Bond, Bombs, and Bumbling...

I think we watch too much TV.

This week, a plethora of reports on a series of bombings in Bangkok.  They were all botched in some way, the best--or, perhaps, the worst--being the guy who failed to eliminate his target but blew off both his legs.  I think we watch too much TV.

We think we are all James Bond.  We think that we can slip on a tuxedo, or other appropriate suspense-building attire, and become invincible.  We get to decide who lives and dies.  We know what is worthy of life and death.  And we are sure we will accomplish our goals.  And we throw our bomb and smile...waiting for the orchestral celebration that will signal our success.

And then the bomb we so deftly threw bounces off the car we didn't notice was approaching fast and lands at our feet and...we. are. headlines.

We just watch too much TV.  Our opinion is the only one.  Our agenda the best.  Our way of doing things is certainly God's way.  Our religion, our political stance, our preference for sugar or sweetener, our vegetarianism, our way is clearly the best, the only, the ultimate.  We. are. Bond.

Except, we blow our legs off.  We can't agree on health care, on budget balancing, on eliminating graft from congress, on worshipping.  And we just flop around wondering why we failed when we know we should succeed.

Really, we need to remember that James Bond isn't James Bond.  He's just wishful thinking in a tux.  And we really need to live real lives and stop trying to play God or be something we cannot possibly be.

I wonder if real life wouldn't be pretty fun...talking and listening to each other...letting God be God...knowing we value our legs over destroying someone else...turning off the TV and all the mistaken assumptions it brings into our world.

(But leave the computer on...everything you read here is true and real...)