Extremes

Humans respond well to extremes. That's why movies are constantly pushing the envelope of what's culturally acceptable. The goal of a movie is to stay at the front of your mind, grab your emotions, and do whatever's necessary to make itself unforgettable.

This is both good and bad. Good in the sense that we're built to pay attention to our moral compasses. Bad in the sense that this curiosity can result in greater and greater violations of the boundaries of that compass.

It's not just movies, of course. Pick an example of music you enjoy. Chances are, it's about something you align with strongly--probably in an extreme or idealistic sense. For example, music that idolizes the one you love is attractive because it mirrors an idealistic extreme many people want. People looking to marry want to marry the perfect person for them--it's impossible, of course, but it plays to our emotions. In the same vein, music that's patriotic is attractive because we want to feel idealistic about our country. Still--such music is often one-sided, a blatantly biased view of a country's good side.

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with extremes. However, the more you expose yourself to extreme thinking, the more desensitized you become to real genuine thinking. Instead of trying to find the perfect person to marry, try to find the right person. Instead of watching dramatizations of Nazi violence, watch documentaries that tell the story without trying to polarize viewers with extreme closeups of blood and gore.

Some might respond by saying that Jesus was extreme.

No. At least, not in the sense I'm defining extreme here. He told the truth like it was, without spin, without bias. He didn't try to polarize his audience by only telling them things they aligned with. He wasn't a politician. Many people were repulsed by his teaching. Many turned back to the extremes they were pursuing before: absolute wealth, bottomless sin, or earthly perfection. Some crucified him.

If Jesus composed music or directed films, they wouldn't be critically acclaimed. They would be shunned by many and ignored by more. They probably wouldn't even be profitable or successful by worldly standards

I'm not advocating censorship by any means. But, next time you hear a song about kicking Satan in the teeth or decide to watch reruns of The Brady Bunch, consider whether your attraction is to an idealistic theme or the truth as it really is.

Until next time,
- Daniel