Cover of K-Pax
K-Pax is a movie starring Kevin Spacey as a mental patient who calls himself Prot, and Jeff Bridges, the doctor assigned to look into Prot’s history. What happens is something unbelievable.
Prot is a mental patient at a New York hospital, where he begins to change the lives of people around him. Many asking the question “is he actually from a distant planet”.
He does many amazing things, such as plotting with near perfect accuracy the orbital pattern of his home planet around a star in the Lira constellation. Even getting people at the mental ward to open up about things. The best had to have been translating the dog’s wants when he went to a family picnic with Bridge’s character.
But more than just the movie itself, which is a must see, it begs the question of how we as a society often treat those with mental problems. That we would rather lock them away in hopes that they stay for treatment, instead of attempting to find something much more healthy for them.
Let’s say, for example, for just a moment, that someone on this planet announces something that anyone in society would think they are crazy. Present day politicians aside, this thought actually has a basis in the movie. At the beginning, before Jeff Bridge’s character meets Prot, he’s told of this new patient to which he asks “is it Napoleon or Jesus”.
So, what if Jesus does come back? What then?
For a moment, let’s leave any argument about the validity of the Bible. Christians believe in it, atheists find it a collection of nice stories but not necessarily something we should aspire to. But let’s put all that aside for a moment. Christ lived over 2000 years ago. Let’s just examine that for a moment. Let’s say that the prophesy is true, that Christ will come back. A second coming, as it were. No arguments, for the sake of this example it’s 100% fact. Stay with me now.
For the moment, Christ comes back. I doubt that Christ would come back as some influential millionaire, because in the Bible, he was a carpenter’s son. Not a very wealthy one at that. I doubt he’s going to have a flashy occupation. This is all based on the Bible and how it describes Christ. If Christ returns, how do you think that society is going to treat him?
At best, as a mental patient.
Even the most devote Christian would most likely believe that anyone who says they are Christ in the second coming, would think immediately “this guy is nuts”. Worse still, if the man who said that was a person of colour. Or, a woman. This is how we’d treat that person.
And it does go back to the movie, in a way. Prot was so matter of fact about descriptions of his home, about his society, even down to when he was going to go back. It was quite comical, really.
More than just being entertaining, K-Pax can make you think. If you haven’t seen it, do so.
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