The surreal life…
…is not just the title of a TV show.
It’s pretty much descriptive of what I’ve encountered in my life of late.
Today, while aimlessly surfing the television before heading for work, it was almost bizarre how much chaos I encountered while just switching channels. Jump cuts galore, all kinds of semi-clothed people(of both sexes) being thrust in my face, and assorted examples of what is now termed to be “cool” and “edgy”, just what I need to relax me from the stress of the “real” world, right?
Wrong. All that “edginess” doesn’t entertain me or comfort me in the least. Why the people who program these various stations think that I have to have what’s “cool” or “hip” is beyond me. It’s reminiscent of the 1970s when we were given TV that was “real” and “honest”, as opposed to such venerable sitcom classics as “Leave It To Beaver”, and “I Love Lucy”, and others like them. Why I needed to be confronted with “reality” at home after I dealt with it all day in the “real” world, I couldn’t imagine. I WANTED escape…shows that had morals, positive examples and stories, and life lessons to teach. More than that, I wanted hope and assurance that things weren’t as bad in the world as they appeared…so it was a GOOD thing to have those old, “unrealistic” shows…I miss them.
But the trend toward “edginess” is not, sadly, limited to TV. It extends to advertising of any sort, radio,(where I work), movies, and any other sort of medium. It doesn’t seem to matter where I go…”edginess” is being forced on me in every direction, it seems. Even(heaven forbid)in my beloved gospel music…I admit, the world can do what it wants, but when it comes to the music I love, I have to draw the line somewhere.
The gospel has never been “cool”…and I don’t want to be “jolted” by my music, or manipulated by marketing strategies that tell me that the music I listen to for encouragement and comfort should be as “edgy” and trendy as the rest of the world. I want THAT aspect of my musical life to be orderly, familiar, consistent, and relaxing.
I realize this makes me sound like an old fogey far beyond my years…I might even be accused of trying to inhibit the growth of gospel music, that I want it to be narrowly focused, and the same as what it was when I first began listening to it and getting pleasure from it so many years ago. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
I WANT gospel music to grow…in all ways…stylistically, lyrically, and in terms of popularity. I want EVERYONE to love it as I do. It’s just that for me, I don’t need to be “cool”…or have my music be that way just because some people think it should be. I don’t serve a “cool” God, I serve and love the true God…and in my intimate moments with Him, I don’t want the ways of the world to get in my way…I just want it to be me and God, just as I am…and He doesn’t care if I’m “cool” or edgy” or not…He just wants ME!
So if you want an “edge” to your life or music, go for it…it’s your life…and you have the right to live it your way! But as for me, my life is not mine any longer, and I don’t need to be anything other than what God wants me to be…and I don’t need any other “edge”.
Posted on May 06, 2006 - 08:06 PM | [0]
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