My friend Snow Dragonne recently complained about a show in which her favorite character sacrifices his life for the cause and to achieve his own redemption. Of course, this happens right as he finally begins dating his long-term love interest. SD wanted to know how come our media often equates heroism with sacrifice and death, rather than just letting the good guys live happily ever after. Her frustrations got me thinking about how (or whether) media reflects life.
We all know that triumphs purchased cheaply are valued cheaply, and pain and struggle strengthen our character far more than ease. Of course, I don't enjoy or invite tribulation, but on the other hand I know God didn't send us to this world to take a vacation. Life is supposed to be a mix of happy and hard, because if it were all easy and fun it would actually be a waste of our time. It would be like trying to work our muscles with inflatable dumbbells.
As for wanting to see the good guys live happily ever after, there are actually many shows and movies where that happens. They're produced by a company called Disney. I like those scenarios, but what I'd like to see more of is the sense that death is not the (often tragic) end of a story. Most of our tales treat death as the worst possible tragedy, to be avoided at all costs. If a beloved character dies, there is wrenching grief, but rarely any mention of hope for a reunion or that they have gone to a happier place. One of the things I love about the last Harry Potter book is the concept that death is merely an (admittedly intimidating) gateway that leads a good person on to something better, and to loved ones who are waiting eagerly to greet them.
Don't get me wrong--I am not overly eager to experience tribulation or death. However, I think it's important to remember that life is SUPPOSED to be hard, that trials serve an important purpose, and that the death of a good person is neither a tragedy for them nor a permanent separation for us (assuming we're good, too :).
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3 comments:
This reminded me of a movie I saw in high school with Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep called Defending Your Life. Most of the movie centers around what happens after the main character dies. It is pretty interesting and entertaining to see a movie based completely around the afterlife and the judgment.
It is a good point that a lot of media centers it's core around the conflict in trying to avoid death.
In Mulan she has her ancesters that help her on her quest, and they bring a dragon mushu back to life, we like that one. Pocahontas they believe in spirits and the after life. How her grandmother talks to her through a tree. When John Smith dies, she does grieve. We like Ghost Whisperer,it may be done in a way the lord might not exactly do things but, it's all about family, tragic death and the afterlife. The Reaper which we think is totally hilarious, admits there is a hell, and that spirits do go there, and have tragic deaths. Also Supernatural which is more serious. There used to be Touched by an Angel which portrayed passing on in a good way to heaven even through tragic death. We totally love Harry Potter. I can't think of any more at this time. The media doesn't like to portray death and afterlife too much because then no one would watch or read anything because it would be to depressing, and people turn to the media for excitement, joy, humor, and drama to help them feel better. With the thousands of religions most people might not want to watch or read anything that doesn't go towards their belief. Touched by an Angel was canceled then brought back by popular demand. So, ya never know. haha.
Serena, you make a good point - the media probably avoids addressing the afterlife because they think most viewer want lighter entertainment. Of course, it may also be because they're focused on more temporal things than preparing for eternity. :)
As you pointed out with Touched by an Angel, if they showed more uplifting and thought-provoking material, they might be surprised at the response.
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