Graduate 66: The Great Glass
Once upon a time in land where everyone lives happily ever after, there lived a bad stepmother who shut up a kind girl, who sang and talked to birds, away in a tall tower. A good prince came and saved her and the prince and the singing bird girl lived happily ever after. The End.
Now, does this simplified version of Cinderella have a point? Does any good story need a point? I mean, Can't you just sit back and enjoy a good story instead of searching for a meaning to understand what is going on?
These questions are just about as old as the wheel, and in short, one is trying to understand whether books or stories should attempt to strictly entertain the reader or challenge the reader.
When thinking about Cinderella, We all know that no one lives happily ever after. But is that the main point of the story? No. The story is supposed to inspire hope and inspire children to model their lives on the good Cinderella. If one says the tale is meaningless, then the child reader no longer has any reason to want to do right instead of wrong--to follow the example of Cinderella and not the evil stepmother.
When you tell a story about good winning over evil (like Cinderella), you inspire people to move toward goodness. When you tell a wishy-washy story about good and evil sometimes winning, you don't inspire anyone. In fact, your “inspiration” may cause people not what to do good at all. The best stories connect the reader to a True Reality beyond themselves. The best stories encourage someone to live for the good- for justice.
There are two types of stories: stories about justice (the way things ought to be) and injustice (the way things ought not to be).
Some argue that there is no such thing as justice. And when one looks at the world they may find that sometimes good triumphs and sometimes evil triumphs. Sometimes criminals are caught, sometimes they escape. Sometimes good things happen to good people; sometimes bad things happen to good people. This is the way things are. But is that the way things ought to be? Does this prove that justice does not exist?
These two conclusions, about justice and injustice, create a dramatic tension. We live in a world of "injustice," but we desire "justice." If an unfair world was all we knew then we would simply accept that the world is unfair and try to survive as best we could. However, in this world, we see and experience "injustice"; but we desire "justice" and that desire for justice remains unfulfilled.
But the skeptic still complains, “why should I try to do good? Why should I sacrifice my happiness on behalf of others? Why should I do anything more or less than what I want to do right now for my own personal gratification and whatever it takes to achieve my personal satisfaction? Why should I write for the good?”
In order to argue persuade the skeptic that they should indeed do good (write for the good), even when s/he doesn't feel like it, one must appeal to a truth that is above the injustice we see all around. The Bible describes the world, as we experience it now, as a world filled with injustice instead of a world meant to be filled with justice. In the beginning God created a perfect world, but Adam and Eve rebelled against God. The result is a universe that no longer reflects God's perfect justice. However, injustice will not win in the end; even now, God is in the process of redeeming and restoring the universe. One day, it will be made perfect again. The scales will be balanced. So we should live our lives in preparation for that final day when all the universe will be set right, essentially You should do Good because God will win in the end. (If the reader does not believe in God than I will discuss the existence of God in another note)
A passage from 2nd Peter reminds of this point. Peter emphasizes how the people should live in light of the future reality. He writes at the end of his letter:
“Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we'll hardly notice. We'll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness. my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. Interpret our Master's patient restraint for what it is: salvation. Our good brother Paul, who was given much wisdom in these matters, refers to this in all his letters, and has written you essentially the same thing.”
The story of God redeeming the world is the best story of all. The good God will win, He must. What use is a story if it does not move one to that good/justice, or help one understand that good which will eventually rule the world. If we look deep within our souls we know our hearts cry for goodness, justice, and love. Why not write about what we long for and we know is true. The best stories connect the reader to a True Reality beyond themselves. The best stories encourage someone to live for the good- for justice. Stories that merely entertain with no expectation to challenge the audience are meaningless.
(I clarify that I am not qualified to write on this topic inasmuch as I lack the scholarly and literary qualifications to do so. These are just my musings.)
--
The preceding is a revised version of my blog entry, Graduate 62: The Greatest Story. This revision was drafted by a friend of mine. (Could you tell just from reading it that I didn't write it?) His goal was to shorten, streamline, and clarify the presentation of the central theme and topic of that entry. Like my own writing, it has been posted without extensive editing, hence the peculiar title and intermittent typos. It's very interesting to compare, evaluate, and reevaluate writing styles.
--
God is in this place,
and that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
Now, does this simplified version of Cinderella have a point? Does any good story need a point? I mean, Can't you just sit back and enjoy a good story instead of searching for a meaning to understand what is going on?
These questions are just about as old as the wheel, and in short, one is trying to understand whether books or stories should attempt to strictly entertain the reader or challenge the reader.
When thinking about Cinderella, We all know that no one lives happily ever after. But is that the main point of the story? No. The story is supposed to inspire hope and inspire children to model their lives on the good Cinderella. If one says the tale is meaningless, then the child reader no longer has any reason to want to do right instead of wrong--to follow the example of Cinderella and not the evil stepmother.
When you tell a story about good winning over evil (like Cinderella), you inspire people to move toward goodness. When you tell a wishy-washy story about good and evil sometimes winning, you don't inspire anyone. In fact, your “inspiration” may cause people not what to do good at all. The best stories connect the reader to a True Reality beyond themselves. The best stories encourage someone to live for the good- for justice.
There are two types of stories: stories about justice (the way things ought to be) and injustice (the way things ought not to be).
Some argue that there is no such thing as justice. And when one looks at the world they may find that sometimes good triumphs and sometimes evil triumphs. Sometimes criminals are caught, sometimes they escape. Sometimes good things happen to good people; sometimes bad things happen to good people. This is the way things are. But is that the way things ought to be? Does this prove that justice does not exist?
These two conclusions, about justice and injustice, create a dramatic tension. We live in a world of "injustice," but we desire "justice." If an unfair world was all we knew then we would simply accept that the world is unfair and try to survive as best we could. However, in this world, we see and experience "injustice"; but we desire "justice" and that desire for justice remains unfulfilled.
But the skeptic still complains, “why should I try to do good? Why should I sacrifice my happiness on behalf of others? Why should I do anything more or less than what I want to do right now for my own personal gratification and whatever it takes to achieve my personal satisfaction? Why should I write for the good?”
In order to argue persuade the skeptic that they should indeed do good (write for the good), even when s/he doesn't feel like it, one must appeal to a truth that is above the injustice we see all around. The Bible describes the world, as we experience it now, as a world filled with injustice instead of a world meant to be filled with justice. In the beginning God created a perfect world, but Adam and Eve rebelled against God. The result is a universe that no longer reflects God's perfect justice. However, injustice will not win in the end; even now, God is in the process of redeeming and restoring the universe. One day, it will be made perfect again. The scales will be balanced. So we should live our lives in preparation for that final day when all the universe will be set right, essentially You should do Good because God will win in the end. (If the reader does not believe in God than I will discuss the existence of God in another note)
A passage from 2nd Peter reminds of this point. Peter emphasizes how the people should live in light of the future reality. He writes at the end of his letter:
“Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we'll hardly notice. We'll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness. my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. Interpret our Master's patient restraint for what it is: salvation. Our good brother Paul, who was given much wisdom in these matters, refers to this in all his letters, and has written you essentially the same thing.”
The story of God redeeming the world is the best story of all. The good God will win, He must. What use is a story if it does not move one to that good/justice, or help one understand that good which will eventually rule the world. If we look deep within our souls we know our hearts cry for goodness, justice, and love. Why not write about what we long for and we know is true. The best stories connect the reader to a True Reality beyond themselves. The best stories encourage someone to live for the good- for justice. Stories that merely entertain with no expectation to challenge the audience are meaningless.
(I clarify that I am not qualified to write on this topic inasmuch as I lack the scholarly and literary qualifications to do so. These are just my musings.)
--
The preceding is a revised version of my blog entry, Graduate 62: The Greatest Story. This revision was drafted by a friend of mine. (Could you tell just from reading it that I didn't write it?) His goal was to shorten, streamline, and clarify the presentation of the central theme and topic of that entry. Like my own writing, it has been posted without extensive editing, hence the peculiar title and intermittent typos. It's very interesting to compare, evaluate, and reevaluate writing styles.
--
God is in this place,
and that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
posted by Metaphysician_delta | 8:57 PM
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