Monday 6 January 2020

50 shades of grey?


Children say the funniest things. The TV was on and they showed a piece of old film in monochrome. A youngster said: “Oh look, the TV’s gone wrong … it has no colour anymore.”

Someone explained that in those days TVs were in black and white only. And before that, when you went to the cinema the film you saw was also in black and white. And before that even, films in the cinema had not sound at all. They were silent and someone sat at the front of the stage and played background music on a piano.

“Oh …” said the youngster, having just discovered something new.

I added jokingly, “Yes … in those days life was all black and white. We saw each other in black and white. We heard each other in mono sound and not in stereo as now. And our vision was in two dimensions not in 3-D as it is called now … “

The youngster looked puzzled, but he was soon put right.

This set me thinking. In those far off days life really was in black and white, so to speak. People knew where they were. Life was indeed different. I say “different”, not necessarily better.

If you wanted bread you went to the baker. You bought meat from the butcher and fruits and vegetables from the greengrocer. You went to the tailor to have your clothes made to measure, or bought them ready made from a special shop.

Nowadays everything seems jumbled up somehow. You go to the supermarket and you can buy anything from food, clothes and toys to paint, computers and financial services. Some even dispense medicines and run funeral services.

Life in general seems to have the edges all blurred up and distinctions are fading fast. Even in the way we conduct ourselves.

People no longer seem to know right from wrong. They no longer accept personal responsibility and are ready to blame someone else. They’re too quick to seek compensation first rather than accept that things just do go wrong. Our moral compass seems to be all over the place. People you expect to be honourable and setting the good example for the rest of society no longer do so. We seem unable to distinguish between good and bad, Saint and sinner, Heaven and hell.

Our communications are not longer crystal clear and sharp either. We now have all sorts of conflicting messages in the news, from the internet, cell-phones, text messages, tweets and what have you. It seems we live in an age of miss-information.

In short, life is no longer in black and white. It’s all murky grey more like.

In the good old days God’s message was loud and clear. “Thou shalt not” meant just that. His Commandments were a set of rules and regulations; put there for our benefit, as a guide to life. Now they’ve become ten suggestions to debate in the pub over a beer or two, and to alter and dilute to suit our modern sophisticated lifestyles.

Now I’m not saying life was better in those monochrome, monosound, mono everything days. Just different …

I believe God’s message is indeed still loud and clear today. We just don’t care to listen.

See the difference?

24 comments:

  1. You took the words right out of mu mouth! I have been laboriously composing a blog post on the de-humanization and jumbling as you call it of our society. Now I'll just point my readers here. Thank you.

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    1. It's great to see you visiting here Charlotte. Thank you. Yes please point your readers here, and visit again soon and often.

      Sadly, society is all mixed up these days.

      God bless you.

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  2. Very well said Victor. We have certainly become a society nowhere close to what once was. I'm not suggesting they were the "good old days" but I am suggesting we have definitely lost our moorings.

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    1. And that's what I find very sad, Bill. The world is slowly drifting into a bad place.

      God bless.

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  3. A very well written post that is very true to my heart.
    I miss this era...my era, but it wasn't always an easy time to live just the people that I loved and shared it with added a touch of color.

    God's Blessings 💮

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    1. I agree, Jan. Life may have been different back then, but I believe that people cared for each other that bit more.

      God bless you.

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  4. Victor, this post resonates with me... The moral compass doesn't even attempt to point toward truth anymore for most. I believe God is more about the relationship than the do's and don'ts, if not He would not have sent Jesus.
    That said, however, a desire to be in that relationship is what should drive me to do His will. I should drive me to seek His Truth, His Direction, His Guidance. It seems the world is embarking on this great voyage into the vast unknown ocean without a single compass, map, or navigational chart and just letting the waves toss them and move them where they will. Anything is permissible anything is acceptable. To disagree or to have a different opinion makes one intolerant and regarded as one who is filled with hate... Just the opposite is true... Filled with love, compassion, and sorrow for I have been on that ship that has crashed into the rocks and is going down. I know the fear, the pain, and the loss that is in store.

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    1. I fear that the world, its people, are living life today as if there's no tomorrow to come. Perhaps they have lost all hope. Maybe that's the reason why people behave as they do.

      God bless, Ryan.

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  5. This post perfectly mirrors Bill's observations today, too, Victor. When people chose to move their moral compass so that it no longer pointed toward God, they opened a proverbial Pandora's Box. And don't you know that the devil is enjoying every moment of this? I pray that those who have strayed will be found, repent, and follow Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
    Blessings, my friend!

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    1. It is sad, Martha, when I see people who once believed, gradually lose all faith and don't believe any more. So sad.

      God bless.

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  6. Brilliant! I've yet to spot a funeral parlor at Wal-Mart, but very little surprises me anymore. Mis-information, fake news and social media idolatry have combined to make me a Cynic.

    Were it not for His ever-present listening ear and people like you, Martha (etc.) I could easily become discouraged.

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    1. No Mevely ... please do not get discouraged. Life is difficult for many of us. We see the world changing and attitudes and morality is not what it used to be. But now is the time to stand strong. To have faith and not get discouraged. God is at hand. Only a prayer away.

      God bless you my friend.

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  7. In a lot of areas in life it seems that right is now wrong, and wrong is now right.

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  8. These days we have so many choices. A good thing for the most part, but it sure does make things complicated.

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    1. It is WE who make things complicated. WE have changed our moral compass.

      God bless, JoeH.

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  9. It's gotten so bad that even one's own gender is now considered "fluid." It's gotten really sick out there.

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  10. Powerful words that paint a picture, Victor. Your line, "I believe God’s message is indeed still loud and clear today. We just don’t care to listen" is such truth. American Society is so much like the Old Testament Israel who just didn't care to listen.

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    1. These days people think they know better. That's why a lot don't believe in God.

      God bless, Diane.

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  11. God's message is crystal clear - it doesn't change, He doesn't change.
    The Bible warns of the days when good is called evil and evil good. It warns of great deception. We need to stop following men and start following God.
    Thank you for your timely and powerful message, Victor. May God bless you abundantly:)

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    1. Thank you Chris. You are so right. Sadly, it is the time of deceptions and lies. We need to pray some more.

      God bless you always.

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  12. It's a sad difference. People just do not understand that The Almighty invented all things that are pleasant, and gave us rules governing the use of those things for our protection, not to stop us having fun. Excellent topic.

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    1. The world these days is a sad place, Mimi. We need to pray more.

      God bless.

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