Sir Ed

This week Sir Ed passed.


It makes you feel your age as you watch
the generation preceeding your own pass
along, one by one. People like Edmund
Hillary are rare to begin with, and the
world is a lesser place with him gone.
It's the way I felt as I watched my grand-
parents get sick and gradually die away.
From my point of view, the generation that
lived through the world wars was a more
solid group of people, because of the
challenges that they had to face. There
was a genuine threat to their way of life
from a hostile military power and they were
able to make the sacrifices necessary to
pass the test.


Last night while surfing the web, I
happened to stumble upon a name that I'd
never heard before, so I did a google
search. There were 40+ pages of google
hits for a fellow who makes horror movies.
It provides an insight into the aims and
interests of popular culture. If there is
a genre of video less entertaining than the
'horror' category, I don't know what it is.
Whenever I am in the position to have to
endure a horror video, I usually find it to
be more of a comic experience than
frightening. Mostly, they're just boring,
lacking any significant entertainment
value.


So, when you compare the likes of an Edmund
Hillary with a popular interest in 'horror'
video, I have to wonder where things are
going. I don't have a beef with Crispin
Glover. I sorta' like the idea of an
'experimental film'. The question that
comes to mind is, what is the experiment
designed to do? Is it an experiment to see
if people will pay to watch any sort of
nonsense. Yes. They will. I think that's
been proven. In Glover's own words:

He defended his choices of imagery in a

2005 interview: "It's really a film to help

start these kinds of discussions. Why are

these things taboo, and what does that mean

for the culture itself? A culture will die

a death of stupidity if it doesn't have

different points of view."[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_It%3F

To a degree, I have to admit that he makes
a point about a culture dying a death of
stupidity, but I'm not sure that taboos are
the sensible place to start the discussion.
Taboos are taboo because they have, over
time, been recognized to be a cause of
harmful consequences. For instance,
Charles Manson is not the sort of person we
point to as a role model for the youth of
Amerika. Charles Manson was a deranged
psychotic murderer. What's to see there?
Is the film a suggestion that we don't
properly understand the motives of Charles
Manson? The only thing that needs to be
understood is that a person like Charles
Manson needs to be removed from society.
So, I don't get it.


As far as having different points of view,
well, I believe in freedom of speech. If
you have something to say, you ought to be
able to say it. But nobody has to listen.
It seems to me that what Crispin implies
here is that truth has yet to be discovered
about these subjects taboo. Sorry. I
can't buy it. Truth is not relative. Some
things are wrong no matter what. Besides,
why not spend your creative effort trying
to explore the other end of the behavioral
spectrum?


Take for instance, Sir Ed. He lived a life
dedicated to the welfare of others. Yeah.
We're back to the idea that in order to
find satisfaction in life, you have a need
for serving something larger than self.
How 'bout exploring that experimentally?


“It's difficult to get a man to understand

something if his salary depends on him not

understanding it.”
—Upton Sinclair


Take, for instance, the life of Jesus and
the recent video done by Mel Gibson,
Passion of the Christ. Jesus is the
epitomy of serving something larger than
self. It just doesn't get any more brave
than that.

Matt 26:35 Peter said to him, "Even if I

must die with you, I will not deny you."

All of the disciples also said likewise.

36 Then Jesus came with them to a place

called Gethsemane, and said to his

disciples, "Sit here, while I go there and

pray."

37 He took with him Peter and the two sons

of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and

severely troubled.

38 Then he said to them, "My soul is

exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay

here, and watch with me."

39 He went forward a little, fell on his

face, and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it

is possible, let this cup pass away from

me; nevertheless, not what I want, but what

you want."


You'll notice that Jesus wanted to do what
was required, yet it was not without an
inner struggle.


Matt 26:54 How then would the scriptures be

fulfilled that it must be so?"


Jesus lived and died for something larger
than self. Much larger. And it was an act
to demonstrate G-d's love. There isn't
anything greater.


John 3:14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in

the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man

be lifted up,

15 that whoever believes in him should not

perish, but have eternal life.

16 For G-d so loved the world, that he gave

his one and only Son, that whoever believes

in him should not perish, but have eternal

life.

17 For G-d didn`t send his Son into the

world to judge the world, but that the

world should be saved through him.