I knew the day would come eventually.
This past Saturday my wife woke me with the news that Sean Connery was dead. As a male growing up in the 1960’s, Connery was a huge presence in my childhood. For years I idolized him.
It all started in 1964 when my sister Karen took me to see a double feature of the first two James Bond films: “Dr. No” and “From Russia with Love.” That was it; the movies captivated my young imagination, but it was Connery’s portrayal of the suave secret agent that really captured my attention. For me, he was James Bond and I didn’t like to see him in any other roles. This early exposure to the world of Bond fueled a near-obsession that exists to this day. Strange as this may sound, my childhood was defined by a pair of cultural icons: The Beatles and James Bond.
And yet…
James Bond is an anti-hero; a man with a decidedly dark side; you might want to be him, but you certainly wouldn’t want to be friends with him. His treatment of women was cruelly misogynistic, if not downright criminal (see the barn scene in “Goldfinger,” for instance). I’ve heard people defend his behavior by saying he was just reflecting the culture of the time. That is not true: his sexist behavior was always cringe-inducing and gave a generation of men a false image of true masculinity.
This extended to Connery himself who, in a disheartening interview with Barbara Walters, admitted to hitting his wife. It was disappointing to hear him try and defend this act of violence against someone who did not match him in either size or strength. The lesson for me was be careful who you idolize, because he or she may have feet of clay.
If you’re unfamiliar with that saying, feet of clay refers to “a fundamental flaw or weakness in a person otherwise revered (Oxford Languages).” The phrase actually stems from the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, where the prophet Daniel interprets a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar:
“Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.
“The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay…As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And…so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.”
As “dazzling” as this statue was, despite its size and the image of strength it exuded, it was destined to fall because it had a weak foundation. It’s a valuable lesson. How often do we mistake image for substance? How often do we mistake bullying, violent behavior for strength?
Contrast this image of false strength from Daniel with the image Paul gives us of real strength in his letter to the Philippians:
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”
Quite a difference. Humility, love and servanthood, what many would describe as weaknesses, are strengths in God’s eyes. That’s the opposite of what our culture teaches. Rather than being avoided at all costs, these “weaknesses” are to be cultivated and celebrated.
As much as I idolized Sean Connery as James Bond, I’ve come to appreciate his role as Indiana Jones’ father even more. Professor Henry Jones was an upright, decent man who was every bit as heroic as James Bond. Striking a woman would be unimaginable to him. He reminds me a lot of my own father (also a university professor), a man of quiet strength and my model of true masculinity.
In the end, no one is perfect, we’re all a mixture of “iron and clay,” good and bad. That’s why we can’t judge one another. So, I will continue to appreciate Sean Connery’s talent and personality while not glossing over or defending his failings. I will continue to get excited about each new James Bond movie, even though my excitement stems more from nostalgia than from the quality of the movies themselves. And I will continue to seek strength through weakness.
May God bless you and keep you well. Make sure you VOTE, and don’t forget to wear your damn mask – it’s not a sign of weakness!
Divine Overtones 