Before we start this discussion, you and I need to enter into a contract of agreement. This is serious stuff, so please listen carefully:
You are, under no circumstances (not even under the threat of total annihilation), allowed to tell my mom what I am about to tell you. Yes, my mom still scares me...a little bit.
Right, with that out of the way, let's begin.
For those of you who know me, I apologize, but I have to state, for anyone who might not have a clue who I am, that I thoroughly enjoy watching movies and stories. Especially if they contain things that blow up, great action scenes, time travel and witty banter. Superman always used to be my favourite superhero, but I've realized that The Doctor far outshines him in any situation.
But this is not the point of my rantings and ravings. I was sitting in front of the television yesterday evening, flipping through the three charity channels we are so graciously blessed to have here in South Africa; and because of the time of day, almost every channel had some form of overly dramatic soapie showing. I've always believed that walking in on a story playing on TV and seeing the scene out of context, will most probably cause you to have a completely different opinion from what you would have had if you viewed it from the start. Even if it's your favourite show on the planet!
In the split second I spent flipping through the channels I caught a few seconds of Days of our Lives (I think...that's the one with the evil Italian old guy that refuses to die, right?), and I suddenly realized: "90% of drama in our lives weren't supposed to be drama at all."
I'll try and explain it this way: For me, sitting in front of my computer watching DVD's (It has a really BIG screen and a nice sound-system) has always been the chosen way of relaxing and escaping. And it won't change, because it's still something I love doing. But at some point I've allowed it to become bigger than my life. So much so that I almost stopped living my life...I created an alternative life. (And I moaned because I didn't have a life! Yes, lame, I know!). My mom ALWAYS tells me to stop watching movies because I'm wasting away my life (hence the contract I made you "sign" at the beginning of this post).
So, what changed, you might ask? Let me tell you, it wasn't some big Thor-like hammer falling from the sky, landing on my head that made me realize what was happening. It happened very slowly, almost imperceptible.
And it's not rocket-science, quantum-physics or any other sciency, mathy thingy that I don't seem to understand. I just realized that all the little worlds we create around ourselves will never be a substitute for the real world we live in, the real experiences we are supposed to be having, the real fun that awaits us around every corner.
Yes, travelling through time and space with The Doctor will always be something I'd one day want to do, but shutting myself away and ignoring the amazing life that God has given me to live, is just going to create more drama and pain than is necessary.
So, look at the world you've created around yourself and be honest: Is this world attracting unnecessary drama? Is the real adventure locked up in the life that God, in His amazing wisdom, has chosen for you?
Go on then! Go find that fun adventure!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
How do you learn?
"Be open minded' is a phrase that everyone is familiar with. I have no idea when you may have heard it the first time, but I could offer a guess and say that it was either from someone in a leadership position, or someone who wanted to sway your opinion forcefully.
Regardless of whether or not your encounter with this phrase has negative or positive connotations, it is still completely true. And we all love to think that we do have an open mind, but do we really? Do we actually have an open mind towards everything in our life, everything we encounter and everyone we meet? No, we don't.
For instance, the first place most of us lack open-mindedness is in the area of where our information, growth and teaching comes from. If you are part of a church, you expect all the life-giving and life-changing information to come from your pastor, your circle of friends, your spiritual mentor, your Bible study group.
If you are privileged to be employed in your dream job, you expect this information to come from a boss, a colleague or the industry itself.
Having a close-knit family might lead you to believe that that's the only place you will receive your guidance from. It's different for everyone, but we all fall in the same trap: we don't expect guidance and teaching to come from anywhere else.
I've learned (slowly but surely) that I shouldn't be surprised when I find myself growing and learning through other means. And in my case, this means (to a certain extent) that I'm learning from the shows I watch.
Very recently (and still ongoing) I've been challenged to look at the way I approach life. We are such a selfish species (and I say "species" because my current "teacher" is The Doctor...a time traveller who encounters many alien races!); even those who are the least selfish had to make a conscious decision to think and concentrate away from themselves. This begs the question: How do you approach something new, something you've never encountered before, someone that's completely different from you, something or someone that may be the opposite of you, something or someone that may not have the best of intentions?
I reckon we should approach everything with childlike and wide-eyed wonder. Look at it with excitement, be hungry to learn about it. And if it turns out to be something bad, recognise it for what it is; but if it's brilliant, acknowledge its brilliance. And if it's brilliantly bad...well, tip your hat to it's brilliance before you turn around and give it no hold on your life.
We are sharing this life with so many exceptionally different and fascinating people and things; why would we limit our knowledge because we are too afraid to learn?
Regardless of whether or not your encounter with this phrase has negative or positive connotations, it is still completely true. And we all love to think that we do have an open mind, but do we really? Do we actually have an open mind towards everything in our life, everything we encounter and everyone we meet? No, we don't.
For instance, the first place most of us lack open-mindedness is in the area of where our information, growth and teaching comes from. If you are part of a church, you expect all the life-giving and life-changing information to come from your pastor, your circle of friends, your spiritual mentor, your Bible study group.
If you are privileged to be employed in your dream job, you expect this information to come from a boss, a colleague or the industry itself.
Having a close-knit family might lead you to believe that that's the only place you will receive your guidance from. It's different for everyone, but we all fall in the same trap: we don't expect guidance and teaching to come from anywhere else.
I've learned (slowly but surely) that I shouldn't be surprised when I find myself growing and learning through other means. And in my case, this means (to a certain extent) that I'm learning from the shows I watch.
Very recently (and still ongoing) I've been challenged to look at the way I approach life. We are such a selfish species (and I say "species" because my current "teacher" is The Doctor...a time traveller who encounters many alien races!); even those who are the least selfish had to make a conscious decision to think and concentrate away from themselves. This begs the question: How do you approach something new, something you've never encountered before, someone that's completely different from you, something or someone that may be the opposite of you, something or someone that may not have the best of intentions?
I reckon we should approach everything with childlike and wide-eyed wonder. Look at it with excitement, be hungry to learn about it. And if it turns out to be something bad, recognise it for what it is; but if it's brilliant, acknowledge its brilliance. And if it's brilliantly bad...well, tip your hat to it's brilliance before you turn around and give it no hold on your life.
We are sharing this life with so many exceptionally different and fascinating people and things; why would we limit our knowledge because we are too afraid to learn?
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