One common phors associated with living in the modern West is the ladder. For those just beginning their careers at the lowest Lang, the goal for the next 40 years is to climb that ladder as much as possible. On a more collective scale, the American dream is as understood as it is. The “dreams” that politicians and critics incorporate into our cultural spirit is one of the achievements. This ladder appears to be open to everyone, wherever you start. For those with ample talent and effort, Top Lang offers almost unlimited joys that only money can buy. If you don’t climb the ladder, you will lead to a miserable life.
We live in a state of fluidity. I am deeply frustrated that America’s dreams are our inheritance and that I cannot achieve them.
For those who have lived long enough, we know that this ladder is an illusion. Certainly, effort can lead to success, but life is one of the trade-offs. A well-paid job doesn’t always fit well into a perfect family life. Deep friendship with lifelong friends can limit the mobility needed to reach the best of Lang. All illness, coincidence, and addiction lurk in the dark alleys of life, waiting to shake unsuspecting climbers from their perches.
This truth about the success of our western ladders is floating in the background of our consciousness. We know the truth, but we hate to admit it. We want to feel like we are in control and we want to recognize the many traps that set the life we want before us. We live in a state of fluidity. I am deeply frustrated that America’s dreams are our inheritance and that I cannot achieve them.
Destroy the illusion
Some of the best works of art reveal what this ladder is. At Fitzgerald Great GatsbyThe protagonist, throwing a gorgeous party and telling his daily story in World War I, turns out to be a Bootlzing con man. In the 2007 film, I have bloodDaniel Day Lewis’ character slowly destroys himself and his adopted child as he pursues wealth in the California oilfields. Finally, he is one of his castles and a murderous old man. Apple TV’s new series continues this tradition of peeking behind the veneer of success Your friends and neighbors. In the first season, screenwriter Jonathon Tropper aims at the New York world of wealth and privilege. Thankfully, the viewers are not showing anything.
When the episode sounds, the American Dream melts into a nightmare A certain kind.
The protagonist of the series is Andrew Cooper (John Ham), a wealthy hedge fund manager who has lost his job and family. As he is known to those around him, “Coop” is a complicated character. After graduating from Princeton, he followed the path of customs to success that promised more than it could offer. He climbed the ladder of his profession, but was kicked out by his responsive boss at the pinnacle of his power. The large mansion he purchased in the most prestigious suburbs is now home to his ex-wife and his ex-best friend who stole his wife. The expensive golf clubs that were his community are now a troubling tension, and he is forced to interact with people on his side in divorce.
Coop is a long line television character of complex criminals with loving qualities. Like Tony Soprano 20 years ago, we see all aspects of his humanity: darkness and light. After Coop faces an invoice that he can no longer pay, he begins stealing from friends and neighbors. He is one of the privileged residents of the neighborhood, so he understands that most of their belongings are unnecessary. Once they streamline their lost property and don’t care, the COOP begins pawning his friend’s belongings for the quick cash they use to maintain his lifestyle. Meanwhile, the rifts in the lives of his friends and family begin to deepen as the entire town becomes disillusioned with their artificial life. His ex-wife casually holds the key to someone else’s car at the golf club. A family friend who is a powerful lawyer is secretly associated with his daughter’s boyfriend. When the episode sounds, the American Dream melts into a nightmare A certain kind.
Evangelism and Illusion
I hadn’t planned it, but at the same time I was watching this series and reading a new book on evangelism by pastor and scholar Bobby Jamieson. To be honest, I have never really been involved in this Old Testament book in the past. A few years ago, while trying to teach it to a youth group in my church, I struggled to apply the author’s “wisdom” about the overwhelming vanity of life. If the world doesn’t make sense, what’s the point? Certainly, we must be careful of idols, but we must live in this world where the author is so tired of it. The students and I left in despair.
Therefore, the question of our lives is not how high we climb, but what we do with disillusionment. As the old proverb says, we become “bitter or more.”
Jamieson’s book Not everything is enoughI have walked me clergy as a journey rather than a destination. Qoeheleth, or the “teacher” who wrote the book, teaches us with fundamental truths about life. Like Your friends and neighborsEvangelists teach us that disillusionment is inevitable in this life “under the sun.” At some point, we will each find that the ladders we were told we were being sold and climbed are not fulfilled. This ladder may lead us to good work, a stable financial situation, all good, but it will never fulfill our deepest longing to lead us to God. Therefore, the question of our lives is not how high we climb, but what we do with disillusionment. As the old proverb says, we become “bitter or more.”
At one point in the series, COOP reflects on the disillusionment he faces. He says this as he is taking away the house of yet another friend: “I was wrong about all the rules. It turns out there are no rules.” COOP, like many of us, thought that life was one of actions and consequences. Put your work in and get the results you’re looking for. After losing it all, he knows well. About 3,000 years ago, the evangelist author learned the same thing. He sought all the wisdom he could, and realized that it would disappear someday. He accumulates wealth and women and learns that the rules he thought were playing were farces. Disillusionment continues, and he is forced to tackle the meaning of life.
meanwhile your Friends and neighbors It’s not a perfect show (it doesn’t have too many sex scenes, but it seems unnecessary), and the message is as old as humanity. The life we build is often not the life we want. But this is not the end of the story. What’s more important than what we build is how we respond to reality when reality hits in the face. Whether this disillusionment hits us in our twenties or sixties, it has the power to destroy us and delve deeper into the image of God. Evangelism represents the formation of healthy types. While the author begins to completely disillusion the book with everything, he learns over time that God is sovereign and has the purpose of our lives. God’s works are eternal (3:14) And we can ultimately trust and obey God, even if we don’t understand it (12:13-14). This type of disillusionment is far from destroying us, and broadens our views of life. During this journey we learn that life is not about us, and that we simply learn that in the red stories of humanity, few (although important) and that we simply learn that little (although important) and that little (although important). Disillusionment forces us to live in reality. The reality is where true peace is.
It is formed partly by disillusionment
One of the great dangers of disillusionment is dealing with inappropriately. Some simply give up, but most people change just enough to reduce the pain. This partially formed result only prolongs disillusionment. We may be sure that marriage and careers are not perfect, but we continue to live out for a smaller savior, such as holidays and children’s achievements, to hurt the itch. This will allow us to get through life, but never thrive.
Rather than face reality, Coop creates his own truth that plays a better role in his own way.
Your friends and neighbors This is a photograph of this partial formation. Throughout the series, Coop recognizes what he has lost. In one scene, while Coop argues with his daughter, she asks him “what he knows about love.” With a burst of raw emotions, he screams at her with the intensity that only pain can bring. “I know what it’s like to have it, so I know how it tears you when you lose it!” he cried. “I know what it’s like to see a little girl who’s holding my hand every day rolling her eyes at me and speaking with such a light empty. At this point, Coop seems to be on the right path.
If Coop realizes what he has lost, he becomes incredibly cynical. During the night robbery, he learns secrets about the friends he uses to blackmail them for his own benefit. As he learns to interact with his family more honestly, we see a glimpse of transformation, but Cope embraces and justifies his new career as a thief. In doing so, he risks his loved ones and appears to be immune to the truth that there is a moral standard. He does not face reality, but creates his own truth that plays a better role in his own right. Throughout the series, it is difficult to tell whether he is fueling greedy, angry or fear. When his son tells him he is “fake it until he makes it,” the COOP responds with a telling response. “One day, you’ll notice that most other people are doing the same thing. That’s when things really get scared.” Disillusionment is scary, and Coop is scared.
Beware of warnings
At the end of the mission, the author summarises what he learned. “The end of the problem. Everything was asked,” he said. I’m writing. “Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is human duty, because God introduces all actions into judgment, along with all secrets, whether good or evil.” In other words, our characters are the ultimate important.
Ultimately, our characters are important.
Life offers each of us the opportunity to deal with disillusionment. It’s about living in reality. Coop’s personality can do that. His children desperately want his affection, and even his ex-wife longs for attention from the man she has always loved. The problem with Cope as the series enters its second season is that his disillusionment led to more pride than humility. After losing it all and survived, he believes that he has the power to create his own reality, rather than submitting to what he previously took everything from him. Sin, as usual, distorted his reality.
For Christians who can get through some of the less flavorful elements Your friends and neighborsthey will recognize old stories like gardens. Humans struggle to live within God-based limits. After experiencing all creation, the evangelist author recognizes that the best thing we can do is live with humble dependence on God. I don’t think Apple TV will create dramatic salvation for the main character, but I think the second season will continue to be a fun case study in which disillusionment can create when we can’t recognize our creator.
Source: Christ and Pop Culture – christandpopculture.com
