Pressure

In my mind, pressure is inextricably linked to motivation. Some people seem to thrive under pressure. They perform at their peak, innovate to accomplish tasks and often surprise themselves with what they are capable of. Then there are those of us who just fold like a cheap suit. My initial reaction is to put myself in the later category but I wonder if that isn't due in large part to the currently low state of my self appraisal. In fact, as I reflect on many of the jobs I've had in the past and much of my educational career I have actually performed relatively well under pressure, moderate amounts of pressure anyway. There seems to be a threshold, beyond which any additional pressure gets the best of me and I retreat. That threshold is not a static level but variable depending on my stress level and the type of pressure. For example, I seem to recall handling pressure when I worked in architecture and retail much better than when I worked in ministry.

There is something about working in ministry that lowers my tolerance for pressure. My best guess as to the reason for this discrepancy is that failure in architecture or retail does not seem to carry the same implications for my personal character that failure in ministry does. That is to say, if I fail in meeting a deadline in architecture or don't make a sale at the store it only reflects on my professional competence but if a ministry I am in charge of fails it feels like it reflects on my character in addition to my competence. All of this is bogus, however. The reality that so often eludes me is that, especially in ministry but in those other jobs as well, there is only one judge of my character and He accepts me because of what He has done for me. There is no amount of performance, pressure induced or otherwise, that could earn greater standing in His eyes and no amount of failure that could lose me His approval.

So, what implications does that have for pressure? I'd say that pressure is only pressure if you're under it. There is a nifty side-step that is available to those of us who follow Christ. All we have to do is realize that the only One who is over us such that pressure might be applied is God Himself and, miracle of miracles, instead of applying pressure, which He would certainly be within His rights to do, He has taken it all upon Himself and offers us and easy yoke and a light burden. So, when I feel pressure, like a whole mob clamoring for a new blog post, I just turn that responsibility over to Him and He empowers me to accomplish the task. Not to make myself great by my achievements but to make Him great by acknowledging Him in everything.

Movie Review #6: Clash of the Titans 3D

Before I get into the film itself, let me discuss the new 3D phenomenon. I admit that when Avatar reignited 3D I was very skeptical about the contribution that 3D technology would actually make to the cinematic text of the film. After watching Avatar I concluded that while some moments were breathtaking because they were in 3D, there were at least as many moments that were annoying and distracting. In the end I found that, on the balance, 3D was a wash. I suspect, however, that the only reason it as able to break even was that Avatar was made by James Cameron who is a master craftsman, especially with new, innovative technologies. If Clash of the Titans is any indication, my suspicions are totally confirmed. There were a couple interesting 3D moments but, most of the time, it was distracting and annoying. I don't like wearing the silly glasses with the super thick frames and I don't like having to focus on only one part of the screen. In addition, I noticed something else about 3D this time around. In a normal movie, parts of the frame will be in focus while others are out of focus. This is called depth of field. Often directors use focus to direct your attention. When you add 3D to a film, however, you will still have parts of the frame out of focus. The problem is that in real life, things that are out of focus in my vision come instantly into focus when I direct my attention to them. Not so in a 3D film. They are still out of focus and it bothers my eyes which are used to focusing as they please. In short, I'm not a fan of 3D.

Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of Clash of the Titans either. The 1981 version was no great feat of cinema so I don't think I should have expected as much from this update as I did but, even so, I found this version somewhat lacking. It is clear to me that the director, Louis Letterier, took his cues from the Michael Bay school of directing in which substance and character development are sacrificed in favor of extended action sequences in which the audience never actually sees anything because the editing and camera movements are so frenetic. Overall I found that it lacked significant emotional impact, visual contrast or a satisfying plot.

In Clash of the Titans, we follow Perseus as he is caught up in a cosmic drama of human rebellion against the Greek pantheon and civil war within said pantheon. We learn early that his origins are mysterious and his motive for getting involved in the aforementioned drama is to enact vengeance upon the gods for his family. As the film progressed I found that his motive, which was the core momentum of the film, could apparently be swayed by the batting of some pretty eyelashes. Fortunately the girl behind them insisted he finish the plot, I mean quest.

I'm not sure how intentional it was on the part of the filmmakers but, as someone who is aware of the spiritual atmosphere in our contemporary culture I couldn't help but feel that even though the frustration, anger and rebellion that the human characters in the film felt was directed at the Greek pantheon of gods, the sentiment was intended to be applied to all concepts of God. It seemed that one could easily replace the gods with God and the people would have felt the same about Him. Naturally, I believe that those feelings are based on a misunderstanding of His character. The God of the Bible is not like Zeus. In addition, if the way the gods are portrayed is how the filmmakers view God (though, admittedly, I don't know if it is) then am I to assume that they view those who promote worship of God like the wild, insane street prophet in Argos? No doubt this is how some people view those of us who believe in God and I would be surprised if this movie would convince someone who didn't already think that way to start. It just makes me sad.