For those of you who had the privilege to know my father he was a man who was known to put a unique perspective on the travails of life. Often times it was humorous, with words we never knew were in the English language before, and others more often, simple, straight to the point and profound in their application and meaning. I remember one of his more common phrases, usually when I or one of my siblings would screw up and do something amazingly stupid. He would just shake his head and say, " You know, common sense is a course that they should teach in high school and you must pass it to graduate and be allowed to go on in life!" I would think, whoa thanks dad! Nothing like parental support at a time of one of my more egregious episodes of prolonged boneheadedness. But after rectifying my mistake and learning my lesson, it gave me pause to understand the clarity and simplistic truth of his statement. We could often sidestep a whole lot of pitfalls and prevent dining on our own feet if we would just use our God given gift of common sense. Yes, that's right God given! He so wisely gave it to us and life's road along with loving parental guidance, a good set of ears and a mouth twice as small as the one we often use, refines it's application. At least in practical theory, it should. But alas, as we see everyday in our world the opposite is often true.
Just listen to a speech or quote by almost any politician regarding current policy or legislation, almost anything that pours out of an entertainers mouth, notable interviews from famous athletes, news anchors and commentators or opinion editorial journalists in many papers. How about some of our neighbors and family members? Or most certainly ourselves! Even worse yet, how about our biblically educated and supposedly enlightened clergy, who from the place of the pulpit are supposed to speak the Truth and quite often are a test case in contradictory evidence for true Christianity. How about many of our young people today? At least the young folks have the partial excuse of inexperience and ignorance to blame. The rest of us should not be accorded such grace. There just seems to be an overall lacking in thinking before we speak or act period. It's becoming more hurtful, candid and even unthinkably worse, tolerated. Frankly, it's an epidemic and I think I know why. We have a breakdown in moral absolution and reasoning.
As the family unit suffers in an age of redefining and our societies morals change, so does our ability to reason effectively and cope with situations. The foundational structures and teachers of such principles that used to be there such as a strong family along with moral,spiritual and educational supports are eroding. Where we used to draw on good advice from mom and dad, older siblings, trusted teachers, our local priest or pastor, lifelong friends we trust, or our own good conscience, we now feel both external and self imposed internal pressure to make snap decisions or judgments without consulting anyone other than Facebook or Google or slowing down Too often they hurt us or others because we didn't take the time to think, pray, seek help or just wait a bit. So out it comes raw and unfiltered instead of smooth and tempered. Or we take hasty action and cause further harm to an already delicate circumstance thereby making it worse. Sometimes we blurt out something so preposterously stupid it leaves everyone speechless and us mortified. How many times have you said to yourself, "What was I thinking?" Sound familiar?
The solution is simple and the same it always has been. Seek Him who is and teaches patience, compassion, knowledge and the peace that surpasses all understanding. Read and meditate on His perfect word. Be wise enough to seek and listen to good counsel from those people He puts in your life's pathway. Tell the truth, no matter what and remember that our words and actions are no longer our property when they leave us. Finally, understand that you are not here to be all the world wants you to be but rather what God wants you to be. After all it's better to be part of the solution than all of the problem!
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good
for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those
who hear.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
The Tragedy Of Fame
Seeing the news that one of the great actors of our generation, Philip Seymour Hoffman had passed yesterday was truly saddening. Not only was he immensely gifted in his profession and enormously successful by the world's standards, but he was admired and loved by many peers and fans. It is always shocking to lose someone we know or care about before their time, but the incidental rate of these tragedies is seemingly and needlessly rising. It seems fame has a cost and potentially a very high one at that. Inside the fishbowl that comes with international stardom and fame comes immense scrutiny and a lack of respect for a person's privacy. But that's one of the sordid byproducts. Since Hollywood has been around and as long as I can remember the famous of the world have had no fewer problems than us regular folks. Money and multiple houses won't buy happiness, peace and contentment. Often as we read or see in the news, on the internet or on the numerous tabloid television programs more and more celebrities are spiraling out of control. In some ways how could they not? Look at the recent cases of Justin Bieber and Lindsey Lohan. Both are young, rich, talented and surrounded by parasitical entourages and money grabbing publicists and promoters. They are in essence expendable cash cows, racehorses to be exact. Both are nothing short of tragic and their lives unfold to us in a daily dose of wild unruly antics, drug and alcohol excess, shoddy behavior and a total disregard for laws and people. Because actors and performers are relied upon for the generating of revenues of the multibillion dollar entertainment and music industries they are in essence trapped inside a gilded castle. Isolated, coddled, nurtured in many wrong ways and idolized to ridiculous degrees, they can become demigods who think they can do no wrong and are somehow immune to the constraints of life itself. By the way, both Justin and Lindsey are from broken homes with enabling divorced parents who also are regular tabloid fodder. But that is a discussion for another day.
Because we glorify the altar of celebrity worship, we in essence have created the monster. It is the general public's insatiable demand for entertainment in both it's forms public and private, that there is no rest for these people. They become ticking time bombs and often tragic one's at that. In the past two decades numerous promising actors, singers and musicians have died mostly unnecessarily before their time. They have left a huge void for all of us and especially their loved ones because of the God given enormous talent they squandered and the fame that they succumbed to the pressure of. Actors such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Corey Monteith, Brittany Murphy, River Phoenix, Corey Haim, Chris Farley, Lisa Kelly, Heath Ledger. Singers and musicians like Chris Kelly, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston. The list goes on and on and the common denominator being by far, drug and or alcohol abuse. Why? Because they often are overwhelmed and unprepared emotionally, physically and most definitely spiritually for the 24/7 demand of their profession. They become commodities instead of precious human beings who have insecurities, feelings and needs. Everybody wants them or a piece of them. Quite often the circles of friends or advisers become like a malignant cancer eating away at them till there is nothing left. So they often self medicate to escape with tragic results. In the case of Philip Seymour Hoffman, he leaves behind three beautiful children and a grieving girlfriend. Let me be clear, I'm not formulating an indictment of the the entertainment industry itself, as there are many successful actors and actresses, singers and musicians who are great role models, philanthropists and decent moral human beings. But the propensity of ungodly amounts of wealth, ego driven fame and an insatiably demanding public fan base is a toxic combination in the right circumstances. Unfortunately those circumstances are becoming all to common. We need to hold our society and it's industries of entertainment to a higher standard and reset the moral compass. Drug and alcohol addiction are cancers throughout all aspects of our society but are especially high amongst the rich and famous. But poor choices are without prejudice and certainly these celebrities made them. If we don't seek help or relief from the pressures of this world we will continue to become victims of the merciless pressure of it. God offers us that rest! He offers a place to retreat to. A retreat for the renewing of the mind and soul. We all need rest, love and healthy support. But Hollywood proves over and over that the world offers the wrong kind of solutions. That without Christ we are truly alone! Maybe some of these celebrities could have been saved. Maybe a few of their lights would still be burning brightly! Don't let the world's offerings be the source of your happiness, choose the Water that gives life and doesn't take it.
Colossians 2:8
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
Because we glorify the altar of celebrity worship, we in essence have created the monster. It is the general public's insatiable demand for entertainment in both it's forms public and private, that there is no rest for these people. They become ticking time bombs and often tragic one's at that. In the past two decades numerous promising actors, singers and musicians have died mostly unnecessarily before their time. They have left a huge void for all of us and especially their loved ones because of the God given enormous talent they squandered and the fame that they succumbed to the pressure of. Actors such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Corey Monteith, Brittany Murphy, River Phoenix, Corey Haim, Chris Farley, Lisa Kelly, Heath Ledger. Singers and musicians like Chris Kelly, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston. The list goes on and on and the common denominator being by far, drug and or alcohol abuse. Why? Because they often are overwhelmed and unprepared emotionally, physically and most definitely spiritually for the 24/7 demand of their profession. They become commodities instead of precious human beings who have insecurities, feelings and needs. Everybody wants them or a piece of them. Quite often the circles of friends or advisers become like a malignant cancer eating away at them till there is nothing left. So they often self medicate to escape with tragic results. In the case of Philip Seymour Hoffman, he leaves behind three beautiful children and a grieving girlfriend. Let me be clear, I'm not formulating an indictment of the the entertainment industry itself, as there are many successful actors and actresses, singers and musicians who are great role models, philanthropists and decent moral human beings. But the propensity of ungodly amounts of wealth, ego driven fame and an insatiably demanding public fan base is a toxic combination in the right circumstances. Unfortunately those circumstances are becoming all to common. We need to hold our society and it's industries of entertainment to a higher standard and reset the moral compass. Drug and alcohol addiction are cancers throughout all aspects of our society but are especially high amongst the rich and famous. But poor choices are without prejudice and certainly these celebrities made them. If we don't seek help or relief from the pressures of this world we will continue to become victims of the merciless pressure of it. God offers us that rest! He offers a place to retreat to. A retreat for the renewing of the mind and soul. We all need rest, love and healthy support. But Hollywood proves over and over that the world offers the wrong kind of solutions. That without Christ we are truly alone! Maybe some of these celebrities could have been saved. Maybe a few of their lights would still be burning brightly! Don't let the world's offerings be the source of your happiness, choose the Water that gives life and doesn't take it.
Colossians 2:8
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
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