One of the people who received an award at the Oscar's said "Sometimes our gods ask too much of us."
I don't really remember what he said other than that and i don't even really remember what the context of the statement was, but it was in close proximity to the Dark Knight and Heath Ledger's receipt of the best Oscar award.
This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately, ever since Heath Ledger's death. He was so deep in his character that he couldn't come back. Christian Bale has received a lot of press lately because he had a similar experience, where he was so deep in character that he acted in an unacceptable way.
What have we done? we have created a god out of seeing real life played out in an unreal manner. We glorify those who can remove themselves and place themselves into someone, something else's mind. Those who are best at this are frequently on the edge of mental illness or some sort of addictions that I believe help them deal with the disconnect. I don't remember what movie it was... maybe Love Actually... but there were these two porn stars.... They were completely disconnected from what they were doing and . That image sticks in my mind because it is a total disconnect for me. How do you separate who you are as a person from what your body is doing? who you are as a person from this other person that you intentionally allow to live in your mind for a period of time? What have we come to? when we glorify lying to ourselves?
I understand the value of storytelling. Storytelling is how we as a culture define who we are and how we shape the next generation and how we remember where we've come from and where we want to go. I told my mom once that I loved sci-fi (space futuristic shows like Stargate, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica) because it provided a space for us as humans to explore what it means to be human by looking at humanity from an external perspective. She didn't really get it, but I think it is valuable.
Aren't these the big questions in life? what does it mean to be human? to be male? to be female? to be a friend, a neighbor, a lover? This is the conflict in my mind. The value in storytelling to discover who we are as humans versus the sacrifice that good actors give mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
Maybe we've made gods of ourselves, gods of our entertainment, gods of reason, gods of understanding. Sometimes our gods ask too much of us.
I believe in God. Not a god I have created for myself. The God that has captured my mind and soul created me. He (yes, he, because that is how he identifies himself, although God surely transcends gender) also told us that he requires much of us, but he will always give us tools to endure what he requires of us. He gives us Comfort, tools, strength, peace.
Our gods of reason, entertainment, understanding do not give us anything to endure what they require of us. They offer a death spiral of introspection, lack of understanding, pain and confusion. This is humanity - we are limited, we are depraved, we are selfish and we hurt, we feel things we can't control or comprehend.
Sometimes our gods ask too much of us, but the one true God will never ask more than he gives us strength to endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
