6/19/2023 0 Comments The wishing stone wonder womanTrue discernment is always between good things. But she is able to do it because she knows what is the greater good. This much is evident from how painful it is for her to renounce her wish. ![]() This does not mean being unfeeling, but rather, having the freedom to let go of something for the sake of pursuing the greater good.ĭiana’s detachment from Steve doesn’t mean that she stops caring for him all of a sudden. This requires detachment or indifference. We must take up the things that help us do this and let go of the things that prevent us from achieving this. Ignatius writes that all created things are intended to help us grow closer to God. What ultimately allows Diana to pursue the greater good is another concept of Ignatian spirituality: detachment. Diana sees the chaos and pain around her and knows that she must give up Steve in order to do what is right. This is where discernment comes in, because true discernment is always between good things. We can attempt to do it all, motivated by the misinterpretation of magis, but that will often lead to burnout and a diminishment in our ability to do what is best. In the movie, this is because of the consequence of her wish, but in reality, we too are often faced with the choice to do what is greater. The true meaning of “magis” in Ignatian Spirituality is not “more,” but that which is “better” or “greater.” Diana’s desire to keep Steve and to help others are both good. The true meaning of “magis” in Ignatian Spirituality is not “more,” but that which is “better” or “greater.” It’s not about doing more, but about doing the greater good. She wants to be able to help people, but she also wants to keep Steve in her life. When she first realizes this, Diana is conflicted. There is only one way to regain her powers: renounce her wish and give up Steve for good. Over time she becomes weaker and weaker, and it is evident that she does not have the power that she needs to face Maxwell Lord and Cheetah. Her wish is shockingly granted.īut what she doesn’t realize is that the consequence of her wish is the diminishment of her own powers. She inadvertently makes the wish to have Steve back in her life before she even knows the power of the Dream Stone. It has been decades since she lost her love, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), and she has outlived her friends. It is obvious in the film that she feels alone. Read this next: Can Ignatian spirituality teach us to engage prayerfully in civic life?Įven Wonder Woman herself is not immune to this desire. While the initial desires of the principle characters are not necessarily bad, it is greed that corrupts these into an insatiable desire for more. It can make us think that we need to constantly take on more, do more, and even have more. “Wonder Woman 1984” shows the problem with this pursuit of more. Interpreting “magis” simply as “more” can be problematic. But it’s the true meaning of “magis” that actually helps save the day. The term is directly translated as “more,” but that interpretation is precisely part of the problem in “Wonder Woman 1984.” After all, greed, the thirst for more, is the ultimate monster of the movie. Her own goodness becomes corrupted by this desire for more and by the end of the movie she is transformed into the bloodthirsty Cheetah.įor those well-versed in Ignatian spirituality, the term “magis” should sound familiar. Her wish gives her a taste of power, and she wants more. ![]() As a consequence of wishing to be like Diana, she unintentionally gains her powers. Her original desire is to be like Diana, someone she sees as beautiful, confident, and noticed by others. His desire for more keeps taking him further from the thing that he actually wants, which is to build a life that would make his son proud of him.Īs for Minerva, she begins as a good person, although one that is clumsy and largely ignored by those around her. He becomes desperate to grant people’s wishes because with every wish granted he is able to take something for himself. Lord gains the power to grant wishes as well as the ability to take what he wants from the recipient as a consequence. He takes on the power of the Dream Stone, a relic of an ancient god of mischief that has the power to grant what one wishes at an unknown cost. It’s the true meaning of Ignatian “magis” that actually helps save the day. This drive for more is the ultimate motivator for the film’s villains. Barbara Minerva/Cheetah (Kristen Wiig), are both powerful in their own right, but there is a greater villain lurking in the background. The official villains of the movie, Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) and Dr. In each previous movie, she has faced ultra-powerful, god-like monsters, but this time the true opponent is quite different and so is the manner in which the opponent is fought. “Wonder Woman 1984” is the fourth on-screen outing for Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman.
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