This is a bit of a diversion from Real Estate, but given the events of the past few weeks in our nation’s capital, I’ve had some thoughts. Those thoughts are not political, they are spiritual. But don’t worry, I am not going to preach to you. Just let me tell you my story.
Last weekend my fiancé and I attended a local dinner theater performance of the musical “Hair”. I knew the play was controversial and it was about the Hippies in the 1960’s protesting the Vietman war. She and I left at intermission. I understand a lot of people left before the end. The cast was awesome and did a terrific job. Great acting. The food was good and the service wonderful. It was the content of the play that was offensive.
The play is about a group of Hippies in New York in 1967. Again, I knew the play was controversial and of course, had the famous nude scene. What I did not know was that the play was more about uninhibited lewd sex and the rampant use of drugs. It glorified them, and I did not see any redeeming value on the way.
Of course, being a musical, it was song after song. What started me off was one of the first songs was about Sodomy. Later in the play one of the characters, at the close of a scene, did a Sig Heil salute to the audience. After the troubles in Charlottesville, it made me very uncomfortable. I am the father of three minority children, by adoption.
Someone else I know who was there, has a drug addicted relative that lives on the streets of a west coast city, and a relative that was career Navy and fought in the Vietnam War, and was even more uncomfortable than me.
See…the issue is, we are Christians. I became one on January 12, 2012, and I’ve learned a few things. Becoming a Christian does not make your life easier, in fact it can make it harder. You must start making decisions between what is good and needs supported, and what is bad and cannot be supported. It’s taken me a while to get this. I know some believe good and bad is in the eye of the beholder…but is it really? To really lead a Christian life, you must learn that to be a good Christian, it’s not all about being saved and going to heaven, it’s also about how you lead your life here on earth. You must support good positive things. Things that do not glorify God or a positive way of life that benefits yourself and others, cannot be supported.
TV shows that glorify random sex, violence and coarse language…sorry, not for me, so don’t county me in your Neilson ratings Hollywood. Not for me because I do not see any redeeming positive value in them. I stopped watching House of Cards because I got tired of watching people being mean and conniving with no positive values. I stopped watching Shameless (years ago) because it was in fact, shameless, and pandered to the viewer that wants to watch dysfunctional people with no boundaries and meaningless recreational drugs and sex. It sure sells advertising and makes a lot of people a lot of money…so does that make it okay? Do shows like that set a tone that makes people begin to feel those things must be okay with society, and therefore okay for them? Anything to do with the opioid epidemic going on?
I must admit that I watched Breaking Bad, because Hank was redeemable and had good qualities, but the show also illustrated how the bad can overwhelm, if you let it. Don’t let it.
Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox and let you, dear reader, go. But who I am in my private life and who I am in my business life must be the same or it flies in the face of my Christian beliefs.
–Ross
