Post 9

This post is extremely overdue. It's hard to motivate myself to blog, though, because I don't know whom I'm to; essentially, I'm just sending my thoughts off into cyberspace in hopes that maybe someone somewhere will read and like.
Problem is, virtually nobody knows about me, so I go unnoticed.
So, today's mission: blog about something someone might google [google (v.) to search the internet using the Google search engine ].
So, find me, Googlers; find me!!
Here, let me help--let's see, what sorts of things do people google? According to google trends, nothing I really know anything about.
Hmmm.... What else can people be expected to search for, though it didn't make the list?
How about
STARWARS
or
LORD OF THE RINGS
or
HARRY POTTER
HARRY FRIKIN' POTTER!!!!
Ah-ha!
I think I just found a topic to rant about.
(This rant courtesy of my journal entry for 17 July 2007:)
*
Went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at the theater today.
A very interesting thing happened to me during the climax. When all was wands and spells and sparks, instead of being drawn into the movie, I suddenly popped back into reality, and I popped into reality so suddenly that it surprised me.
There is no really accurate way to portray what happened to me, but it went something like this:
Reality: Oh. Hello, Kyle. What are you doing here?
Me: What?
Reality: I thought you were watching a movie; what are you doing out here in the real world?
Me: I don't know.
Reality: Well, isn't the movie exciting? This part here looks rather intense; isn't it intense?
Me: Oh. I dunno. I guess so.
Reality: Doesn't it make you passionate?
Me: No. Not really. I actually feel--kinda sad.
Reality: Sad? Why's that?
Me: I dunno. Isn't it sad?
Reality: What?
Me: People fighting like this--the constant battle between good and evil--isn't it sad? Why are they fighting anyway?
Reality: Well, they aren't really; it's just a movie. The real battle between good and evil is far less dramatic.
It was sort of an epiphany for me.
And then, a few minutes later when the movie ended, I started feeling bitter:
These aren't the sorts of battles people are called upon to fight! The whole movie was an allegory--choosing good over evil though we each have both within us--and yet it was all completely irrelevant!
As we walked out of the movie theater and to the van, it occurred to me that thousands of people will watch that movie and say, "Man. I wish I could do magic!"
Popular Sentiment: Kyle, don't you wish you could do magic?
Me: NO!!!!!!
Popular Sentiment: Oh! Why not?
Me: BECAUSE I DON'T WISH FOR THINGS I CAN'T EVER HAVE! May just as well wish for it to rain money!
Popular Sentiment: But what's wrong with that?
Me: IT'S STUPID; THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT!
The whole drive home, I tried to think of how to write a story wherein people overcame really, really horrific problems without superpowers or anything beyond the realm of possibility. About the time we got home, I realized that stories like that generally end tragically. It also occurred to me that most people don't face "really, really horrific problems."
As Reality said, "The batter between good and evil is far less dramatic."
So then I concluded that the only realistic story is one about ordinary people overcoming ordinary problems by ordinary means, but who would ever want to read a story like that?
I started pondering on things that are real--love, hate, pain, regret, joy, anger, sadness, peace--and I suddenly caught sight of the real battle between good and evil. Picture the scene of a grown man huddled up in a corner and sobbing because he is so filled with regret.
How can our hero ever escape the clutches of so mighty an enemy?
Can he escape? Is escape possible?
And then it occurred to me: Yes, escape is possible.
Through the Atonement.
I was thunderstruck at my discovery: the most real power of all is the one most people don't believe in! The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the magic of reality!
Fascinating: the actual state of reality is far more amazing that the fantasy that people wish were real!
Wow....
*
So, there you have it.
Man. That has all kinds of good things for people to google: "Harry Potter" "Jesus Christ" "good and evil" "rain money"--all kinds of good stuff!
Happy googling, ye googlers!