The Quiet Man

So, the other night I watched the famous John Ford and John Wayne classic, "The Quiet Man" for probably the tenth time. Starring Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne, the movie was released in 1952. It features an Irish born John Wayne who left Ireland with his parents as a child to live in America. The opening scene is of his return to his home country where he's come to reclaim his family's house and land. Having left to escape a dark past, he soon finds that there is no place in the world where we can go to escape our nightmares, and we must face what we have done and move on. And he discovers that although there are many things that aren't worth fighting for, love is worth fighting for.

This movie is so wonderful because it captures the heart of the simple life. I hesitate to say it captures the "quiet life." For there is not much quiet about the movie, except the big, tall John Wayne. Having been to Ireland, the movie seems to capture the spirit of the Irish people well. Talking, singing and drinking are the heart of the Irish people. They are a spirited people.

"The Quiet Man" is a wonderful critique of our overly complicated culture with its rushing about and busy-ness. It calls for a return to simplicity for it reminds us that relationships are the most satisfying thing in life. And it shows that these small things are the things which are really worth fighting for. The big things such as technology, money, power and fame are all vanities. But, a wife, home, family honor and even the local pub are all worth fighting over.

In this way, the movie would have been loved by the great GK Chesterton. A lover of the small things, Chesterton always pointed to how heaven and even God are to be found in the small, repetitive and seemingly dull aspects of everyday life. Starting from the nativity of the Incarnation, Chesterton developed his whole philosophy around the paradox of God becoming a poor and rejected Man.

In our own experience, we all come to know that the small things are the important things and we either change our lives to fit around this truth, or we try to stamp it down and silence it so that we can carry on with our addictions, whether they be to money, fame or any other worthless endeavor.

Even within our Holy Mother the Church, whose great and magnificent churches span the globe, and whose art has enlightened countless genius minds, it is all built around a very small and plain object of devotion. And this object, nea, this Person, taking the form of bread and wine, is the object of our highest worship.

So, gather the whole family sometime and watch this classic. It's appropriate and good for everyone and will leave you yearning to simplify and thank God for the small things.