Plenary, 26 Nov 2008
Meeting date: Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Official Report
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Time for Reflection
Good afternoon. As always, the first item of business is time for reflection, for which our leader is the Rev David Whiteman from Coylton parish church linked with Drongan the Schaw kirk.
The Rev David Whiteman (Coylton Parish Church linked with Drongan the Schaw Kirk):
Good afternoon. I recently saw one of the funniest films that I have seen for a long time. It is called "Evan Almighty"; I do not know whether members have seen it. In the film, God, who is played by Morgan Freeman, tells Evan to build an ark in the middle of the desert and, of course, Evan—like Noah—refuses. However, with some cajoling, Evan—like Noah—eventually completes the ark and saves the people from the coming flood. The film is about how Evan makes a difference in the lives of the people around him.
At the end of the film, there is a little thought-provoking twist to the story on which I want us to reflect. It is about making a difference. At the end, Evan feels good about himself but, in talking to God, he realises that he was so caught up in the big project of building the ark and in completing the task that was set for him that he forgot about the important things in life, such as family, friends and home. God explains to Evan that each one of us builds in our own lives an ark that is about how we treat those who are around us—those who are nearest and dearest to us. In the film, "ark" stands for "acts of random kindness"—those little things that we do for each other every day, which Evan had forgotten all about.
The film reminded me very much of an old Buddhist story about a man on a beach. Thousands of starfish are lying on the beach and are dying because the tide is going out. The man picks up the starfish one by one and throws them into the sea. Another man comes along, watches for a while and says, "What's the point of what you're doing? It's an impossible task. What difference can you make?" In reply, the man picks up a starfish, throws it into the sea and says, "Well, it made a difference to that one."
Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind," and, "Love your neighbour as yourself." It is in loving our neighbours as ourselves that we build the ark in our lives, through acts of random kindness.
That makes a difference. The great philosopher James T Kirk, captain of the Starship Enterprise, once said, "As long as you sit in that chair, you can make a difference." I encourage you all in your work in the Scottish Parliament—both in the big things and in the small things—because as long as you sit in that chair, you do and can make a difference to the lives of the people in this, our great nation. Thank you.