Over the past several years I have written countless blurbs and essays on pop culture. Currently I am trying to stray away from that, as I am slowly realizing that obsessing over pop culture detracts from establishing Christian culture. If you are simply a vacuum sucking up the Cheerios on the floor, it will be very hard for you to turn that into a work of fine art.
However comma, I’ve decided that I want to revisit my dear friend Scott Pilgrim. The other night I was in one of my pensive moods and decided to cobble together a list of 10 books (not including the Bible) that I consider to be the most important to me; books that have shaped my worldview in some significant way or another, books that I believe to be the best things I have ever read. The list was going along very nicely at first, but then I suddenly realized that I had listed Bryan Lee O’Malley’s nerd comic with the likes of Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis and Plato. What on earth? But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.
My inclusion of Scott Pilgrim among my 10 favorite works of literature goes far beyond my love of the visual nature of the comic book medium. Yes the art is lovely; yes it is charmingly funny in an annoying little brother sort of way. But none of those things make it quote, unquote “great literature.” An excellent story is the mark of great literature. Nothing more, and nothing less.
Earlier that evening, I had gone to my weekly Bible study and we were just starting a new study on James. I realize that when many people think about the book of James, they think about the whole justification by works controversy and all that comes with it. I don’t think that’s a fair assessment of James, but that is a conversation for another time. One of the OTHER main themes of James, however, is joy. Overwhelming, pervasive joy.
Our Bible study leader challenged us to come up with a working definition of joy, and we all proceeded to toss words and ideas around. One of the things we had to deal with of course was James 1:2-3: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”
Suddenly, it dawned on me. One of the big problems we have in the church is that pastors, elders and fellow Christians will offer you platitudes and moralisms and tell you to “count it all joy, friend!” when you tell them about some tough situation you are going through. This is just wrong, and has never sat well with me.
While their exhortations to joy are all well and good… NEEDED even, they are going about it the wrong way. When I go up to someone and tell them I am having a rough time at work or school, or that I just got out of a really messy relationship, or that my best friend died, the WRONG response is for the person I am talking to give me a crap-eating grin and say: “Consider it joy, Josiah!” That will most likely result in a punch in the face.
What did they do wrong? It wasn’t them telling me to be joyful, it was them telling me to be joyful divorced from everything else. Them problem is that they said only “joy” and not “joy in context.” Because that is what I realized joy is: it is properly understanding the narrative and story that you are in. Of course, for an atheist, properly understanding the story you are in results in a rather different virtue… namely despair.
But if you understand that this moment, this pain that you are in now is part of the larger story that is meant to build you up into a well rounded and mature character, how can you not count it joy? Take Les Miserables for example: Jean Valjean goes through a lot of crap over the course of that narrative… and I mean a LOT. He’s thrown in prison, slogs through a sewer, falls off a ship, sins against others, is sinned against himself… but this is all for his glory. All of that pain and suffering becomes heroism and glory in the context of the story, which itself leads up to him showing the greatest mercy to his arch nemesis and then giving away his daughter to a deserving husband. The story is glorious, and would in NO way be the same if the pain and trials were not there as well. The story ITSELF becomes glorious and a joy.
So what on earth does all of this have to do with Scott Pilgrim? EVERYTHING. Throughout the story of Scott Pilgrim, Scott is going around beating up “bad guys” in vicious fights to the death, stars swirl, lights dance and stat points pop up in the air beside characters. It’s ridiculous and over the top in the way a mash up of Singing in the Rain and Street Fighter might me. But once you get to the sixth book, you realize that there was a method to O’Malley’s madness.
Halfway through book six, Scott goes up against his alterego: the “Nega Scott!” It’s ridiculous like most of the rest of the series, but half way through this physically personified fight between Scott and his evil nature, his old flame and pretty much only friend, Kim Pine yells at him:
“You can’t keep living like this, Scott! If you keep forgetting the mistakes you’ve made, you’re just going to keep making them!”
Suddenly, the two versions of Scott stop, melt into one… and then Scott collapses on the ground and sobs: “I remember everything.” From there the entire tone of the series changes. Scott realizes that he had become a sort of villain, using his delusions of grandeur and heroism to justify himself treating his friends like crap and jumping from one relationship to another. He realizes that he had painted himself as the protagonist of the story when he was in fact no such thing. Then, after that realization, he humbles himself, admits his failings… and then he really CAN be the protagonist.
There are many things that are trite and/or uncalled for in the Scott Pilgrim series… but the overarching narrative is not one of them. There is nothing trite about admitting you behaved like a imbecile, there is nothing trite about apologizing to your friends… there is nothing trite about giving up your eros and striving for agape.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Concerning Hobbits (Becoming an Adventurer Part III)
One of the problems with resolving to start a new adventure is of course that sudden realization that this is a pretty big deal and that it might involve blood and stuff. Blood can be fun occasionally… as long as it is not coming out of you. That is sort of the opposite of fun; although it makes for great stories afterwards.
But you can never see those stories before they happen, and your mind somehow finds the incredible ability to focus only on the negative aspects of going on an adventure. There is that temptation to just sit and plop down on your front step just after striding out the front door with so many good intentions.
Recently I read through the Hobbit to my little sister as a bedtime story over the course of three weeks or so. In addition to converting her into a Tolkien fan, I also found reading the story to be immensely convicting. Suddenly I found myself more closely related to Bilbo than ever before, his feelings on life the universe and everything. Often times during the day I find myself being sucking into the narcissistic hole of Facebook, watching my “friends” who seem to be living their lives while I... stagnate. And I'm jealous, but not nearly jealous enough to actually go and live my own life and have an adventure. "Horrible, nasty, uncomfortable things... make you late for supper!" the Baggins side of me screams.
I have grown so complacent and soft lately that the Took side of me is all but completely repressed. I no longer listen to it, and now the Baggins side is all depressed anyway, because staying in my Hobbit hole has gotten dreadfully dull. No one visits, no one really wants to since it's so gloomy in here. Every so often someone will come in from the town and make his way up my steps and knock on the door. I don't really want to answer it anymore though. For as soon as I do, they will simply let loose with a tirade of words and platitudes about what I am doing wrong. They will offer advice, books, words, pithy little sayings. None of it will help though. I know this.
The Baggins in me curls up, crosses his arms, sits on the floor and pouts. Not very polite or gracious, mind you, but he does it all the same. It's my father at the door. He wants me to go on an adventure. I continue to glower at him. He has all the audacity and spirit of a Took and all the practicality of a wizard. He is odd and I don't understand him, but all the same I cannot deny that he is a far greater hobbit than I am... sitting here moping and whining.
He's had many adventures, and I am quite sure that he has only told me a handful of all the tales he has been a part of. He's fought dragons and goblins aplenty, been in wars in far off lands, won a beautiful woman and then raised me... a little terror who now refuses to take his advice or even grace him with polite responses.
"Cheeky little sod."
I look around. That was most definitely not my father. He's off in the town planning his next adventure while I sit and sulk. It's coming.... from the Took. He had remained quite for so long that I had nearly forgotten he existed. He starts pushing me… he starts punching and kicking until I pick myself up from the front step and take another. It’s a small one, but it is a few feet further from my doorway.
As I continue to move away from my hole, the steps becoming easier… my stride becomes longer. I start to drop some of the bags I was carrying… I want to walk faster. I want to feel the grass fly between my toes like a smooth, shock-resistant carpet. I want to feel the wind howl by me like a freight train.
It has begun. This Took will have stories to tell when he returns home.
But you can never see those stories before they happen, and your mind somehow finds the incredible ability to focus only on the negative aspects of going on an adventure. There is that temptation to just sit and plop down on your front step just after striding out the front door with so many good intentions.
Recently I read through the Hobbit to my little sister as a bedtime story over the course of three weeks or so. In addition to converting her into a Tolkien fan, I also found reading the story to be immensely convicting. Suddenly I found myself more closely related to Bilbo than ever before, his feelings on life the universe and everything. Often times during the day I find myself being sucking into the narcissistic hole of Facebook, watching my “friends” who seem to be living their lives while I... stagnate. And I'm jealous, but not nearly jealous enough to actually go and live my own life and have an adventure. "Horrible, nasty, uncomfortable things... make you late for supper!" the Baggins side of me screams.
I have grown so complacent and soft lately that the Took side of me is all but completely repressed. I no longer listen to it, and now the Baggins side is all depressed anyway, because staying in my Hobbit hole has gotten dreadfully dull. No one visits, no one really wants to since it's so gloomy in here. Every so often someone will come in from the town and make his way up my steps and knock on the door. I don't really want to answer it anymore though. For as soon as I do, they will simply let loose with a tirade of words and platitudes about what I am doing wrong. They will offer advice, books, words, pithy little sayings. None of it will help though. I know this.
The Baggins in me curls up, crosses his arms, sits on the floor and pouts. Not very polite or gracious, mind you, but he does it all the same. It's my father at the door. He wants me to go on an adventure. I continue to glower at him. He has all the audacity and spirit of a Took and all the practicality of a wizard. He is odd and I don't understand him, but all the same I cannot deny that he is a far greater hobbit than I am... sitting here moping and whining.
He's had many adventures, and I am quite sure that he has only told me a handful of all the tales he has been a part of. He's fought dragons and goblins aplenty, been in wars in far off lands, won a beautiful woman and then raised me... a little terror who now refuses to take his advice or even grace him with polite responses.
"Cheeky little sod."
I look around. That was most definitely not my father. He's off in the town planning his next adventure while I sit and sulk. It's coming.... from the Took. He had remained quite for so long that I had nearly forgotten he existed. He starts pushing me… he starts punching and kicking until I pick myself up from the front step and take another. It’s a small one, but it is a few feet further from my doorway.
As I continue to move away from my hole, the steps becoming easier… my stride becomes longer. I start to drop some of the bags I was carrying… I want to walk faster. I want to feel the grass fly between my toes like a smooth, shock-resistant carpet. I want to feel the wind howl by me like a freight train.
It has begun. This Took will have stories to tell when he returns home.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
How to Eat Humble Pie (Becoming an Adventurer Part II)
Gaining a taste for adventure, the real kind that actually kind of hurts, did not actually come about simply through me walking into a video store one day. Although that might make for a great joke (A guy walks into a video store…), now if only I could come up with a punch line. My desire for change that led me to view a video store with discomfort and frustration began about two weeks before that. It began surprisingly enough through my own parents.
Coming back from your worst semester of college ever is sort of like coming to anchor after months in hurricane-torn, shark-infested waters. And like a sailor who has spent too much time at sea in a boat, I had to regain some perspective and get my landlegs back. I had to chop off the wiry mane of hair, clean up the language that is more acceptable around rough and ready deck hands, and learn how to act like a civilized humanbeing again.
Suddenly this has become much less metaphorical.
Anyway, I had fallen so far off the map that even though I made an effort to crack open a Bible everyday, I was just flipping pages and gleaning nothing. I had all but forgotten how to study my own Bible. In my self-absorbed stupor I had been programmed to look at anything and everything as a tool that might be able to pull me out of the hole I had dug. It didn’t matter if it was a DVD, a friend or Scripture… things were only of use to me if they were able to make me feel better NOW.
Silly me, I had forgotten that Scripture doesn’t work like that.
Upon returning home for Christmas, it became immediately clear to my parents how far gone I had become and started to take measures of intervention. The first week I was back my dad sat me down for a much-needed verbal thrashing. My mom, however, always the yin to his yang, bought me an 8 week Bible study, so that I would regulate my study time and perhaps regain an understanding of how to study Scripture.
One of the first verses that I stumbled upon in the study was Matthew 6:33, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” And suddenly it dawned on me that I was going about the whole operation backwards. I had spent all my time seeking MY kingdom and MY righteousness and hoping that all the “God things” would be added unto me later without all that nasty business of actually pursuing God.
Well that methodology had been working out GREAT for me so far. And by great I mean that it had driven me into one of the deepest depressions that I have ever known.
Aristotle was right, we are all looking for happiness, and the first 9 books of his Ethics are correct in deriving that happiness from relationships. But then Aristotle contradicts himself in book 10 where he all but denies the previous 9 books and says that man derives true and lasting happiness from sitting and being a thinking being like “god.”
This makes sense in a Greek mindset, because there is a disconnect in Greek philosophy. The world that they see around them is relational, but the god that they worship is a thinking god, not a relational one… so there is that tension woven into their very worldview.
But my worldview is NOT that way. I should know better. God has from the beginning of time been a relational God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He knows what true joy really is. And here I was denying that He could REALLY know what true joy was. Because I wasn’t happy, I thought that He must not have known what He was doing.
It should have been a bit obvious what the problem was. I was not living as a relational being in a relational world, of COURSE I wasn’t happy. On top of this I was choosing my own will over the will of the ultimate relational being. Talk about dumb, huh?
It’s a bit humbling realizing that you’ve become the villain; that you’ve become one of those Pharisees who knows the Scriptures inside and out and yet derives absolutely no joy or truth from them, but only seeks to twist them to your own ends.
Plato’s analogy of the cave is very apt. After spending so much time in the dark of one’s self, coming out into the light of fellowship with God and other people really is like stepping out into the bright noonday sun after years in a cave.
And what you see in the sunlight, that is perhaps the most surprising thing of all.
Coming back from your worst semester of college ever is sort of like coming to anchor after months in hurricane-torn, shark-infested waters. And like a sailor who has spent too much time at sea in a boat, I had to regain some perspective and get my landlegs back. I had to chop off the wiry mane of hair, clean up the language that is more acceptable around rough and ready deck hands, and learn how to act like a civilized humanbeing again.
Suddenly this has become much less metaphorical.
Anyway, I had fallen so far off the map that even though I made an effort to crack open a Bible everyday, I was just flipping pages and gleaning nothing. I had all but forgotten how to study my own Bible. In my self-absorbed stupor I had been programmed to look at anything and everything as a tool that might be able to pull me out of the hole I had dug. It didn’t matter if it was a DVD, a friend or Scripture… things were only of use to me if they were able to make me feel better NOW.
Silly me, I had forgotten that Scripture doesn’t work like that.
Upon returning home for Christmas, it became immediately clear to my parents how far gone I had become and started to take measures of intervention. The first week I was back my dad sat me down for a much-needed verbal thrashing. My mom, however, always the yin to his yang, bought me an 8 week Bible study, so that I would regulate my study time and perhaps regain an understanding of how to study Scripture.
One of the first verses that I stumbled upon in the study was Matthew 6:33, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” And suddenly it dawned on me that I was going about the whole operation backwards. I had spent all my time seeking MY kingdom and MY righteousness and hoping that all the “God things” would be added unto me later without all that nasty business of actually pursuing God.
Well that methodology had been working out GREAT for me so far. And by great I mean that it had driven me into one of the deepest depressions that I have ever known.
Aristotle was right, we are all looking for happiness, and the first 9 books of his Ethics are correct in deriving that happiness from relationships. But then Aristotle contradicts himself in book 10 where he all but denies the previous 9 books and says that man derives true and lasting happiness from sitting and being a thinking being like “god.”
This makes sense in a Greek mindset, because there is a disconnect in Greek philosophy. The world that they see around them is relational, but the god that they worship is a thinking god, not a relational one… so there is that tension woven into their very worldview.
But my worldview is NOT that way. I should know better. God has from the beginning of time been a relational God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He knows what true joy really is. And here I was denying that He could REALLY know what true joy was. Because I wasn’t happy, I thought that He must not have known what He was doing.
It should have been a bit obvious what the problem was. I was not living as a relational being in a relational world, of COURSE I wasn’t happy. On top of this I was choosing my own will over the will of the ultimate relational being. Talk about dumb, huh?
It’s a bit humbling realizing that you’ve become the villain; that you’ve become one of those Pharisees who knows the Scriptures inside and out and yet derives absolutely no joy or truth from them, but only seeks to twist them to your own ends.
Plato’s analogy of the cave is very apt. After spending so much time in the dark of one’s self, coming out into the light of fellowship with God and other people really is like stepping out into the bright noonday sun after years in a cave.
And what you see in the sunlight, that is perhaps the most surprising thing of all.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Movie Review: The Descendants
Every once in a long while, you come across a movie that you simply cannot describe in terms of other films. The Descendants is one of those movies. The Descendants is like eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crusts cut off, just like your deceased grandmother used to make for you. It is simple and homey, yet extremely melancholy. That is the Descendants in a nutshell.
(WARNING: SPOILERS TO FOLLOW)
The Descendants begins with a woman (Elizabeth) getting into a boating accident. Her husband Matt King (played by a very weary George Clooney) is one of the last direct descendants of King Kamehameha (hence the title) and is in position of one of the last virgin pieces of Hawaii real estate. The extended family is all eager for him to sell it so that they can all make millions, but King, as the sole owner of the property, is the only one with the authority to sell it. Now his wife is in a coma, and he is trying to reconnect with his rather prickly daughters, while at the same time trying to cut a deal to sell off the land.
But, as the adage goes, “when it rains it pours.” The doctors inform King that his wife has entered a vegetative state, and that she will never come out of a coma. There is nothing to do but pull the plug and say goodbye. After picking his daughter Alexandra up from a reform school so that they can all spend some time together to say goodbye to Mom, Alex informs her dad that she hated Mom because she was cheating on him.
So begins an emotional journey that in text seems like anything BUT uplifting. Yet somehow it is. Granted, it is not a movie that you watch when you want to just kick back. It is nowhere near a feel good movie. But it is still a good movie. It is a movie that you watch when you want to be reminded of certain truths in this live… similar to “It’s a Wonderful Life,” only in reverse. There we go, I suppose I finally was able to compare The Descendants to another film: it is “It’s a Wonderful Life” in reverse. Things start bad and slowly begin to get better, and Clooney builds a wonderful life out of one where he had built a foundation for failure.
He was more dedicated to his job that to his wife, he did not "have time" to spend with his daughters, he resigned himself to the fact that his daughter Alex would simply become rebellious and reckless like his wife instead of loving her and caring for her. Suddenly, he realizes that he is the only one these girls have to rely on. He is there father, and he has a duty to preform.
One of the most powerful scenes in the movie revolves around the wife of the man Elizabeth was sleeping with visiting her in the hospital. Matt is there and watches as the woman proclaims that she refuses to let Elizabeth ruin her marriage and that even though part of her doesn’t want to, she forgives her. Matt, who has until this point stubbornly refused to forgive his comatose wife, looks at the woman and asked: “Why? Why did you forgive her?”
“Because I had to,” she replies.
And that, in the end, is what The Descendants is all about: earthshattering, life-altering forgiveness. Forgiveness when it hurts, forgiveness till you bleed… because living as a vengeful, angry, bitter person is no way to live. We forgive because that is the only true way for humans to live in fellowship with one another.
(WARNING: SPOILERS TO FOLLOW)
The Descendants begins with a woman (Elizabeth) getting into a boating accident. Her husband Matt King (played by a very weary George Clooney) is one of the last direct descendants of King Kamehameha (hence the title) and is in position of one of the last virgin pieces of Hawaii real estate. The extended family is all eager for him to sell it so that they can all make millions, but King, as the sole owner of the property, is the only one with the authority to sell it. Now his wife is in a coma, and he is trying to reconnect with his rather prickly daughters, while at the same time trying to cut a deal to sell off the land.
But, as the adage goes, “when it rains it pours.” The doctors inform King that his wife has entered a vegetative state, and that she will never come out of a coma. There is nothing to do but pull the plug and say goodbye. After picking his daughter Alexandra up from a reform school so that they can all spend some time together to say goodbye to Mom, Alex informs her dad that she hated Mom because she was cheating on him.
So begins an emotional journey that in text seems like anything BUT uplifting. Yet somehow it is. Granted, it is not a movie that you watch when you want to just kick back. It is nowhere near a feel good movie. But it is still a good movie. It is a movie that you watch when you want to be reminded of certain truths in this live… similar to “It’s a Wonderful Life,” only in reverse. There we go, I suppose I finally was able to compare The Descendants to another film: it is “It’s a Wonderful Life” in reverse. Things start bad and slowly begin to get better, and Clooney builds a wonderful life out of one where he had built a foundation for failure.
He was more dedicated to his job that to his wife, he did not "have time" to spend with his daughters, he resigned himself to the fact that his daughter Alex would simply become rebellious and reckless like his wife instead of loving her and caring for her. Suddenly, he realizes that he is the only one these girls have to rely on. He is there father, and he has a duty to preform.
One of the most powerful scenes in the movie revolves around the wife of the man Elizabeth was sleeping with visiting her in the hospital. Matt is there and watches as the woman proclaims that she refuses to let Elizabeth ruin her marriage and that even though part of her doesn’t want to, she forgives her. Matt, who has until this point stubbornly refused to forgive his comatose wife, looks at the woman and asked: “Why? Why did you forgive her?”
“Because I had to,” she replies.
And that, in the end, is what The Descendants is all about: earthshattering, life-altering forgiveness. Forgiveness when it hurts, forgiveness till you bleed… because living as a vengeful, angry, bitter person is no way to live. We forgive because that is the only true way for humans to live in fellowship with one another.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
FEED ME! (Becoming an Adventurer Part I)
I spend a lot of time in video stores. I have probably spent hours upon hours in them; perhaps even as much time as a stay at home parent might spend at their local grocery store. This never struck me as abnormal until a day ago.
After 3 fun filled weeks with family and friends, the last week of my winter break was upon me and my family had all but returned to their everyday routine. Dad was back at work, the girls were headed out of town and my mom and her own dad were headed on a short holiday to DC. For the first time in 3 whole weeks I was going to be on my own again. Naturally I didn’t want to spend the majority of the next 48 hours alone in a big empty house, so I hit the town.
In between lunch and heading to a movie theater, I stopped in an FYE (For Your Entertainment). It is one of the largest I have ever been in, and I used to frequent it when I was a permanent fixture of the Hampton Roads area. Upon walking in I stopped and felt suddenly overwhelmed. It might have been that I was tired, or maybe I have just been hypersensitive about entertainment lately; but for whatever reason, when I walked in the door, I lost all desire to look for individual items, whether they were movies, music or video games. I was suddenly looking at the store as a whole, and all I could say was:
“Why?”
Why do we need stores that have as large a variety of movies as we do of food? In fact, there was probably a larger variety of sitcoms on DVD in that store than there are kinds of produce at the Farm Fresh around the corner.
Dizziness overwhelmed me as I realized that I had been part of this. I suck in movies often without thinking. Sure, I keep up a veneer of holiness to hide how much I am consuming, but that is something akin to a man who is 200 pounds overweight telling you that he only eats so much because he wants to tell you what kinds of food are good. He is not a cook, he is not demonstrating that he has actually learned anything about good food or how to make it… only that he enjoys eating and he does it with disregard to how it is effecting him.
The scary thing is that in America the way food and movies are sold and consumed is not so different anymore. A shiny, glossy cover can make a tidy little profit whether it’s carrots or Caddyshack. People buy Ho Hos and porn for the same reason… they taste good, even if they both make you feel like you want to vomit an hour after consumption. What is scarier is that an HBO show can now become “critically acclaimed” simply by containing gratuitous amounts of violence and sex, causing it be suddenly be “edgy” and/or “gritty,” even though underneath all that it is just another soap opera. This has already begun to bleed over into the world of food, with foods that are absolutely crap for you to eat getting actual stickers that proclaim that they have received awards like “BEST TASTING” or “CHIEFS’ CHOICE AWARD.” Yes… things are getting that ridiculous.
Just today I was returning some things to a Best Buy around the corner from me and got suckered into that very “ooh! Shiny!” syndrome that we all fall into so easily in the internet age. Do I not know that Satan is the Prince of Light? Do I not know that covers deceive? “That sin looks so hot!” one might say. And Mark Driscoll might retort: “Yeah… but so is hell.”
Anyway, I had all this money from the returns, so my consumeristic self decided that I show blow the money immediately. On what? Is always the next question. Well, it was new release Tuesday. (Yes, I am so consumed with my need for new stuff that I know that in the USA new movies, music and books are always released on Tuesdays.) The new HBO show Boardwalk Empire had just been released on DVD and a free preview of the show Game of Thrones came with it for a limited time. The covers looked pretty, Steve Buscemi was in it, it had won 8 Emmys. It must be good… right? RIGHT?
Well, I bought it and took it home, only to look up the content rating in IMDB. The show was filled with foul language… more than most R rated movies contain, full frontal nudity (male and female), and buckets of blood and brain bashing. On an HBO show? No way? You’ve gotta be joking! (/sarcasm)
I promptly went back and returned the DVD set and got the movie Moon instead, which I had actually been looking for for months and which was nowhere near an impulse buy. It still might have been better had I simply returned Boardwalk Empire and walked right out of the store, but there you have it.
And now I’m sitting here still thinking, “Why? Why has this been so important to me? How on earth did I let my standards drop so much? I almost exposed myself to… ick.”
And then I think a little bit more and I realize that I have been living vicariously through storytellers… like many of my peers have. We are too afraid to have our own adventures, so we watch other peoples’. And suddenly I come to a simple and yet monumental conclusion: it is time for me to have my own adventure.
After 3 fun filled weeks with family and friends, the last week of my winter break was upon me and my family had all but returned to their everyday routine. Dad was back at work, the girls were headed out of town and my mom and her own dad were headed on a short holiday to DC. For the first time in 3 whole weeks I was going to be on my own again. Naturally I didn’t want to spend the majority of the next 48 hours alone in a big empty house, so I hit the town.
In between lunch and heading to a movie theater, I stopped in an FYE (For Your Entertainment). It is one of the largest I have ever been in, and I used to frequent it when I was a permanent fixture of the Hampton Roads area. Upon walking in I stopped and felt suddenly overwhelmed. It might have been that I was tired, or maybe I have just been hypersensitive about entertainment lately; but for whatever reason, when I walked in the door, I lost all desire to look for individual items, whether they were movies, music or video games. I was suddenly looking at the store as a whole, and all I could say was:
“Why?”
Why do we need stores that have as large a variety of movies as we do of food? In fact, there was probably a larger variety of sitcoms on DVD in that store than there are kinds of produce at the Farm Fresh around the corner.
Dizziness overwhelmed me as I realized that I had been part of this. I suck in movies often without thinking. Sure, I keep up a veneer of holiness to hide how much I am consuming, but that is something akin to a man who is 200 pounds overweight telling you that he only eats so much because he wants to tell you what kinds of food are good. He is not a cook, he is not demonstrating that he has actually learned anything about good food or how to make it… only that he enjoys eating and he does it with disregard to how it is effecting him.
The scary thing is that in America the way food and movies are sold and consumed is not so different anymore. A shiny, glossy cover can make a tidy little profit whether it’s carrots or Caddyshack. People buy Ho Hos and porn for the same reason… they taste good, even if they both make you feel like you want to vomit an hour after consumption. What is scarier is that an HBO show can now become “critically acclaimed” simply by containing gratuitous amounts of violence and sex, causing it be suddenly be “edgy” and/or “gritty,” even though underneath all that it is just another soap opera. This has already begun to bleed over into the world of food, with foods that are absolutely crap for you to eat getting actual stickers that proclaim that they have received awards like “BEST TASTING” or “CHIEFS’ CHOICE AWARD.” Yes… things are getting that ridiculous.
Just today I was returning some things to a Best Buy around the corner from me and got suckered into that very “ooh! Shiny!” syndrome that we all fall into so easily in the internet age. Do I not know that Satan is the Prince of Light? Do I not know that covers deceive? “That sin looks so hot!” one might say. And Mark Driscoll might retort: “Yeah… but so is hell.”
Anyway, I had all this money from the returns, so my consumeristic self decided that I show blow the money immediately. On what? Is always the next question. Well, it was new release Tuesday. (Yes, I am so consumed with my need for new stuff that I know that in the USA new movies, music and books are always released on Tuesdays.) The new HBO show Boardwalk Empire had just been released on DVD and a free preview of the show Game of Thrones came with it for a limited time. The covers looked pretty, Steve Buscemi was in it, it had won 8 Emmys. It must be good… right? RIGHT?
Well, I bought it and took it home, only to look up the content rating in IMDB. The show was filled with foul language… more than most R rated movies contain, full frontal nudity (male and female), and buckets of blood and brain bashing. On an HBO show? No way? You’ve gotta be joking! (/sarcasm)
I promptly went back and returned the DVD set and got the movie Moon instead, which I had actually been looking for for months and which was nowhere near an impulse buy. It still might have been better had I simply returned Boardwalk Empire and walked right out of the store, but there you have it.
And now I’m sitting here still thinking, “Why? Why has this been so important to me? How on earth did I let my standards drop so much? I almost exposed myself to… ick.”
And then I think a little bit more and I realize that I have been living vicariously through storytellers… like many of my peers have. We are too afraid to have our own adventures, so we watch other peoples’. And suddenly I come to a simple and yet monumental conclusion: it is time for me to have my own adventure.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Best and Worst Films of 2011
OK, so I've given you my thoughts about two of this past year's films, and I think it's time to move onto the others. So here it is, my votes for the best and worst films of 2011.
First up we have the
Biggest Disappointments:
-Harry Potter 8: After the first part of Deathly Hallows was released a year ago I was very excited. Deathly Hallows pt 1 was everything I was hoping it would be. Yates had finally captured the tone perfectly. The scene where Ron was required to destroy the one horcrux in the woods was particularly haunting. But with the last installment, I realized it just didn't pack enough punch. I mean... it wasn't BAD, but it should have been one of the best movies of the year... and it just wasn't. I will always remain a fan of the books, but I am saddened by how the last film just sort of fizzled. I guess it just goes to show that a film rarely lives up to the imagination of a piece of literature.
-Pirates 4: This was just sad. There was one good fight scene between the mermaids and Blackbeard's crew... but that was it. Other than that, it was just the same old tomfoolery that we saw in the second and third movies. I wanted this movie to have heart... but no, it didn't. Also it basically says at the end that love = mercy killing. Thanks Pirates of the Caribbean, I feel like that was a perfect metaphor. :P
-Hoodwinked 2: Two words: fart jokes. It's like taking the original movie and giving it a swirly. It defiles the very memory of the first movie, which I now have to remind myself that it was actually GOOD.
-Green Hornet: The epitome of forgettable. It wasn't really a bad movie, but neither was it good. It's one of those movies that you don't necessarily walk out of, but when it's over you begin to wonder "why did I watch that again?"
-The Three Musketeers: Similar to the Green Hornet. Not a terrible film... it was just... yeah. The script was pretty painful. At least it got better towards the end were the film basically began screaming: "I KNOW THAT I'M RIDICULOUS! SO GUESS WHAT?!?!?!? AIRSHIPS!!!!!!!!!"
-Immortals: I am a big fan the swords and sandals epic. And while this one was fun, it was less than it should have been. It wasn't as sweeping as Ben Hur, nor was it as bombastic as 300. Kind of reminds me of Revelation 3:16: "So because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth."
-Sherlock Holmes 2: I already dealt with this one the other day. Like I said, not enough heart.
Now for some of the honorable mentions
Trippiest Movie: Sucker Punch: This one got a bad-wrap, I realize that. But it was among the films that surprised me most. I mean, I knew that it wasn't going to be a great movies... and it wasn't by any means. I felt like I was on something for most of the time that I was watching it. But neither is it some sort of exploitation film that was created to belittle women. In fact, the end almost made up for the rest of the weirdness of the film. I have to give Snyder points... the man knows exactly what he's doing.
Best Documentary: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold: I really love Morgan Spurlock; not only is he a very funny fellow, but he knows how to make a fine documentary and then turn it into an event. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is scathing and hilarious and will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about advertising, much like Spurlock did with fast food not too long ago.
Best Christmas Movie: Arthur Christmas: To be honest, this isn't really a Christmas movie. Well, it TECHNICALLY is, but it is way more than that. Christmas sort of serves as the trapping of the movie; it's fun, bubbly exterior. The real heart of the movie is a treaties on family that made me weep openly in the theater. I won't spoil it, but I loved this movie.
Honorable Mentions: X-Men First Class, Winnie the Pooh, Rango, Fast Five (These are are really good, but not quite good enough for me to go into detail about each one. Diverting and entertaining. All worth seeing once on a rainy day.)
Now.... for the list, starting at 10th favorite and working our way up:
10- Captain America: By far the best superhero movie of the year. The fact that they kept it a period piece (something which X-Men First Class neglected to do) was a plus. Chris Evans plays a fantastic all around great guy, and hence makes a perfect Captain America. As one movie critic put it: "it's patriotic without being preachy." Worth seeing even if you aren't a superhero fan.
9- Fright Night: I have not yet seen the original, even though it is sitting on my movie shelf at home. But in the wake of the long dark that is Twilight, Fright Night comes like the first rays of dawn. The fact that it was written by one of the writers of Buffy just solidifies it in the realm of fun, while sticking to classic vampire lore (they burn in sunlight, they don't sparkle, they eat people, they are not nice, they are ravenous monsters). It's just a total blast from beginning to end. Recommended for monster movie buffs.
8- Super 8: I sort of feel like I am required to like this one, as I actually know the guy who plays the lead. It's really trippy seeing the guy you used to go to Friday Morning Prayer breakfast with on the silver screen. Regardless, that is not why Super 8 is in my top 10. It's here because it is a fantastic movie. The train wreck is one of the most electric and explosive scenes I have seen at the movies all year. The cast they picked is fantastic and as the film progresses, you get to see more and more layers to each character peeled back. Spielberg definitely brought out the best in JJ Abrams in this one.
7- Drive: Talk about tone shift. My head was spinning after this movie. Bloody revenge flick, gangster movie, romance, drama, triller, car flick (duh), 80s movie??? It's ridiculous, violent, heartfelt, warm, hopeful, dangerous and filled with 80s techno. This is one of those movies you chew on. Definitely not for the faint of heart. This one is more Tarantino than Tron. So just be warned about what you are getting yourself into. Bullitt meets arthouse meets Kill Bill.
6- Mission Impossible 4: I've already discussed this one, but it bears repeating. Best globetrotting popcorn flick of the year. Explosions, tests of loyalty, cool gadgets, more explosions. Won't ruin the ending... but it's good.
5-Bridesmaids: Yes, this is number five. I am as surprised as you are. The jokes are over the top, and this is not a family film. But I was very surprised as how candid it was about the problem of free sex and how it degrades women and doesn't give them what they want at all. Parts of the movie are almost physically painful to watch, especially how Kristen Wiig's "boyfriend" treats her like some plaything that has no real emotions. That makes the appearance of Chris O'Dowd from the "IT Crowd" all that more powerful. He's an openhearted sweet guy who treats Wiig like a lady and helps her realize what a healthy relationship is supposed to look like. The film boarders on falling into being a sex comedy, while at the same time beating the snot out of the genre and spitting in its face. Wiig is fantastic.
4- Kung Fu Panda 2: Best animated movie of the year. Like Arthur Christmas, this one made me cry in the theater... audibly. Jack Black has found his calling. Years from now, when people mention his name, it won't be Tropic Thunder or Nacho Libre or Tenacious D that people remember... it will be the Kung Fu Panda series. This movie blows the first one out of the water. It's not just a good animated film, it's a fantastic comedy, action flick and yes, it is even an amazing kung fu movie.
3- The Muppets: Who thought that we would ever see the Muppets in theaters again? Yet here they are. And yes, they constantly point at themselves and laugh at the how obsolete they have become and how ridiculous it is that they are forcing their way into the public consciousness again. I have reviewed this one already too, but it is just that good. It's a movie that proclaims boldly that "it's ok to be goofy and laugh a lot. In order to be relevant you don't have to be 'dark and gritty.'"
2- Rise of the Planet of the Apes: This movie was so good that I actually went back and rewatched it just a day after I watched it the first time. In fact, just talking about it makes me want to watch it again... right now. Going in I thought that the whole evolution issue might be a problem and that the film might be preachy... but it isn't. If you watch it with your kids (and don't worry, this is a totally kid friendly film aside from a few scary scenes), you may still want to have a discussion about the idea of evolution and how it has influenced modern American culture. But as I said, that comes in very little. More than anything else, Rise is just concerned about having a fantastic time. If the film is preachy about anything, it is that we ought to be careful about how we take dominion and that it does not turn into domination... I can totally get on board with that. Also: Andy Serkis is fantastic. Every scene he is in blew my mind... which was pretty much the whole movie. Worth buying and keeping next to your DVD player.
1- Attack the Block: I. LOVED. THIS. MOVIE. Yes, it's a monster movie, and yes the accents are a bit hard to understand. (If it's really all that hard, you can always turn on the subtitles.) But this movie is so much more than the sum of its parts. Now that I think about it, Attack the Block is very similar to Super 8 in a lot of ways (alien monsters, troop of kids, etc), but it is the execution that makes all the difference. Little bits like script, actor choice, cinematography and monster effects really take Attack the Block to a new level. This is one of those movies that makes you want to stand up a cheer. Worth seeing more than once.
(Random footnotes: Not going to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Read the book, that was enough. Have now seen Hanna and The Descendants. Both good. Might review later. Also forgot to add Trollhunter to my list of favorites. Would probably give it best non-English film. Still have not seen The Artist yet. Planning on catching it later in the next few months.)
All for now,
JSTT
First up we have the
Biggest Disappointments:
-Harry Potter 8: After the first part of Deathly Hallows was released a year ago I was very excited. Deathly Hallows pt 1 was everything I was hoping it would be. Yates had finally captured the tone perfectly. The scene where Ron was required to destroy the one horcrux in the woods was particularly haunting. But with the last installment, I realized it just didn't pack enough punch. I mean... it wasn't BAD, but it should have been one of the best movies of the year... and it just wasn't. I will always remain a fan of the books, but I am saddened by how the last film just sort of fizzled. I guess it just goes to show that a film rarely lives up to the imagination of a piece of literature.
-Pirates 4: This was just sad. There was one good fight scene between the mermaids and Blackbeard's crew... but that was it. Other than that, it was just the same old tomfoolery that we saw in the second and third movies. I wanted this movie to have heart... but no, it didn't. Also it basically says at the end that love = mercy killing. Thanks Pirates of the Caribbean, I feel like that was a perfect metaphor. :P
-Hoodwinked 2: Two words: fart jokes. It's like taking the original movie and giving it a swirly. It defiles the very memory of the first movie, which I now have to remind myself that it was actually GOOD.
-Green Hornet: The epitome of forgettable. It wasn't really a bad movie, but neither was it good. It's one of those movies that you don't necessarily walk out of, but when it's over you begin to wonder "why did I watch that again?"
-The Three Musketeers: Similar to the Green Hornet. Not a terrible film... it was just... yeah. The script was pretty painful. At least it got better towards the end were the film basically began screaming: "I KNOW THAT I'M RIDICULOUS! SO GUESS WHAT?!?!?!? AIRSHIPS!!!!!!!!!"
-Immortals: I am a big fan the swords and sandals epic. And while this one was fun, it was less than it should have been. It wasn't as sweeping as Ben Hur, nor was it as bombastic as 300. Kind of reminds me of Revelation 3:16: "So because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth."
-Sherlock Holmes 2: I already dealt with this one the other day. Like I said, not enough heart.
Now for some of the honorable mentions
Trippiest Movie: Sucker Punch: This one got a bad-wrap, I realize that. But it was among the films that surprised me most. I mean, I knew that it wasn't going to be a great movies... and it wasn't by any means. I felt like I was on something for most of the time that I was watching it. But neither is it some sort of exploitation film that was created to belittle women. In fact, the end almost made up for the rest of the weirdness of the film. I have to give Snyder points... the man knows exactly what he's doing.
Best Documentary: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold: I really love Morgan Spurlock; not only is he a very funny fellow, but he knows how to make a fine documentary and then turn it into an event. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is scathing and hilarious and will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about advertising, much like Spurlock did with fast food not too long ago.
Best Christmas Movie: Arthur Christmas: To be honest, this isn't really a Christmas movie. Well, it TECHNICALLY is, but it is way more than that. Christmas sort of serves as the trapping of the movie; it's fun, bubbly exterior. The real heart of the movie is a treaties on family that made me weep openly in the theater. I won't spoil it, but I loved this movie.
Honorable Mentions: X-Men First Class, Winnie the Pooh, Rango, Fast Five (These are are really good, but not quite good enough for me to go into detail about each one. Diverting and entertaining. All worth seeing once on a rainy day.)
Now.... for the list, starting at 10th favorite and working our way up:
10- Captain America: By far the best superhero movie of the year. The fact that they kept it a period piece (something which X-Men First Class neglected to do) was a plus. Chris Evans plays a fantastic all around great guy, and hence makes a perfect Captain America. As one movie critic put it: "it's patriotic without being preachy." Worth seeing even if you aren't a superhero fan.
9- Fright Night: I have not yet seen the original, even though it is sitting on my movie shelf at home. But in the wake of the long dark that is Twilight, Fright Night comes like the first rays of dawn. The fact that it was written by one of the writers of Buffy just solidifies it in the realm of fun, while sticking to classic vampire lore (they burn in sunlight, they don't sparkle, they eat people, they are not nice, they are ravenous monsters). It's just a total blast from beginning to end. Recommended for monster movie buffs.
8- Super 8: I sort of feel like I am required to like this one, as I actually know the guy who plays the lead. It's really trippy seeing the guy you used to go to Friday Morning Prayer breakfast with on the silver screen. Regardless, that is not why Super 8 is in my top 10. It's here because it is a fantastic movie. The train wreck is one of the most electric and explosive scenes I have seen at the movies all year. The cast they picked is fantastic and as the film progresses, you get to see more and more layers to each character peeled back. Spielberg definitely brought out the best in JJ Abrams in this one.
7- Drive: Talk about tone shift. My head was spinning after this movie. Bloody revenge flick, gangster movie, romance, drama, triller, car flick (duh), 80s movie??? It's ridiculous, violent, heartfelt, warm, hopeful, dangerous and filled with 80s techno. This is one of those movies you chew on. Definitely not for the faint of heart. This one is more Tarantino than Tron. So just be warned about what you are getting yourself into. Bullitt meets arthouse meets Kill Bill.
6- Mission Impossible 4: I've already discussed this one, but it bears repeating. Best globetrotting popcorn flick of the year. Explosions, tests of loyalty, cool gadgets, more explosions. Won't ruin the ending... but it's good.
5-Bridesmaids: Yes, this is number five. I am as surprised as you are. The jokes are over the top, and this is not a family film. But I was very surprised as how candid it was about the problem of free sex and how it degrades women and doesn't give them what they want at all. Parts of the movie are almost physically painful to watch, especially how Kristen Wiig's "boyfriend" treats her like some plaything that has no real emotions. That makes the appearance of Chris O'Dowd from the "IT Crowd" all that more powerful. He's an openhearted sweet guy who treats Wiig like a lady and helps her realize what a healthy relationship is supposed to look like. The film boarders on falling into being a sex comedy, while at the same time beating the snot out of the genre and spitting in its face. Wiig is fantastic.
4- Kung Fu Panda 2: Best animated movie of the year. Like Arthur Christmas, this one made me cry in the theater... audibly. Jack Black has found his calling. Years from now, when people mention his name, it won't be Tropic Thunder or Nacho Libre or Tenacious D that people remember... it will be the Kung Fu Panda series. This movie blows the first one out of the water. It's not just a good animated film, it's a fantastic comedy, action flick and yes, it is even an amazing kung fu movie.
3- The Muppets: Who thought that we would ever see the Muppets in theaters again? Yet here they are. And yes, they constantly point at themselves and laugh at the how obsolete they have become and how ridiculous it is that they are forcing their way into the public consciousness again. I have reviewed this one already too, but it is just that good. It's a movie that proclaims boldly that "it's ok to be goofy and laugh a lot. In order to be relevant you don't have to be 'dark and gritty.'"
2- Rise of the Planet of the Apes: This movie was so good that I actually went back and rewatched it just a day after I watched it the first time. In fact, just talking about it makes me want to watch it again... right now. Going in I thought that the whole evolution issue might be a problem and that the film might be preachy... but it isn't. If you watch it with your kids (and don't worry, this is a totally kid friendly film aside from a few scary scenes), you may still want to have a discussion about the idea of evolution and how it has influenced modern American culture. But as I said, that comes in very little. More than anything else, Rise is just concerned about having a fantastic time. If the film is preachy about anything, it is that we ought to be careful about how we take dominion and that it does not turn into domination... I can totally get on board with that. Also: Andy Serkis is fantastic. Every scene he is in blew my mind... which was pretty much the whole movie. Worth buying and keeping next to your DVD player.
1- Attack the Block: I. LOVED. THIS. MOVIE. Yes, it's a monster movie, and yes the accents are a bit hard to understand. (If it's really all that hard, you can always turn on the subtitles.) But this movie is so much more than the sum of its parts. Now that I think about it, Attack the Block is very similar to Super 8 in a lot of ways (alien monsters, troop of kids, etc), but it is the execution that makes all the difference. Little bits like script, actor choice, cinematography and monster effects really take Attack the Block to a new level. This is one of those movies that makes you want to stand up a cheer. Worth seeing more than once.
(Random footnotes: Not going to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Read the book, that was enough. Have now seen Hanna and The Descendants. Both good. Might review later. Also forgot to add Trollhunter to my list of favorites. Would probably give it best non-English film. Still have not seen The Artist yet. Planning on catching it later in the next few months.)
All for now,
JSTT
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New Year(s)
2012, the year I graduate, the year the world ends, the year that many people will die and many more will be born. A year that I have been looking forward to for a rather long time.
New Year's, a holiday, which like snow and rain and other such cleansing precipitation reminds me and many others of fresh starts. Where we reevaluate our lives and the direction that we have been going in and try to make drastic changes overnight in hopes that this time it will FINALLY be different and we will FINALLY have the fortitude to keep the promises we've made to ourselves. Deep down we know that this will not be the case, but humans are a forever optimistic bunch and love to fool themselves.
To be honest, New Year's has always felt like a very hollow holiday to me. Sometimes I am convinced that the only real reason that Americans keep it around is so that they can justify saying "Happy Holidays" around this particular portion of the winter. If New Years were suddenly to stop existing, they might be forced to start saying "Merry Christmas" again. The horror!
I suppose that if New Year's went away we would simply make a holiday revolving around football. My dad cheers on the Browns from his iPad as they go against the Steelers. 5 seconds left for a touchdown and they win. Will they? WILL THEY?! Oop, nope. All done, Steelers have bragging rights for another year.
Joking aside, why do Americans get so excited about New Year's? It feels so artificial, so fake, and yet we relish the idea of new starts so much that we cling to this odd holiday like a scared baby baboon to his mother. We are such an apologetic culture, we feel guilty for everything that goes wrong in the world. Some of the most prolific and effective advertisements in the USA are the ones that prey upon our innate guilt. "Don't you DARE hurt mother earth!" "You have so much, this poor kid has nothing. You aren't giving to him? You suck!!" It's condescending and base, and yet we gobble it up like Thanksgiving stuffing.
We want to feel clean and whole and new so badly. We want redemption, and we are looking for it in all the wrong places. There is nothing significant about a new calendar year that will miraculously cause you to be a better person. You are no better at cooking on the 1st of January than you were on the 31st of December. The passing of 24 hours does not make it easier for you to put down that cigarette.
So what gives us this fresh start, this new beginning that we all so desperately desire? Well... think back a week, exactly 7 days. What was seven days ago? Christmas. Christmas is the real new start. Christmas is the day that we commemorate which changed everything. It changed the shape of human history and is the root of new beginnings. Of course this new beginning was in the making since the beginning of time. But for those of us confined by timey-whimey stuff, December 25, AD 4ish marked the true beginning, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. (I'm going off of the documentary The Star of Bethlehem for the validity of the the 25th as the actual date of Christ's birth.)
In the 33 years of his life, the Godhead used Christ's ministry and walk to alter the course of history. "Time can be rewritten." (And yes, I am going to continue to randomly insert Doctor Who references.) God used this to "Subdue the nations" and "use them as a footstool." Christ's birth cannot but be viewed in conjunction with His death, the are the beginning and the end of the same story. Anyone familiar with Old Yeller cannot think about the story without the context of how she began as a loyal family dog and ended as a rabid animal that needed to be put down. Simply saying "Old Yeller" often brings all that to mind.
Similarly, when someone mentions "Christmas" we ought to not only think of Christ's nativity, but also His death and how we would redeem all the world. Images of subjecting demons and healing the sick and the blind ought to leap to mind at the thought of Christmas. It is one story. It is one narrative.
Not only must we keep the grand narrative in mind, but we must also realize that Christmas, NOT the hollow celebration of New Year's, is the true new beginning. The Almighty Creator of the universe sent a part of Himself to come and not only change the Russian novel that is life, but through this act, He granted His own creations the ability to change themselves. Not only this, God helps us STAY changed, and that is what we so desperately look for in New Year's resolutions. But we cannot, and will never be able to muster the ability to stay changed ourselves. It must come externally. It must come from Christmas.
Christmas is the start of the new year... and is in fact the start of ALL the new years to follow. Christmas is my new beginning.
Cheers,
JSTT
New Year's, a holiday, which like snow and rain and other such cleansing precipitation reminds me and many others of fresh starts. Where we reevaluate our lives and the direction that we have been going in and try to make drastic changes overnight in hopes that this time it will FINALLY be different and we will FINALLY have the fortitude to keep the promises we've made to ourselves. Deep down we know that this will not be the case, but humans are a forever optimistic bunch and love to fool themselves.
To be honest, New Year's has always felt like a very hollow holiday to me. Sometimes I am convinced that the only real reason that Americans keep it around is so that they can justify saying "Happy Holidays" around this particular portion of the winter. If New Years were suddenly to stop existing, they might be forced to start saying "Merry Christmas" again. The horror!
I suppose that if New Year's went away we would simply make a holiday revolving around football. My dad cheers on the Browns from his iPad as they go against the Steelers. 5 seconds left for a touchdown and they win. Will they? WILL THEY?! Oop, nope. All done, Steelers have bragging rights for another year.
Joking aside, why do Americans get so excited about New Year's? It feels so artificial, so fake, and yet we relish the idea of new starts so much that we cling to this odd holiday like a scared baby baboon to his mother. We are such an apologetic culture, we feel guilty for everything that goes wrong in the world. Some of the most prolific and effective advertisements in the USA are the ones that prey upon our innate guilt. "Don't you DARE hurt mother earth!" "You have so much, this poor kid has nothing. You aren't giving to him? You suck!!" It's condescending and base, and yet we gobble it up like Thanksgiving stuffing.
We want to feel clean and whole and new so badly. We want redemption, and we are looking for it in all the wrong places. There is nothing significant about a new calendar year that will miraculously cause you to be a better person. You are no better at cooking on the 1st of January than you were on the 31st of December. The passing of 24 hours does not make it easier for you to put down that cigarette.
So what gives us this fresh start, this new beginning that we all so desperately desire? Well... think back a week, exactly 7 days. What was seven days ago? Christmas. Christmas is the real new start. Christmas is the day that we commemorate which changed everything. It changed the shape of human history and is the root of new beginnings. Of course this new beginning was in the making since the beginning of time. But for those of us confined by timey-whimey stuff, December 25, AD 4ish marked the true beginning, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. (I'm going off of the documentary The Star of Bethlehem for the validity of the the 25th as the actual date of Christ's birth.)
In the 33 years of his life, the Godhead used Christ's ministry and walk to alter the course of history. "Time can be rewritten." (And yes, I am going to continue to randomly insert Doctor Who references.) God used this to "Subdue the nations" and "use them as a footstool." Christ's birth cannot but be viewed in conjunction with His death, the are the beginning and the end of the same story. Anyone familiar with Old Yeller cannot think about the story without the context of how she began as a loyal family dog and ended as a rabid animal that needed to be put down. Simply saying "Old Yeller" often brings all that to mind.
Similarly, when someone mentions "Christmas" we ought to not only think of Christ's nativity, but also His death and how we would redeem all the world. Images of subjecting demons and healing the sick and the blind ought to leap to mind at the thought of Christmas. It is one story. It is one narrative.
Not only must we keep the grand narrative in mind, but we must also realize that Christmas, NOT the hollow celebration of New Year's, is the true new beginning. The Almighty Creator of the universe sent a part of Himself to come and not only change the Russian novel that is life, but through this act, He granted His own creations the ability to change themselves. Not only this, God helps us STAY changed, and that is what we so desperately look for in New Year's resolutions. But we cannot, and will never be able to muster the ability to stay changed ourselves. It must come externally. It must come from Christmas.
Christmas is the start of the new year... and is in fact the start of ALL the new years to follow. Christmas is my new beginning.
Cheers,
JSTT
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