This week we read Lech Lecha. In this portion Abram is told to leave Haran and set out for Canaan. Abram, Sarai and Lot all make their way to the place that God is showing them. They finally get there, and Abram makes an altar and spreads the word that there is just one God. However, a famine forces them to travel to Egypt (we’ve heard this before). Sarai is beautiful, and Abram knows that Pharaoh would kill him if he knew that Abram and Sarai were married. Therefore, Abram pretends to be Sarai’s brother. This lie saves his life.
If you do not know, I (Amanda) am a first grade teacher. Our social-emotional learning topic as of late has been Integrity. What exactly is Integrity? Merriam Webster defines integrity as, “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values.” Now, first graders don’t understand most of the words in this definition. For my students, we’ve defined integrity as, “doing the right thing even when no one is watching” and “being honest and doing what you say you will do”. We’ve talked about what to do if you break a dish, or if you find money on the street. They gave the expected answers of, “I would tell my Mom so no one would get hurt” and “I would give it to the police or to someone who needs it”. From a young age we are taught about integrity and honesty and how to practice both of those. Somewhere along the line there is a break in the chain and we can stop practicing this value.
There are times when lying is warranted. In these cases, it’s more leaving out the whole truth. If telling the truth will cause more harm than good, you may just have to leave out the truth. I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds the other day, and there was an anthrax attack at a park. The members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit couldn’t tell the press, or even their families about this attack, since it would cause mass chaos and would hurt their effort in trying to find the person behind the attack (don’t worry, they found the guy). If someone can’t do anything to help the situation, it could be better to leave out the truth. If it will save lives, it’s better to leave out the truth. Sparing someone’s feelings is another reason to tweak the truth. If someone works very hard to make you a meal, and you don’t enjoy it, it’s okay to lie and say you do. If you are meeting up with a friend and say that you’re on your way there when you are actually still sitting on your bed in your towel – ok, you do you.
However, for some the line is blurred. The beginning of the United States’ experience with Covid-19 was downplayed, and that caused more harm than good. We were told information that caused us to make certain decisions about our health and the health of those around us. These decisions caused an astronomical number of deaths – many of which could have been prevented. More information has come out since that has negated previous facts, but some people always refer back to the early days of this pandemic when we were told that we shouldn’t buy masks and that this disease is not that serious. No matter how much you try to backtrack and try to change your mind, there will be people who ignore it and rely on the first information you presented. This happens to everyone, but there are particular people who need to be role models for integrity. These “particular people” include those in government – especially the President of the United States.
Lying is a common theme we see in movies and TV shows. There are some movies, like She’s the Man which are built entirely upon a lie. I’m really hoping that you have seen this 2006 classic because it’s such a quintessential early 00’s movie (I remember watching it for the first time when I was little at a friend’s sleepover and absolutely loving it…I felt so cool watching a “teen movie”). It’s okay if you haven’t though, because like always you’re going to get a brief (spoiler free) rundown of the plot. But this one is a bit of a doozy so try to keep up. Are you ready?
She’s the Man is a movie based on Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night. Like the play, the movie deals with hidden identities and unrequited love (have I peaked your interest yet?). Buckle up folks, we’re about to begin and there’s a lot to cover.
The movie follows Viola as she switches places with her twin brother Sebastian and attends an elite boarding school, Illyria, in his place. Why does she agree to this? Well, Viola used to go to Cornwall and was on their soccer team until the school cut the team. So, Viola asks if she can join the boys’ team but is told by the coach that they don’t allow girls on their team. On top of that, her boyfriend sided with the coach so she promptly dumps him.
Now Viola is on a mission. She wants to get recruited for soccer and prove those sexist men wrong. She agrees to cover for Sebastian (he didn’t know of her plan to take his place) while he runs off to London with his band so she can try out for the Illyria soccer team and prove herself.
Along the way, Viola befriends her/Sebastians’ roommate Duke…and then develops a crush on him. But she can’t do anything about it because she has to continue pretending to be Sebastian. Also, Duke likes another girl who ends up getting feelings for Viola/Sebastian. Are you still with me? Long story short, the whole movie essentially revolves around Viola falsifying her identity and then getting caught up in a web of lies.
Was she wrong for lying? Well…that’s where things get tricky. Let’s take a look at why she lied one more time. Viola was facing sexism at her former school. The women’s soccer team was cut and the coach of the guy’s team and her ex-boyfriend didn’t value her as an athlete and wouldn’t let girls on the guys’ team.
We also need to talk about Viola and Sebastian’s mom for a quick second. Their mother was a bit of an Emily Gilmore type. She wants her children to be prim and proper and has Viola become a debutante. It’s not hard to read between the lines and infer that growing up, Sebastian and Viola were put under a lot of pressure to behave a certain way. But, the thing is, neither of them seemed to want to behave in this way and become the perfect lady and gentleman their mother wanted. Viola and Sebastian rebelled in their own ways (Sebastian going off to London and Viola impersonating Sebastian) to pursue their interests and become the people they wanted to be.
Viola wanted to prove herself to others. She wanted to show that she could play with the boys and still be a lady…in her own way. She felt trapped and the only way out was through this plan. Her lies lead her to help those around her and prove to the men in the movie that women are just as capable as they are. No one got hurt in the end, aside from a few egos. So, was she wrong for lying?
We hope we’ve given you something to think about. We also hope that you’ve voted, or are planning to vote. This election is very important, and we must not give up on standing up for what is right. Please, please, please remember to wear a mask, wash your hands, and practice integrity.
Best,
Amanda & Marissa
