Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Cardinal Sarah

With a name like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, who could resist? I had not heard about the book series by author Ransom Riggs, but within five minutes of watching the new movie, it is evident that the movie originated from a book. A good one. Reminiscent of the Harry Potter stories, this one is a delight. Clearly written for kids, the main character of the film is 16- year- old Jake who is on a mission to prove the sanity of his beloved grandfather along with his own. From childhood, Jake had listened to stories from his grandfather, appropriately named Abraham, about the island home for Miss Peregrine's refuge. A dying Abraham tells Jacob to "... find the bird in the loop on the other side of the old man's grave on September 1940, and tell them what happened."

No one believes Jake about the monsters he sees at his now dead grandfather's home. In fact, his parents take him to Dr. Golan, a psychiatrist. But it is this psychiatrist who persuades his father to take Jake to the Welsh island home of. Dr. Golan's personal agenda for helping Jake is revealed much later in the story. The 'peculiarities' of the children and Miss Peregrine herself are simply too cool to mention here. Better read or seen.

Author Riggs is a collector of other people's photographs, some of which he originally planned as a photo book. At the suggestion of his publisher, the author turned it into a 'photo narrative' released as a children's book. The book ranked first among children's book on the New York Times best seller list for close to a year.

Today we are confronted with one of the last stages of the civilization of diversion. The alternative is simple: if mankind reforms itself, it will live, but if its headlong flight persists, civilization will become a hell.

Admittedly my sudden segue into this quote from God or Nothing by Cardinal Robert Sarah feels like a non-sequitur but bear with me for a few moments; all will become clear: I hope. A mere momentary reflection on Sarah's words illuminates their ominous truth. Whether an atheist or religious, the power of Sarah's words penetrate to the core. A brief scan of popular movies and television reveals graphic violence, sex and horror that evokes if not a cringe, at least a brief aversion from the assault of the scandalous images. The destructive influence of social media and to millions world-wide is revealed in study after study.

While writing this post, I began to ponder the meaning of the word diversion and wonder if I actually understood its meaning as Cardinal Sarah is using it. Is it bigger than movies and Twitter?

Indeed it is. A quick search of the word diversion calls up the phrase "bread and circuses." One which first appeared in the satirical poems of Juvenal, a Roman writer (circa A.D. 100) trying to get the attention of his fellow citizens, to wake them up. Juvenal wrote about a people who "no longer cared about their historical birthright, civic obligations and nobility. But were rather interested solely in the laws passed by the Roman politicians; laws which gave out cheap food and entertainment to win their votes. The 'bread and circuses' offered mesmerizing entertainment, guaranteed to take one's mind off his or her problems. Therefore, those politicians who offered them won a rapid rise to power.

Sound familiar?

In thinking about why I liked this Miss Peregrine movie so much, I realize that it is as much as the absence of certain things in the movie as well as presence. There was a total absence of four-letter words, sex and graphic violence. My delight in the story was witnessing the pure creativity and imagination in action. The splendid, wholesome detail of the fantastic adventure. And the best thing about it? Riggs has written two sequels. I think Cardinal Sarah would approve.