Revenge of the Phoenix Part 10- The Damnation Army

Wednesday is drawing to a close, another day done in this long week. There's not much new going on here, just another day in the life. Things are okay here, as usual. Nothing much to report, just burning off stress going to the gym, keeping busy at work. The project lately has been to move trucks and truck equipment that's going to get replaced or removed from our books- I'm not sure which, the point is we need to get rid of them by tomorrow, so we'll be doing a lot of running around, no doubt.

I managed to catch the movie Constantine, which was an okay movie. Turns out the John Constantine in the movie is based (very loosely) on the main character of the same name of the Hellblazer comic books. Played by Keanu Reeves, it's just not the same in the movie. The comic-book Constantine lacks the moral compulsions of the film Constantine, and frankly the comic book Constantine makes for a more interesting, character. The character of John Constantine is a sorcerer by trade, and by all accounts a pretty good one. He exists in a Judeo-Christian world where he pretty much serves only his own interests, all too easy when the powers of heaven and hell are too busy fighting each other and themselves to do anyone much good. Constantine is also an adrenaline addict, and this fuels many of his bizarre pursuits- which is convenient, as he has a knack for sorcery and demonology. At one point he puts all of Hell in an uproar, as he manages to outwit about three different major demons. He manages to sell his soul to three different demons- presumably contracts in Hell operate a little differently, and are not invalidated by a prior existing contract. Rather, they are for services provided- in exchange for one's soul the demon agrees to whatever terms the person is selling it on. So Constantine reaps the benefit of these three contracts, leaving three liens on his soul. Of course, there are now three demons looking to collect. Constantine takes advantage of this fact with the knowledge that one of two things will happen- either all three demons form an alliance, in which case he's seriously screwed, as the demons are familiar with the name of John Constantine, and have stretched their not-inconsiderable imaginations to come up with a VIP treatment for his eternal torment. Or, a war will break out between the three factions, the end of which can only be Constantine's salvation, as God will intervene and take his soul. How Constantine knows this isn't really clear, but he seems to have reasoned it out pretty well. So the demons determine that Constantine cannot die yet until they come to some kind of resolution. That resolution is not forthcoming, as apparently Hell is a hotbed for office politics. He's also a chronic smoker, and at one point in his 30s develops terminal cancer. Of course, Constantine can't die., at least not yet, so the demons have no choice but to cure his cancer. In case you hadn't guessed, Constantine is a con man of the highest order, and has no scruples about exploiting people or demons whenever it suits him. Kids, don't try this at home- demons generally don't give a wet slap about humans, unless you catch their attention, which you almost always have to go out of the way to do. They generally ignore people, and don't like to be bothered with our petty requests. In actuality, whatever demons are, they aren't really anywhere near as concerned with people as the Church would have us believe. But in Constantine's world, demons are very much concerned with getting their hands on human souls. God seems to be conspicuously absent or silent, which is interesting. He seems to be just as egotistical as the demons, which I always thought was a pretty accurate, if not entirely kind, portrayal of the Judeo-Christian concept of God. Since Constantine has attracted the negative attention of so many demons, his friends tend to wind up dead with disturbing regularity. This fact deeply affects his mental state, and perhaps explains his exploitative and cynical disposition towards the world around him. In the movie, Constantine is portrayed as an exorcist of sorts, battling demons yet not the least bit interested in working for the 'good guys'. Well, they got it half right. Constantine can control demons, either that or trick them, although he does this not out of a sense of justice or human kindness, but rather because it benefits him. As a result, he's a bit of a loner, frightened of forming lasting relationships as he fears they'll end in yet another heartbreak.

But at any rate, I kind of admire this guy. I can't speak to his moral compass too much, but given the conditions his world operates under, I think he's really doing well to play both sides of the field. No one likes him because of that, and he knows it. He has enemies in both heaven and hell, and eventually the balance will tip one way or the other for him. But we can hope that he'll figure out some solution to the situation- if I was in charge of Hell, I'd offer him a job in the think tank, take over Heaven, and call it a good day. Obviously he's not going to find peace in either side of the afterlife, so he tries to make the best of it.

Not that I condone exploiting spirits, it's probably not such a good idea, and will more than likely lead to trouble. However, Constantine is a kind of odd hero, as he doesn't exploit any one who doesn't either deserve it or is dumb enough to believe his con-man spiel. I think the reason I admire him is his independence- with the kinds of weird-ass powers he has, working for either side would be a shoo-in. But he has seen too many good friends die, and blames the demons, while he finds that heaven did not intervene. Again, keep in mind his world operates under different rules than ours- it seems karma can be bypassed by an act of God, who chooses to remain silent throughout. It brings us back to Epicurus' old argument-

Is God willing to prevent evil, but unable?
Then he is not omnipotent.

Is he able but not willing?

Then he is malevolent.

Is he both able and willing?

Then whence cometh evil?

Is he neither able nor willing?

Then why call him God?

The answer to this is free will and karma, I find. We have the freedom to act- we have the resources to foresee the consequences of our actions. How God is bound by these laws of cause and effect is not clear. Yet it seems that in order to have a created universe in the first place, whatever God or gods there are would by necessity be bound by them. Does this mean that the gods are not omnipotent? Perhaps they assist us, they guide and teach us, we grow in wisdom and learning to become like them- but they are bound by the same laws that we are.

But again, Constantine's world does not operate according to this principle. Laws are not absolute, contracts can be broken and made again. His world has a very Epicurean God. So it makes perfect sense that Constantine is the way he is. The fact that he is named after the first Christian emperor of the Roman empire, and one of history's main driving forces behind the spread of Christianity, is not lost on me.

So what does this have to do with real life? Well, perhaps nothing. Sometimes real life is mirrored in art, and this seems to be one of those cases. If John Constantine has one lesson to impart to the world, I would say it's this- use the resources you were given. If there is some final judgement, it won't be a question of what you believe in- rather, it's a question of what did you do with the gifts you were given? How has the world changed as a result of your actions in it? No one expects perfection- but that's no reason not to try.