You know how sometimes, when something bad happens, you say "well, at least it wasn't..." and fill in the blank with some horrific occurrence? Well today that horrific occurrence happened. In the past when my car battery was dead I could have said, "well, at least it wasn't the day of a final exam or anything." Today was the day of a final exam, and my car battery was very very dead. And I was already leaving the house at pretty much the last moment. For some reason I was really mad. And then I was even angrier when the police were parked by the side of the highway pulling random people over and causing the worst traffic tie-up I've been in in months. How dare they? I was fifteen minutes late for my exam. As I was mounting to the fourth floor, thinking how unfair it was, I suddenly remembered what it was I was going to post about yesterday (if I hadn't been studying for two exams...).
Yesterday I was going to post about how ludicrous it is for advertisements to talk about people deserving things. I turned on the radio to hear this whiney woman on a commercial for some dentist say "I deserve to be respected" and this whiney man say "I deserve a great smile." WHAT?!?! Where in the constitution of human beings does it say you deserve either of those things? I remembered a commercial I'd heard earlier: "I deserve time for myself," "I deserve to be pampered." What is that? I deserve to be pampered?!?! Ay ay ay. What a philosophy. What on earth gives people the idea that they have the right to all the things they claim rights to? (We won't even get into the argument that American's have the right to government provided health care - my blood pressure has spiked enough for one day.)
And then there I was climbing the stairs, fifteen minutes late for an exam, and thinking "This is so not right." What?! I deserve to have nothing bad ever happen to my car? Where in the constitution of human beings does it say I deserve anything?
So now I understand a little better what it is that those commercials are trying to tap in to. There seems to be some part of human nature that feels it is entitled to happiness, perfection, and 100% good times. This, of course, is not the case. In humanity's fallen condition we are deserving of nothing. And that is a condition that is far from being remedied by a good dentist!
But on the other hand, perhaps this aspect of human nature comes from that thing in us that is remembering the Garden of Eden, and that knows there is better than this to be had. And the eternally good news is that the human condition is one that HAS been remedied by God. And one day, though we do not deserve it on our own merit, we WILL have happiness, perfection, and 100% good times.
We won't even have final exams to be late to in the first place, let alone dead car batteries!
5 comments:
Dear friend! Little did I know what a traumatic day you had, in the midst of my Metamorphosophical frenzy tonight. Is it ok for outsiders to say you deserve to not have your spoot battery die so arbitrarily? If nothing else, it provided fodder for a substantially rich and very encouraging blog entry.
May it ever be so. (I'm still in paper-writing mode)
that is why one watches Anime. Everyone in the world has the inalienable right to watch Anime! Somewhere in Hezekiah II, I believe.
Anyway, car batteries dying. Bummer. Whas it completely dead and needed to be replaced, or just needed a jump?
But just think, now that whole lifestyle is all OVER.[well, for the forseeable future anyway...]
You should submit this as a TOR article! It's a great testimony and very thought provoking. I love the part about remembering the Garden of Eden and knowing there is better to be had...It kind of points me forward to heaven and eternal life, in a C.S. Lewisish sort of way...
gak!
I just heard that ad yesterday. While it was playing I yelled at the top of my lungs, 'WHY?' What have they done to deserve anything other than a kick in the pants? Thank goodness for mercy.
Post a Comment