"Everything is Plastic"

   My mother tells a story about me as a young child visiting my aunt's house. On one of the tables was an appealing fruit basket. I took one of the apples and attempted to bite into it, only to be told it was "plastic." Some time later, I allegedly composed an original song with the repeated line, "Everything is plastic." My childish brain could not comprehend what benefit there was in setting out fruit that did not nourish.

   This week I was visiting somewhere else and came upon this tray of plastic fruit on a counter. I was not deceived this time.

   Plastic fruit is a fitting metaphor when so many of the things that surround us are not real. The voice on the other end of the telephone is not always a real person, but a recording or sounds generated by a computer.  The so-called candid photos on our social media feeds are curated and embellished. Computers having what seem like life-like conversations with people was tested out as early as the 1960's [1], and many chatbots appear on websites to "help" us. We have an obsession with the virtual world and its technology, but it does not nourish us. Loneliness has recently been called an epidemic, and a social worker named Jake Ernst "blames technology and social deterioration for this trend" [2].

   Discerning what's real and what's plastic/fake or at best a representation of reality is not just a problem that started with personal computers or smartphones. Projecting an image of ourselves that is better than reality has been a temptation humans have struggled with from the beginning. Societies do the same, rewriting history to cover up the unpleasant parts and to kindle greater loyalty. 

  So, how to we wade through the media and the messages to arrive at anything resembling reality?French mathematician René DesCartes in the 1600's proposed doubting everything. He then rebuilt a system of reality based on his own senses and rationality: "I think, therefore I am." Maybe I'm not the only one that finds this human-centred, individualistic approach less than satisfactory.

  I offer a few ideas that have helped me.

• Whenever possible, connect with people face to face. Real people are not just voices, faces, or the words they generate. Real people are embodied, complex beings with emotions and histories. We're able to take in more of this complexity when we meet in person. We're also more able to take in this complexity when we listen at least as much as we speak.

• Interact with the real, created world whenever possible. Yes, Alexa or Google can tell you what the weather is like, but stepping outside and experiencing it is more real than their descriptions. Looking at photographs of birds and butterflies can be enriching, but looking out your window or walking in your neighbourhood and focusing your eyes on 3-dimensional wonders will nourish you in a deeper way. Allowing children to watch someone else play Minecraft or to play Minecraft themselves may have a place, but building with tangible objects like blocks or LEGO widens their sensory inputs and horizons.

• Remind yourself that everything presented to you comes from a limited perspective. It can never give you the complete picture because reality is so complex. Pay attention to the bias of the source. Sometimes, it helps to look behind the bias to see if there is something to be gained for the source by including particular details or ignoring or downplaying others.

• As a person of faith, I'm finding it increasingly crucial to be humble and to admit when I'm not sure or don't know enough to be an authority on topics outside my expertise. Even when I might be considered an expert by being an eye-witness of an event or situation, I can't claim to be the only authority. I need to admit that others have experienced it differently. If we disagree about some aspect, I need to give others the benefit of the doubt, unless there's evidence of malice.

My simple musical composition "Everything is plastic," was a reaction to being tricked by fake fruit. Some things are indeed plastic imitations of a real thing, so I keep seeking to better understand the complexity of reality in the light of God's grace.

   [1] Between 1964 and 1967, Joseph Weizenbaum developed ELIZA. It was a computer program that could carry on a seemingly natural conversation with a therapy client, who typed in thoughts and responses to its prompts.

   [2]Global News article about increasing loneliness consulted social worker Jake Ernst among others.

Solid and Dynamic Faith

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." 

Colossians 2:6-7, New International Version

We are given some word pictures by the Apostle Paul that show us that our life of faith is both solid and dynamic [1].

Photo by Bruce Kee on Unsplash

We’ll start with the solid pieces. Paul says, “Continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught.” This first image talks about plant life. As we know, roots provide stability to a tree or plant so that it can remain intact when winds and storms come. When we are rooted in Christ, we have a solid base and receive our nourishment from him rather than other sources.

And Christ also builds us up. Christ is the sure foundation of our lives, much stronger than reinforced concrete, steel or titanium. We can fully trust Christ in every situation, and he will never leave or forsake us.

Then two other word pictures indicate that unlike a tree or a building, we are not meant to stand still. They are dynamic images. The encouragement to “continue to live your lives in him” contains a reference to walking in the Greek. The New King James Version translates this phrase as “walk in Him.” 

Photo by Soroush Karimi on Unsplash

British theologian N.T. Wright comments that we need to move forward in this life with Christ. He says, “Being a Christian is like riding a bicycle; unless you go forward, you’ll fall off. And going forward as a Christian means, once more, nothing more nor less than going forward ‘in Christ,’ in the king” [2].

Finally, Paul adds, “and overflowing with thankfulness.” When something overflows, there’s movement and action. The storyline of Christ is enough to satisfy us, and we don’t seek anything in addition to Him. Our response is gratitude, which flows into good works and kind deeds. 

For further reflections on gratitude, you may enjoy the following posts:

Gratitude: Weakness or Strength

Easy Go, Easy Come

Give or Receive, Part 1

[1] Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat (2004) Colossians Remixed, page 135 says, "Paul frames metaphors of solidity and stability (rooted, built, established) with metaphors of growth and dynamic change."

[2] N. T. Wright (2002) Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters, p. 164.