts on God. I think he's a remarkably fresh breath of air for the Catholic Church, and is leading them in a direction that I think a lot of religions have needed to go in for a while, which is remembering the fundamentals of valuing and respecting other people, and putting your faith front and center, even if it means getting your hands a little dirty or maybe not reserving as many perks and wealth for yourself.

Now the real question is what would I want to do and where would I want to go for this vacation? I think he might be a little too preoccupied with work if we stayed in Vatican City (although it would be cool to see all the behind-the-scenes stuff and I'd make him tell me just how much Dan Brown got right in Angels & Demons!), so I think we'd have to go somewhere. But I can't really see the Pope riding a wave on a surfboard in Hawaii, or off-roading through the sand dunes of the Mojave in a spunky little ATV... okay, I'm lying; I can totally picture both of those things, and they're awesome! ... but I think I would want to go somewhere simple where he can really show me - and maybe even teach me - some of his philosophies in a real world situation. So I think I'd want to spend my week-long vacation with Pope Francis maybe somewhere in Africa, or Southeast Asia, or even his native Argentina so that I can really get a sense of who he is, what he values, and how a truly great human being lives his life in the midst of real poverty, struggle, and conflict.

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PROMPT: Talk about a movie or television show that you feel has particularly strong writing. Forget the actors and directors and production value and special effects; what property dazzles you with the dialogue and storytelling?

TOY STORY
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114709/

When it comes to storytelling, dialogue, and writing in general, it doesn't get much better than Pixar. Those guys are masters of putting together engaging stories with endearing characters that make us laugh, cry, gasp, and cheer at all the right moments. Although there are other films of theirs that I like better, I think TOY STORY is probably the best example of strong writing. Everything about this movie worked, from the original concept to the compelling storytelling to the unique and yet still familiar characters.

Animated movies, in general, have always had some of the best writing out there (especially the ones that manage to appeal to both children and adults at the same time), and Pixar has gotten it down to a science. Who knows if that's because of their development process, the fact that they value input and collaboration every step of the way (they have screenings during the process where even the janitors and accountants and receptionists at Pixar get to watch a cut of the film and offer feedback!), or if it's because the people that run Pixar are superhumanly empathetic aliens from another planet... but whatever it is they're doing, it's working.

Except for that time they made Cars 2.