Normal joy
I was walking past the cinema this morning and glancing at the film posters. There was not a particular poster that struck me but it caused me to reflect on my need to watch film. We do not have a TV in the house but watch DVD’s on the trusty Mac. It seems that every so often there is an irresistible urge to watch some action hero movie where the winner wins and the loser loses, preferably with some eye-candy.
I wondered then whether this urge has its root in my desensitisation to the normal? Have years of TV in the formative years and the constant drip-drip of Hollywood type movies since then actually put the normal into the boring bracket? Previously in the car on the way to Oxford where the said cinema is, we had being verbally anticipating the seasonally early hot-cross buns that would be waiting for us at Regent’s MCR; the simple pleasures in life was the finishing comment.
Buns aside, the simplicity of just being in the same space as my wife is a long way from the tension and excitement that Mr & Mrs Smith share. My life is full for ordinary and simple moments with people I love; sharing a glass of wine with Kate; rolling around on the floor with my kids. Ordinary encounters with friends and even strangers. Recognising and even craving the joy of the simple moments in life is something that I need to fight to keep and in some cases regain!
It is something that I see in my kids and which I often overlook. The simple pleasures of an empty box! Anna, my 6 year old, wrote an amazing letter to Father Christmas (at the encouragement of the school I hasten to add, just in case you think I would promote such activity!?!?!) In 5 sentences or so she outlined her requests surrounded by the expected pleases and thank yous. But the sum total of this list would have cost us no more than £5. A week or so later she added: ‘and if it would be possible, please could I stay up late on Fridays.’ Perhaps the simplicity of this letter is down to not having a TV and so she is not aware of what is out there and what could have gone on the list. But perhaps it is because she has not yet been desensitised to the joy of the ordinary and simple. I envy her!
But maybe I am way off! Surely film is just story telling and if we need to label film like this then we would need to do the same for books and audio. Being able to enter a story, travelling along with the characters and feeling their emotions has been part of human culture and history since the beginning. Indeed is that not part of reason we read scripture, celebrate Eucharist and enter Holy Week with 40 days preparation. Yes! So where has the desensitisation of the normal come from?
The classics in this area are of course the debate over screen violence and how Hollywood romance affects expectations in real life romance. I wonder whether it goes deeper… any comments.