The Rants of Issachar
Sunday, June 26, 2005
To apocalyptic fantasies...
What is it about apocalyptic stories that people find so compelling?
Ryan turned on the TV this morning before church and Red Dawn was on. A nice distraction while sipping the morning coffee, (thanks to Melissa for the wonderful Starbucks supply), and reading. (Interesting article).
Red Dawn isn't a great movie in the sense of being transcendent or anything, but it's appealing in the same way that The Day After Tomorow is. Life is complicated and it's difficult to know what action to take in every situation. Apocalyptic stories have simple solutions. Fight the enemy. Stay out of the storm. It's not that life is always complicated. Sometimes the correct course of action is a simple one. (Which is not to say that it's easy). The advantage of a story is that the simple solution seems easier.
The stories stick with me too. I still remember reading A Wrinkle in the Skin back in high school and I still pick up The Chrysalids from time to time.
Well it's almost quarter to ten and I've got to go have a shower before church.
Ryan turned on the TV this morning before church and Red Dawn was on. A nice distraction while sipping the morning coffee, (thanks to Melissa for the wonderful Starbucks supply), and reading. (Interesting article).
Red Dawn isn't a great movie in the sense of being transcendent or anything, but it's appealing in the same way that The Day After Tomorow is. Life is complicated and it's difficult to know what action to take in every situation. Apocalyptic stories have simple solutions. Fight the enemy. Stay out of the storm. It's not that life is always complicated. Sometimes the correct course of action is a simple one. (Which is not to say that it's easy). The advantage of a story is that the simple solution seems easier.
The stories stick with me too. I still remember reading A Wrinkle in the Skin back in high school and I still pick up The Chrysalids from time to time.
Well it's almost quarter to ten and I've got to go have a shower before church.
2 Comments:
Posted by: 
westcoastloonI've never read The Chrysalids but it keeps coming up. I think I might just have to head over to Chapters and pick up a copy. I know a lot of people who've read it more than once so there must be something to it.
westcoastloonI've never read The Chrysalids but it keeps coming up. I think I might just have to head over to Chapters and pick up a copy. I know a lot of people who've read it more than once so there must be something to it.
Posted by: GravesUm, because people want to know that life is culminating into something bigger than themselves? (and something ubber dramatic and fulfilling). But that's just me guessing; I'm not a big apocalyptic kind of person (unless I'm living with my brother and then we watch a lot of it).
How was church? I'm still loving the sun in Cali and rolling my eyes at Grace and Paul (they've lost their minds and can't even walk straight anymore).
GravesUm, because people want to know that life is culminating into something bigger than themselves? (and something ubber dramatic and fulfilling). But that's just me guessing; I'm not a big apocalyptic kind of person (unless I'm living with my brother and then we watch a lot of it). How was church? I'm still loving the sun in Cali and rolling my eyes at Grace and Paul (they've lost their minds and can't even walk straight anymore).
