The Bridge on the River Kwai

Not many of us are old enough to remember this really old movie, acted by Alec Guiness, based on a book, "To End all Wars" by Ernest Gordon. I remember watching in on television back in 1982, and couldn't understand half of the things that were going on. All I could see was violence, and the extreme hate for the Japanese and great pity for the prisoners of war (p.o.w.).

But today, when this movie was related in a sermon, it helped me and many others in the congregation to reconsider it's meanings, the difficulties of having faith at those darkest moments. Bear in mind that it was the time where only the fittest will survive. The prisoners of war (p.o.w.) were so deprived of food that they became ruthless with each other - stealing food from each other, fighting and killing each other over raw vegetables on the floor, or even bits of rice floating in the river, and whatever that's deemed edible to survive then. The movie was really, really dark, and that's the reality then - Ernest Gordon was there, his malnutritioned body, like the rest of the p.o.w.s just lie there, where ants, flies and worms would crawl over bodies and eat them alive. Many never made it out alive.

It was there, that Gordon found faith, in where he calls it 'the Miracle of River Kwai'. Here is how even at the worse moments, people's lives were touched, and here's a scene that I'd like all readers to consider:

One day, the Japanese found that a shovel was missing. They called upon all the prisoners of war, and asked who took the shovel. No one owned up. The Japanese threatened to shoot each one of them, one by one. Still, silence. Guns and bayonets were raised, the 'kill' was to begin, and suddenly, a British p.o.w. stood out of the line and owned up to taking the shovel. This man was not instantly killed, but tortured and finally, a blow that cracked his skull was what ended his life.

When that was over and done with, other Japanese soldiers who were fresh from the camp, brought the shovel over, it was the 'missing shovel' - no one took it. Upon seeing this, everyone realised that the British p.o.w. has laid his life down for everyone. From that moment onwards, the Japanese were a little kinder the p.o.w.s, while the p.o.w.s were less ruthless to each other - the fights over food stopped.

As a reflection to this, who would lay down his life for all like the British p.o.w.? A self-less sacrifice, as the 'Christness' in the British p.o.w. was evident. This is truly something that each of us should ask ourselves, 'Are we ready to lay our lives down for saving another life / lives?' It takes faith on our end to know exactly where we're going, as in life after death, isn't it? The terrorists got hold of the concept in a twisted way. How about you, you and you? Ah... food for thoughts all ye out there...