Archives

How Stories Give Us Hope

May10

openclipart.orgIf you’re a story addict like me, you may have spent a good chuck of your life either reading, watching, or listening to stories.  For me, stories have such a spellbinding quality because they give me hope.  Stories of courage, strength, and perseverance give me hope that so much is possible if we just put forth the effort.  Bible stories give me hope that I can be forgiven for the evil I have done, and that there’s good beyond the suffering of this world.  They also give me the courage to forgive others and to love them, because they too can be redeemed.

Survival stories help me consider my own mortality and what I would be willing to do in the face of death — would I go willingly, or would I fight?  If a zombie apocalypse ever descends upon the American Midwest, I am mentally prepared for what I would need to do to survive (however many minutes that might be) thanks to The Walking Dead.  The Hunger Games challenges me to consider how I would live in an oppressive, totalitarian society.  Would I choose safety or fight for freedom?  Would I have the courage to take another’s place if it meant my possible death?

Stories about heroes like The Avengers or Batman or Spiderman give us hope in the extraordinary, that there may be people walking among us who have amazing talents they can use to save and improve lives.  In the real world, doctors, nurses, policemen, and paramedics don’t wear masks or capes, but they are heroes just the same and too frequently have to deal with the “Jokers” of this world.  We relate to story heroes and sometimes wish we could be like them.  Growing up I always imagined I would make a fantastic female Indiana Jones and help save the world from the evils the Nazis would continually unearth.  I wanted to be Superman AND Lois Lane, faster than a speeding bullet and a savvy journalist.

With villains, it’s a little different.  The best villains are often appealing, not necessarily for the bad that they do, but because they are willing to do whatever they want no matter the costs.  Villains challenge us in ways the heroes do not.  They have an edge or even a “coolness” we sometimes wish we had.  And they often wear black leather.  Why is it that we are so attracted to black leather?  Villains also represent the evil in the world and in ourselves.  The battle against those villains can give us hope that the fight for good is worth it.  My favorite thing about Peter Pan and Captain Hook is that they are “worthy” opponents.  Great villains are awesome in part because it takes so much effort and courage, both mentally and physically, to overcome them.  The heroes who defeat them have been found worthy in some way.  That’s hope.  Hope for all of us, that our struggles in this life are not in vain.  What’s the point in defeating an evil that isn’t really, well, evil?

I have to mention romantic stories.  Yes, many are sappy, but almost all have an unflinching belief in true love.  Who doesn’t want true love?  Bella and Edward may be angsty and annoying at times, but they have epic true love.  And sparkly skin.  Sparkly skin and black leather, hmm… Okay, back on topic: Love is the ultimate hope in this world, for it can cover over so many sorrows, it can make us forget our hurts, and it can help us see the world in new ways.  And it can help us reach our potential.  Where would Westley be without Buttercup?  If he hadn’t fallen for The Princess Bride, he would have stayed a farm boy instead of becoming a dread pirate, terrifying swordsman, and cunning wit.

If it were physically possible to jump into any of the stories that I so enjoy, I have the hope that I would be at my best self.  I have hope that I would be able to see the best in humanity, that I would be the best family member, the best friend, the best worker, the best fighter…and then I think:  Why can’t I be like that in real life?  Why can’t I make those dreams of being a better person come true?  With God’s help, I can, and it all starts with stories, with the “dreams we dare to dream.”  Hope.

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

–poem by Emily Dickinson–

The Ultimate Super Power

Mar19

In writing fantasy and/or science fiction, it’s the job of the writer to come up with awesome, or at the very least, amusing super powers that their heroes or villains may possess.  As a Christian, I am time and again struck by how inadequate our imagination is, for we can’t come up with a power as amazing as the ultimate super power: the ability to forgive sins.  

Think about it, we may forgive each other for indiscretions, for breaking the laws of the land, etc., but we can in no way ensure that a person’s sins are completely gone, that they are forgotten, and that the person is now pure.  We can’t make them perfect in the eyes of everyone whoever lived, for future generations, and especially in the face of the laws written on our hearts, and even in those same the laws of the land.

A killer may repent, and may be “forgiven” by the world, but that sin will never truly be forgotten.  People will never stop thinking of that person as a killer.  Every job or loan application, every time his or her name is searched on the internet, their sin will still stand there accusing them.  One sin has tainted them forever.  One sin.  And just think how many wrongs we commit in a lifetime, how many bad thoughts we have, and how many times we fail to do the right thing.

Jesus Christ, the world’s savior, and every human’s personal savior, has the power to forgive sins.  He can and has erased our sins, taking them onto Himself so that by faith in Him we can stand the judgement of that law, written on our hearts, the law that is the absolute justice of God.  Through faith in Jesus, a killer can become innocent again; a liar, a truth teller; a rapist, a protector of those weaker than himself.  With true forgiveness of sins, all good things are possible, where before only evil was possible in the heart of man.

What’s flying or super strength or speed compared to that?  It doesn’t hold a candle to what Jesus can do.  Our fictional heroes are always confined in a way that God will never be.  Maybe that’s why it’s so hard to believe in Jesus for many.  His power is really beyond our imagination.  It’s a power that doesn’t make sense, it’s a power of love.  Love, now that really doesn’t make sense.  Who of us is worthy of love?  But God does love us, and sent Jesus to die for us so that we wouldn’t have to suffer the punishment for the awful things that we do and have done.

For me, this is the ultimate super power.

“And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
 “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 
3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said,“Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 
6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.” –Matthew 9:1-7 (ESV)

Once in a Lifetime Concert

Mar13

openclipart.org

The theater: Italian renaissance decor as envisioned by the 1920’s American Midwest.  The player: The fastest violinist in the world…and his rock band.  (Incidentally, I now think every classical musician  deserves a rock band).

David Garrett, Music Live tour at the State Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

When my friend said she had an extra ticket for a David Garrett concert, she was lucky that I actually knew who he was, and I only knew who he was through Facebook.  About a year ago, someone shared a video of him playing and I was hooked: Master violinist restyled as a rock star, and also easy on the eyes in a rather scruffy, Kurt Cobain-like way.

From 80’s rock themes to tangos to Gypsy folk tunes, the concert was truly amazing, a once in a lifetime experience.  The theater only holds about 2,000 or so people, so it afforded a more intimate experience than other venues.  The playing and the decor evoked images of the 1700’s, and I imagine Mr. Garrett would fit very well back in that time if he happened to fall into a time machine and be trapped there indefinitely.

The concert, though, brought back a memory to me of another once in a lifetime violin concert that I went to a couple of years ago.  The violinist was an old friend of the family, now grown up to be a teenager, and her playing at the chapel at our local Bethany Lutheran College brought to tears to my eyes.  I don’t know if I will ever get to hear Miriam, or, more properly, Sonoko Miriam Shimano Welde, play again, or David Garrett for that matter.  Both were obviously gifted children, and I for one am glad that they’ve decided to share their gift with the world.  How many people have incredible talent and never share it, never work at, never become masters of that talent?

Mr. Garrett shared a few humorous stories of life on the road and the loneliness it can bring.  Pursuing art can be difficult for many, I think, because for most arts there is isolation involved.  I’ve found this to be true in writing.  You can’t get very far talking about writing, you just have to write.  The same goes for music, you just have to play and practice.  The practice, especially, is where the solitary factor comes in.

In watching a concert, the musicians make it look so easy, but countless hours upon hours of practice have built up to that amazing moment.  Hours and perhaps time spent away from loved ones that the audience can barely comprehend.  Whether in mastering a symphony, or writing an epic poem, or inventing a light bulb, or leaving home and family to serve the poor in body and spirit, sacrifice is always involved.  We give something up, personal comfort, time, or money, for something greater than ourselves.  That time of sacrifice is the awesome part, the “journey” part of our life’s quest.  That journey is what makes us all unique, all “once in the universe” people.  No one either before or after us will have the exact same life history, the same pursuits, the same pleasures, or the same connections with people around them.  We are all unique, yet we’re all the same in being unique.  A sort of paradoxical state of being, but there you have it.

And, now that I’m done with my rambling, I’m going to go and do some actual story writing and continue on my own personal journey and epic quest.  I salute violinists everywhere and wish I could be one of you, but I’ll settle for being a writer and a somewhat mediocre piano player.  Although, someday, I just might write an epic novel about dueling, magical violinists…who are also sword fighters…and who time travel.  Don’t put it past me, because this journey isn’t done yet.

Misunderstanding Edgar Allen Poe

Feb21

I don’t read a lot of Poe, but his tales are deliciously thrilling and often tragic tales of the consequences of doing evil.

I’m watching The Following on Netflix.  It’s a show about a cult of murders who have chosen Poe as their icon.  Poor E.A.P.  The vast number of mostly brainwashed murderers in this series think they are awesome for what they are doing.  Nothing could be farther from the truth: Just about any person on this planet has the ability to murder someone else, to hurt someone else.  It’s not a unique or even special gift, no matter how elaborately done.  The rarer gift is that of mercy, of edifying people (I need to remind myself of this more often than I do).

The murderers in The Following can’t hold a candle to Poe.  Poe was a genius of a writer, the essential inventor of the Sherlock Holmes stories we all still love today.  His stories were most thrilling because of one element: Horror.  Horror, not simply murder.  Poe considered himself a genius (rightly), these murderers consider themselves genius, I get it.  They don’t seem to get, however, that the horror of stories like the “Tell-Tale Heart” are entirely due to guilt and the killer’s own fear of death.  These people are sadly misunderstanding Poe.

That’s not to say The Following isn’t an interesting, thought-provoking series.  It’s just a shame that Poe’s great body of work is so often reduced today to nothing more than the worship of death and killing.  I for one, don’t think that’s what Poe was really about.  Was he plagued with problems?  Sure.  What being walking this planet isn’t?

What do you think?  What’s your perspective on Poe?