November 15, 1999

Why do we seek entertainment?

While teaching Sunday School last week an interesting subject came up, entertainment. It was specifically in the form of electronic entertainment such as video games. If you could not tell, I teach the senior high school class. (Did you know that high school students are actually a lot smarter than we often give them credit?) Somehow we digressed off of the subject of conflict and forgiveness and were discussing why video games like 007 might not be that great a form of entertainment.

I have been trying to figure out for a while now why we are so desperate for entertainment. Are our lives really so boring? Blaise Pascal knew this a long time ago. Not that our lives are boring, but we allow them to seem boring. We put ourselves into the position of needing something to fill our emptiness.

Americans clearly see the multi-billion dollar industries of the silver screen and professional sports as a result of this. Or at least I hope they see them. For some reason the entertainment value of hitting a small ball into a hole is increased if you are willing to pay the person several million dollars for doing it. (Maybe that is why IBM computers cost so much. Ask the Valvoline half-time show producers. Maybe they can tell us the answer during the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.)

But, I digress.

Why do we seek entertainment?

We are quickly enraptured by the beauty of the star actress of a movie. How quickly are we enraptured by God's beauty? Or even His creation? Or is the anorexic on the latest magazine cover more beautiful?

We rush to see the latest horror flick to be scared. Why are we not equally scared by the sin in our lives? Or in the world? Or the vileness of Lucifer and his minions below? Does Freddy Kreuger scare us more than them?

We pick up the latest top ten romance novels and long to be the hero/heroine. What about the Romancer of our souls? Why do we ignore a relationship that will satisfy everything we truly want?

We are easily amazed by the newest special effects from ILM. Are we equally amazed by God's miracles? Or his wonders like a sunset, a thunderstorm, a starry night? Can the synthetic, imaginary image of a sunrise on Alpha Centauri really compare to a real sunrise?

We laugh at the latest comedians' colorful language, sarcasm, and innuendo. We sit open eyed watching people abused, attacked, raped, shot, torn apart, tortured, etc... We learn proper social interaction and ethics from the Simpsons, Friends, the Fresh Prince, ... We are learning how to be good actors. Are we learning how to be good humans?

GIGO: Garbage in, garbage out.

Why do you need entertainment?   Let me know.