When we
watch an intensely heroic movie or read a book turning pages quickly, is it
truly the hero who inspires our admiration?
Do we truly fall in love with the image on the screen or the image in
our mind? Is the manipulation of the author
or the director that gives that character his place in our hearts? Does his or her prowess make an animation
larger than life?
These are
valid questions to consider, but I maintain that it is not the character, in
and of himself or herself, that impresses our minds and hearts, rather it is
the adherence to the ideals of bravery, honesty, the discernment of right vs.
wrong, and loyalty, with the ability to come through when it really matters,
making a positive difference in the world, that makes us sit on the edge of our
seats in the theater, cheer for the good guys, bite our lips as we read a
novel, and so forth.
Whether the
narrative takes place in outer space or the Old West, we still want the good
guys to win, not because they are the good guys, but because they affirm the
cultural base that we have been taught in our homes and schools since before we
could talk.
Why are
ideals so important to us? Ideals form the framework of our world, so
that we are able to gauge how we are faring in life. They are the ruler by which we compare our
performance, our success or failure, our ability to express who we are, where
we stand in the line of human existence.
Whether the
hero is Spiderman, Tinkerbell, Captain Kirk, or a mouse, we seek out the better
character to get behind our heroes. How
well does it work? Just go to a
department store and check out the toy department action figures.
What about
our villains? A recent Q & A on
Facebook showed that people were infatuated with the character of Regina
Story after
story, we seek out the good in our characters to inspire goodness within
ourselves and determine where we fit on the ladder of success.
May you be
richly blessed.
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