TITANIC

Written by cycleguy on April 2nd, 2012

WARNING AHEAD:

MANCARD LOST!!

I’ll head you off at the pass.  I guarantee that to many of you I have either already lost or will soon lose my MANCARD.  I confess: I like Titanic.  You know…the movie with DeCaprio and Winslet and Zane and Bates and a host of other actors/actresses.  Not only that, I have the Director’s Cut, and am just geeeeeeky enough to have watched the extras.  🙂  I also just completed this puzzle.  In fact, it was while working the puzzle that I had a chance to watch the movie again.  To top it off Sunday, April 15th is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ship “that not even God could sink.”  (Hmmm I am wondering if that man was eating his words a few days after he said that).

HOWEVER. I. DO. HAVE. A. POINT. SO. I. WILL. GET. TO. IT.

I’m going to forgo retelling the story of the sinking liner since I believe most people know about it.   If you want to know more about the Titanic you can check out this site and this site.  For a really interesting one check here.    I am interested in some of the lessons we can learn:

LESSON #1:  We can learn that in a crisis there is both Bravery and Cowardice. 

The accounts of both cowardice and bravery in the movie are actually factual.  The story of women and children first is true.  Benjamin Guggenheim, who reports say was there with his mistress, is reported to have said, “We’ve dressed in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.”

Isidor Straus and his wife, Rosalie, (pictured in the movie as the old couple huddling together in bed) were a historical couple.  He tried to get her on one of the lifeboats but she refused saying, “We have been together for many years…where you go, I go.”

The band playing “Nearer My God to Thee” is a real historical fact.   The band leader was Wallace Hartley. He perished, but on May 4, 1812 his body was recovered.

There were also cowards.  Many men donned women’s clothing in order to get in a lifeboat and save their own skins.  In the film, Cal’s (Billy Zane) lack of integrity comes out in spades.

LESSON #2: God cannot be trifled with. 

I am not for one moment insinuating God caused Titanic to sink. But one verse of Scripture keeps coming back to me: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”  [Gal.6:7]  God has no equal.   The ship that “not even God could sink” did exactly that.

LESSON #3: All the stuff in the world amounts to nothing in the end.

I’ve never seen a hearse with a trailer hitch.  All the wealth in the world (and there was plenty of it) could not buy anyone off the ship.  When Titanic sunk so did the money, status, influence, and “stuff.”

Titanic was a monument to man’s ingenuity, a failure at best.  We still haven’t learned as we continue trying to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.  Man’s best efforts are worthless.  Only Jesus can pick us up.  Only Jesus can heal.  Only Jesus can give meaning.

So…have you seen Titanic?  What other lessons can we learn?  One more: have I lost my MANCARD?  🙂 

 

37 Comments so far ↓

  1. Jim F says:

    ManCard should still be in your wallet. 🙂 Excellent observations from the history of the event. I really have nothing else I could add to it – Thanks for the thoughts!

  2. Daniel says:

    Again, another movie that I have not seen. As for mancards, I have never been one to give into peer pressure about how I should act or what I should get geeked up about. You be you and that is fine by me.

  3. Tom says:

    I enjoyed the movie too and it does make me reflect on courage and faith. When faith moves beyond words. How would I react? Will I help others experience God’s light or will I don a dress?…thanks Bill!

  4. Eileen says:

    Nice observations, Bill. I enjoyed Titanic but I have never watched the ending again. If it’s on tv…I’ll watch until the boat hits the iceberg then I have to turn it. It just depresses me. I always think Winslet should have tried a little harder to get DiCaprio out of the water. 😉

    • cycleguy says:

      Thanks Eileen. Yeah, it does sort of stink that she didn’t make an effort to balance the wood better but then again…it would have ruined the beginning of the movie. 🙂 Appreciate your thoughts.

  5. It’s not my cup of tea, but I watched it once with my wife and daughter. I am not one to call any mandate into questiin based on the rom-coms I watch with my people.

    • cycleguy says:

      Funny thing though Larry: neither my wife nor daughter have watched it. Maybe parts of it but not all. Thanks for the non-judgment. 🙂

  6. floyd says:

    That’s it! Hand it over buster! The mancard-now!
    I live in a house of women, or girls, at least at the time they showed Titanic on TV. Actually the scenes of men showing bravery and the human drama of life and death was worth watching.

    The Titanic, similar to the tower of Babel always ends the same… Now with all the technology it seems man is ready to be “as god’s” again. We know how this ends…

    • cycleguy says:

      I’m weeping Floyd. *tears flowing* I agree about the bravery scenes. I also liked the idea that Jack “fought for” Rose. Every man ought to “fight” for his beauty. And I so totally agree with your conclusion. Thanks Floyd for the comment (but not for ripping my Mancard out of my hands) 🙂

  7. Zee says:

    *Shaking my head* Bill, oh Bill… Why, oh why? Titanic… really?

    I watched it back in ’99 and don’t want to ever watch it again. That movie was the reason why it took me a LONG time to realize that DiCaprio can be a man. It’s an overly sweet movie… Dunno. Guess it was bad timing… or possibly I simply don’t like overly sweet movies that make everyone else go “awwwwwww”… It’s a wonder the iceberg wasn’t pink and fluffy… *AHEM* Sorry.

    There are lessons to learn from the story. However, I am not a fan of the movie (this particular one, anyway)…

  8. I’ll hold off my thoughts on the mancard, haha.

    The biggest lesson of the Titanic that sticks out to me is that pride goes before a fall.
    And your third point hits hard as well. What we hold so dear could all be destroyed in an instant, so we need to have an eternal perspective on things.

  9. Jason says:

    Your mancard’s been gone for a while.

  10. Stephen says:

    Two things I loved most about this post:
    1) The examples of Bravery in the midst of tragedy. Man card or none, you have to get a bit misty-eyed when you hear about that elderly couple. That is moving.
    2) “I’ve never seen a hearse with a trailer hitch.” Hilarious, and true! Now’s the time to start storing eternal treasures.

    • cycleguy says:

      The Straus’ actually were not in bed but last seen on deck chairs together. That is cool! Mt.6:19-21 sure applies. Thanks Stephen.

  11. Jan says:

    Nice puzzle! I just cannot do a puzzle, not enough patience & with 5 kids you’d think a puzzle would be easy for me! 🙂 #3 hits with me, I have downsized plenty of “stuff” when we moved & I’m not one to hang onto a bunch of “stuff”, unless of course it was drawn by or given to me by one of my kids, but when I’m trying to get Michael to pitch some things, with much resistance I might add, I have always said, you can’t take it with you & your daughter won’t want to deal with this mess when you’re gone! hehe We don’t play the lottery, but my loving husband bought a ticket for that big jackpot & I said to him, I hope we don’t win because I don’t want to deal with the problems that come from having that much money, my lottery is in heaven. Now that is THE BIG jackpot! I’m a simple woman, I don’t like shopping or collecting a lot of stuff. I am learning to trust in Jesus that He will(and has) provided for all my needs. Great post Bill and yes, you still have a mancard. 🙂

    • cycleguy says:

      Yeah one would think you would have the patience to do a puzzle Jan but then again, with all those kids who has time? 😛 Totally agree with your big jackpot idea: heaven!! Thanks for letting me keep my Mancard. LOL

  12. lindaM says:

    Hi Bill,
    I guess that we can learn from the Titanic that life can be short and unpredictable. That life is a gift from God. We need to enjoy it, enjoy our families, and our blessings. To need live godly and righteous lives. If we are wealthy, the Bible says we are to be ready to share.

    Living by the word of God makes life rewarding and life posseses peace and contentment.

    The current teaching in our higher institutions of learning seems to be that people are just a higher form of animal. It’s survival of the fittest in the world that is limping along right now.

    This is a time when believers can start to shine… and shine…. and shine… we live differently, we believe differently, we have a much higher standard of conduct for ourselves as the people of our God. As new creations living in the world, who our God has made.

    The world needs to see us.

    • cycleguy says:

      We can, indeed, learn several lessons Linda, and yours is a big one. Seriously doubt any of those people on board thought it would be the maiden and only voyage of Titanic (with them on it). Thanks for your comment.

  13. Susan says:

    I saw Titanic in the theater. Recently, I read that the reason it sank was not the iceberg, but faulty workmanship. I *think* it said they were in a hurry to get it built, and they cut corners.

    No need to belabor any possible lessons from that, is there?

    Keep the man-card. Jo will appreciate it. 🙂

  14. jeff says:

    If you have to ask if you have lost your mancard the answer is always yes.But the mancard isn’t what it used to be anyhow. A mancard and 75cents will get you a polar pop at the Circle K.

  15. Good thoughts Bill. We get too wrapped up in the material things of our day. (or maybe I should say I do) But they are all just temporary, just like the ship.

    In terms of the mancard, any movie that has a sinking ship qualifies as a man-card keeper, regardless of all the other “non-manly” attributes.

    • cycleguy says:

      Thanks for the reassurance Sele. I feel better that I am not alone. I journaled this morning about my penchant for a new car has come back to haunt me in spades now. Always had to have one and got deeper in debt. I am now out of that but saving for the future never happened. Thanks for the comment. You hit the nail on the head.

  16. It is funny how we are shocked that true colors show in a crisis and yes, some are brave while others are cowards. Christians have no right to be cowardly as we have the living Christ walking around with our skin on! And “I’ve never seen a hearse with a trailer hitch” sounds like a country song, but I love that! Thank you, Bill.

    • cycleguy says:

      We not only have the living Christ within us, we also have tons of promises in His Word. Thanks Jason.

      *Wracking brain* I do wish that quote was from my own brain but I remember hearing it from Ken Holloway, a Christian country singer from several years back (when I listened to country).

  17. Adam says:

    I have seen the Titanic. I liked it…not as much as you I guess 🙂 . Will you be seeing the 3d version o he film soon?
    I would too say…tempting God is never good! Never!

    • cycleguy says:

      I would like to but my wife is not too keen on the idea. 🙂 I would also agree with your assessment. Thanks for coming by Adam.