Ready Player One
Dear Friends,
During our break last week a few of us went to see the new movie
Ready Player One
. From the opening music (
Jump
by Van Halen) to the many great references to video games I used to play in the arcade to the interesting story line, I was hooked throughout. What I didn’t expect was a moral and even theological point to be made in the movie.
Without giving too much away I will tell you that the movie has something to say about
living in the real world
. We all enjoy the benefits of technology and we notice that the virtual world isn’t the same as the world that we walk in, live in, and breathe in. Even so we see more and more people spending more and more time there. It might be social media, binge watching Netflix, shutting out the world with headphones, walls, or closed doors. It might even be an escape through alcohol or drugs. There are lots of ways that people avoid interacting with the real world.
I get it. Sometimes what is real can be painful. But it can also be beautiful and life giving. Let’s do what we can as families to nurture life in the real world where we can look into one another’s eyes, enjoy a hug and a warm meal, take a walk on a beautiful spring day and watch the bunny rabbits hop through the woods. Let’s give thanks for what is real and do what we can to make that reality as whole and as life giving as possible.
To God be the Glory!
Robert
