I was just recently watching the t.v. show "How I met your mother". One of the main characters, Barney Stinson, discussed why he loved the movie "The Karate Kid". Here is how he described it:"The Karate Kid is a great movie. It's the story of a hopeful young karate enthusiast who's dreams and moxie take him all the way to the All Valley Karate Championship. Of course, sadly, he loses in the final round to that nerd kid. But, he learns an important lesson about gracefully accepting defeat."
That's right. Barney doesn't root for Daniel Larusso, he roots for Johnny Lawrence, whom he calls "The Real Karate Kid".
I think Barney might have this one right. Go with me on this. On one hand, we have Johnny Lawrence. He has trained his entire life to be an expert in Karate. He has built strong muscles to make himself a fierce competitor. His entire life he has made sacrifices to become a Karate Champion.
Then we have Daniel-son. Here is this scrawny kid that comes into town and starts hitting on Johnny's girl. He takes up Karate for like a week, has no muscle tone, and expects to win this huge karate tournament.
Barney may have caused me to have a change of heart. When we are truly honest about it, we will all have to admit to ourselves who the All Valley Karate Champion should have been. So, I am thinking, the next time I watch "The Karate Kid", I might just have to start rooting for the real "Karate Kid", Johnny Lawrence.
1 comment:
Interesting twist. I see your point. However, for the sake of debate, the underdog usually has enormous appeal. I guess we tend to identify more with the ordinary person who attempts something extraordinary. I'm not usually into the Kentucky Derby, but I happened to catch this year's grand conclusion. To see Mine That Bird start out last and ease his way through the herd, pass all the other horses and take the lead by such a long margin was incredible. Had the expected horse won, it would not have been nearly as exciting. It's like that with the karate kid. Lawrence puts his trust in muscle and training and is probably over confident. Daniel Son like David facing Goliath is charged with spunk and tenacity and faith to go against the odds of obvious defeat and wins. On a spiritual note, there is a scripture that says, "Don't put your trust in horses and chariots." What the world sees as power is nothing compared to God power. Time after time, there are examples like David and Goliath where the little guy wins because he has God power. That doesn't necessarily apply to Karate Kid, but it is a reminder that little is much when God is in it.
Post a Comment