Pratt: Technology may be new, but our behaviors are ancient
Now and then, an old movie weekend sets me thinking about how far we have fallen from the hopeful people we once were. I would be the last to praise the progress of our entertainment industry in building hope. Their goal is fortune and fame.
But who among us cannot but smile at the very thought of Julie Andrews in “My Fair Lady”?
Even as the entertainment industry loosened our moral direction, it also recognized the limits to which it could portray moral decay without a public outcry. Unfortunately, such sensitivity no longer seems operative or even desirable. To be fair, entertainment typically goes where the audience gathers most enthusiastically.
It’s only the old people who want limits, the young assert. And, to some extent, they are correct even if their “reasoning” is a bit off. After all, we have “old” reprobates as well as young ones. Maturity is not so much a matter of years as it is a product of growth and experience, which may vary greatly.
For a time, inspirational themes were numerous enough that even the nay-sayers on the entire idea of motion picture influence seemed reasonably tolerable. Some blame Hollywood for the degradation of humanity in the public arena, but they had plenty of cooperation. Witness today’s usage of social media…and note the power of the desire to be seen and admired. Now we have the Internet with all its pluses and minuses.
The truth lies within the human desire for power over others, including a broad concept of how to achieve such power. Practicing to rule over others begins at the heart of human existence, which is modeled by the most basic human structures of family, including faith and parental relationships.
As various cultures develop, so do the rules of behavior, tolerance and tactical advantage as one group seems destined for success even as another may flounder in failure. History is filled with the stories of how one group gains advantage over another, thrives powerfully for a time, then shrinks or disappears.
Reading history and biography is important – lessons learned from both defeat and success serve as both warning and guide. Nowhere are such lessons more carefully laid out than in the spiritually directed biblical stories that comprise what Christians call the Old and New Testaments.
Whether it is conflict within the family, the community, political institutions or other groups near and far, conflict not only bears close resemblance in victory or defeat, but also shows the commonality of the human spirit, the good and the evil. Technology may be new, but our behaviors are ancient.
Follow Truth or suffer the consequences is a common theme in any governing situation, regardless of the details. Cultural practices aside, the family of humanity is more alike than it is different. We are shaped by our environment, particularly within the family unit.
Although popular culture likes to talk about “my truth” as opposed to “your truth” as legitimate, there is no such thing. Those who argue otherwise are simply confusing the word “opinion” with truth. Once, we laughed when our toddlers confused this concept. But lately, adults seem to have adopted this childish concept.
Which should we fear more – the author of Truth we call God, or our own devaluation of “truth” as a necessity to have all we desire? Deceiving ourselves in order to “feel” successful involves serious conflict or confusion, which is exactly what the entire country seems to be experiencing.
That the “free and the brave” move ever closer to tyranny, either as leader or victim, today is perhaps the final warning to a society in rebellion against actual truth and sacrifice, as we once understood it.
We don’t need a description of the increasing violence and other evils we see perpetrated around us to know that disaster will soon follow. But we are fearful of those who abuse the law to “punish” those who fight against the rush to tyranny. So, do we go quietly to the death of the ideals upon which this country was founded because it is not yet perfect?
Led by people who could see more clearly than most that the path to liberty is impossible without strong moral fiber, they fought for liberty. They were not perfect, but they were right more often than wrong. Even the faithless among them gave credit to the biblical promise that faith can “move mountains” when Truth is obeyed in the interest of the welfare of the many.
Entertainment is more a reflection of what we wish to be than a record of what we are, but those who design and present these stories do bear responsibility. We all experience the consequence of our choices. And we won’t always be able to sugarcoat or undo the damage when our moral guides are ignored.
Beth Pratt retired as religion editor from the Avalanche-Journal after 25 years. You can email her at beth.pratt@cheerful.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Pratt: Technology may be new, but our behaviors are ancient
