It was not until I arrived at Chicago that I remembered that
this Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday here in the United States. Everyone was
talking about it at the airport—either about that or about trying to find a
flight home. So many flights had been cancelled in the previous days due to the
record cold temperatures that everything was backed up.
I don’t care about the Super Bowl this year. You might
accuse me by saying that it is because the Packers are not in it, and that
admittedly may be part of it. If they were playing, I would have more interest.
But that is not all of it. Even when my state’s home team still had hopes of
post-regular season possibilities, my interest in the season had waned down
toward zero.
During the past several decades, the sports industry, just
like the music industry and the movie/television industry, has been elevated to
a level in our society that it does not deserve.
This is made evident by the
fact that the most well-know stars of these fields have become the
spokes-people of our culture on almost any subject. When an opinion is needed
on world affairs, a cultural shift in society, or even about what is right and
wrong, it is to the sports stars, the movie stars, and the rock stars that we
turn.
Increasingly, I am tiring of all of it. These are not the
people that I care to have shape my opinion on anything. All three of the
afore-mentioned industries are entertainment
industries, and they are little more than that. The place of their professions
in society is not to guide us into higher levels of thinking, but simply to
provide diversion for us for a few
moments—that’s it!
Perhaps it is possible for them to produce shows and music that have somewhat higher values, but while they have excelled at computer driven graphics and recording technology in order to better amuse us, they have remained primitive in the more redeeming qualities.
Perhaps it is possible for them to produce shows and music that have somewhat higher values, but while they have excelled at computer driven graphics and recording technology in order to better amuse us, they have remained primitive in the more redeeming qualities.
In general, these industries that are mainly meant to
entertain have outgrown themselves in levels of importance because our society
has diminished itself in its ability to think critically. We have come to
believe if someone has the ability to give us a few moments of amusement, then they
are worthy to lead us in every aspect of life.
Freshly back from my time with the people of the Log Church
of Kenya, this contrast of priorities of life hit me hard. These people of
Kisii, who despite the fact that they themselves are among the most needy of the earth,
have still opened up their lives to provide food, shelter, and a supportive
community for the orphans of their area.
These are the kinds of people whom I would rather shape my
world view.
“The Bible instructs us to care for the orphans and the
widows,” the three pastors of the church told me in a meeting one day. “We
decided to begin with the orphans, because they have the biggest needs in our
area.”
Pastors Douglas, Joel and Vincent |
Part of this comes from the fact that they usually have too high an opinion of themselves. It is the humble man and the humble woman, the ones who live life where it actually exists, who have the most to teach.
And when history has come to a close, when all the Super
Bowl rings have been been burned into ash along with all the Emmys and the Oscars, it
is the work accomplished in the orphanage that will remain.
Thanks for coming along with me on this journey. I will
continue to write of what is happening with the orphanage—not daily, but more
like weekly.
I hope you continue to follow.
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