Staring Into the Reflecting Pond at The White Lotus

For a sarcasm-dripping show, White lotusthat its third season is being concluded excitingly, cites a point of honesty. Some of these points are hidden behind graphic images, delicate subject matter, and “adult situations”, but still profound. I never defended when I would direct to defend why Christians could or should see morally ambiguous media. do not have To see it. The value I see when finding Christian elements in such things is that it equips us to contribute something meaningful to conversations with others who are beyond the old, whether or not the old is real.

Interesting points White lotus The first three seasons were made from the name itself. lotus This is a reference to Homer’s Odyssey. When Odysseus stumbles on Lotus Eater Island, his crew is relieved that they have initially found food. However, Odysseus warns them not to eat when they see the impact they have on the inhabitants. Everyone on the island is lethargic and inactive. They are not imprisoned by external forces, but by their own indifference, induced by the wealth, joy and sleepiness that Lotus offers. On the show, White Lotus is the name of a chain of high-end luxury resorts in exotic locations around the world. Guests who can afford to attend here need a wealth of wealth. This gives you the right to experience the greatest joy this world can offer. It’s not just an escape. That’s abandonment.

But what if the show doesn’t have a twist?

At the opening moment of each season’s first episode, we see that something tragic happened: murder (well, suppose it’s murder anyway). There is little other information: No Who is (No victims or perpetrators) when (Because that’s always the end of the week), and no whyor how. This death hovers at every moment of the week until our curiosity is satisfied. What will happen to the situation that leads to the end of whose?

I know that it really lies in the dynamics and dialogue of the character so that you don’t think the main value of this show is a murder mystery element. Considering the symbolism of the lotus, it should be noted that this resort cannot run without the effort of those who cannot afford to use its services as guests. The show contrasts with those two classes of people, highlighting the disparity through interactions between staff and guests. The guests themselves travel well, and in a secular sense, they are also unaware of the world of those who serve them. This is often portrayed humorously through many conversations, including delivery/real estate heirs (played by Jennifer Coolidge), but also creates intense conflicts among the characters.

As Christians, our mission is not to try to eliminate class. [us] everytime” (Matthew 26:11), but to the extent that we identify ourselves with Christ (cf Matthew 25:35-40). Rather than reducing this to “rich = bad;poor = good”, the show satirizes fascinating concerns towards the poor, often characterizing interactions between social classes. It is not a didactic presentation, but nevertheless a useful presentation.

If Odysseus is a model for a hero who has to endure hardships, complete challenges, and murderous monsters to return to his family’s home, Lotus Island stands as the first obstacle to his growth. If he stays, he will not achieve his goals and will not return to his wife and child responsibility. He loses the opportunity to love.

Similarly, all seasons of White lotus It features characters with a disrupted male maturity. I was fascinated by the way the show portrayed each character’s porn habits from a negative standpoint, but not in a way that wavys with shameful fingers. The story shows that porn keeps each of them under control from the authentic relationships of their lives, and even more surprising, we witnessed their growth when habits were interrupted. This pattern is clearly not presented in Season 3, as it is two of Season 3, but there is hint to this theme. fellow– Character, Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger). The detrimental effects of porn were featured too heavily in the first two seasons to be a coincidence, and while the Saxon moment in the season 3 finale is not a St. Paul level conversion, it shows a moment of deep growth from where he began just a week ago. This complements the ban on Christian pornography. This is ultimately a crime against charity, and a way of viewing others as mere objects.

Another prominent theme from all seasons of White lotus It is desire and it forms it. There are many rivalries and “microaggressions” between all three seasons, but one stands out among 30 male friends from the university who are present with his wife. Another from season 3 is three middle-aged women who have been friends since high school but have gone on a different path in adulthood. Naturally, their past things have returned to bother them, and old rivals revive themselves as the holidays bring out different aspects of their personality. In season 2, one friend attributes the tension between them to the other “desibilities of imitation.” If it’s not so clearly written, there are hints of imitation desire and imitation rivalry among the three friends in season 3.

Simply put, the desire for imitation is the idea that our desires are produced not within us but from external “models” that unconsciously shape them. We don’t want things For itselfbut because our model wants it first. Some may recognize this idea from Christian scholar René Girard. This concept contributes to what he calls the “scapegoat mechanism” and involves the sacrifice of unwanted parties within the community in order to unite the community on a common cause. Girard’s reach certainly surpasses the church, but the fact that Shaw quotes his theory in an obvious biblical language (“Scapegoat” is a term from Leviticus 16:22 And Girard replied this idea to his return to his Christian faith.

Girard saw the biblical story – first with that of Joseph from the Old Testament, and ultimately with Jesus, breaking the mechanism of the scapegoat. Instead of taking part in the escalation of desire with his neighbor and finding another innocent victim to blame for why that desire is not fulfilled, Jesus wanted to become the victim himself to show the bankruptcy of the entire system of imitation desire. Christians, people who participate in the body of Christ, the church (cf. 1 cor. 12:27; cf. Col. 1:18), and is also intended to participate in this destruction of the scapegoat mechanism. Our desires are no longer shaped by our neighbors or the world, but by Christ.

Is this a support for the rampaging rumours? White lotus? That’s not necessarily the case. Is there an undesirable element in the show that may distract us from reflective or perhaps spiritual fertility? yes. What I think is worth taking away from shows like this is the subtle elements that Christians can especially appreciate. By taking these elements, you can contribute to a discussion about popular media. Perhaps your insightful comments with an unexpected Christian twist will drive your friends and colleagues’ needles into the pursuit conversation.