Interstellar and Living for TomorrowAndy Freeman - 2 Dec 2014

I went along recently to see the Christopher Nolan epic ‘Interstellar’ with a mix of trepidation and excitement.  My excitement stemmed from the director's incredible CV which boasts the likes of 'Inception' and 'The Dark Knight Trilogy'.  Nolan makes epic thoughtful big screen films; letting him loose in space sounded amazing.  But the trepidation came from the critics who had already got to work on the film – attacking the dialogue, acting and storyline. 

But the funny thing was - I left the cinema loving those very things the critics told me I would hate.

With a budget pushing $200 million, Interstellar is packaged as an epic space movie but it’s also a film with real heart which explores some the major topics of our day. We see, especially through the main character Cooper, how our actions impact generations to come.  

So often we live in the immediate.  We wonder what we will do today?  What will we achieve tomorrow?  What will we do now? The funny thing is that most generations throughout history haven’t lived that way.  Remember characters like Abraham in the Bible whose blessing was future generations and not his own.  Why do we think so immediately?  Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Interstellar tells us two simple things, and I’ve been pondering them ever since.

Firstly our lives have an impact way beyond our years. What we do today really can and does impact generations to come.  Interstellar focuses that energy on the environment.  How can we do something to safeguard future generations and their safety and future on earth?

Secondly we don’t have to achieve everything ourselves, indeed we can’t.  We are all bound to each other, and even beyond that we have the opportunity to mentor, develop, support or even parent future generations so that they can go further than us and achieve more than we can today.

An old film called ‘Gladiator’ had the immortal line:

“What we do in life echoes in eternity”.

How about trying to take a long-term perspective on your actions today.  What are you doing which can make life better for future generations? What are you doing that will only really flourish and bloom beyond your own years? 

In this incredibly vast created order that God has made we still remain so small amongst all the stars and planets that are out there.  Yet God has called us each to be giants and to live lives that bless future generations. 

“As we peer into society’s future we – you and I, and our Government – must avoid the impulse to live only for today, and plundering for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow.”  Former US President Eisenhower.