Oh, yeah.  I’m a HUGE, HUGE fan of Wonder Woman.  Who isn’t?  She’s strong, beautiful, and caring.   She’s not jaded.  She doesn’t use her appearance to get what she wants, even though she totally could.  And, oh yeah – she’s also a demi-god who is virtually unstoppable.

When I saw the movie for the first time, however, there was just one part I wasn’t so sure about  (No, it wasn’t the fight scene with Ares). Right at the end, Wonder Woman is summing up her “point to all of this”, and what does she say?  

Love.

Love??  Love will save the world?  *sigh.  The word “love” is such a common term now, I wonder if it still holds meaning anymore.  Sure, if I keep thinking about it, she is probably talking about the love of mankind or something like that.  But how is that going to save the world?

There are times when I feel a lot like Steve, standing there in the trench, feeling like I can only do what I can – and it ain’t much.  I’m peering at the enemy line and thinking how much stronger, sturdier, and better they are at fighting the fight.  With that mindset, I “ barely gain an inch”.  I don’t get very far because fear and intimidation stops me from really trying.  Maybe I’m stronger than I believe, but I’m lacking in faith.

We cut to Wonder Woman standing there in the trenches.  She gets the rant from Steve, telling her that the field is something she cannot cross, she cannot save everyone, there’s no hope.  He ends with, “This is not what we came here to do.”  Yep, I’m feelin’ Steve.  There a pause as Wonder Woman thinks about it, then makes up her mind and turns hero by saying, “No, but it’s what I’m going to do.”

Wonder Woman climbs the ladder and it begins.  She’s got her shield, bracelets, lasso, sword, and a trench full of freaked out guys (soon to be on both sides).  A shot is fired and she deflects it easily with a bracelet.  A second shot fails to stop its target, and you can see on her face the slight smile as she lets it sink in that she’s unstoppable.  Enough casual walking, it’s time to run.  She runs as the enemy focus their efforts to stop her. They pull out the big guns, like, the biggest they have and she just knocks the huge thing away with her shield.  As their target gets closer, the amount of hits she’s taking intensifies and she stops for a moment as they use up their ammunition.  Then, having taken heart and noticing a window of opportunity, Steve and the others join in and emerge from the trench to join her on the field.  Other soldiers lunge to join, but are given strict orders to stay put.  Steve and his gaggle of guys make progress and get close enough to take out some of the main gunmen.  Chief throws a grenade and Wonder Woman is on the move again.  Suddenly those left behind in the trench see what they’ve done and they all rush out onto the field.  Wonder Woman takes a giant leap and destroys the biggest guns.  Then, rather than waste time on the little hand-to-hand, she heads for the town.  It’s just so awesome.

Am I just a giddy female happy to finally have a superhero of my own?  Or is there a chance for something more?

There are real problems facing our nation.  I want to have faith again, in myself and in you.  I’m tired of being told the limitations of how things work.  I don’t like the system in place designed to handle issues.  Winners, losers, and a lot of wasted ammunition.

It’s easy to focus on the bullets, imagining the pain of getting hit and the bleed-out.  But just like Wonder Woman, I’m armed with devices of my own that will help me deal with the difficulties.  Knowledge, care, understanding, empathy, sympathy, an open mind – these are all more than enough to deflect unkind words and misinformation.  But there’s one more thing, the key weapon we often forget.

Love.

We might not see eye to eye, we may fundamentally disagree.  It’s easy to get entrenched in certain ideologies and come to believe there is no other way.  But if we really care about each other and unify in a common love for our country, we will find a way across the battlefield.