This piece is a Guest Post contributed by Tim Levy.
As I searched my mind for my favorite inspirational movie or TV show……
I thought back to movies like ‘Indigo’, an independently produced feature by Stephen Simon and Neale Donald Walsch of ‘Conversations with God’ fame. It’s a lovely feature about a very special group of children with slightly spooky spiritual ‘powers’ – a message of hope for a new generation. This movie has certainly informed my own relationship with my three children Zak, Finn and Bella.
I thought back to classics like Stephen Spielberg’s E.T. or Ron Howard’s Cocoon. I recently watched these movies with my family. My wife and I had seen them before. E.T. is the life affirming story of the connection between a pure young boy and a pure young alien, communicating for the most part in a glowing state beyond words. And Cocoon with its wonderful visualization of what can only be described as energetic beings of pure spirit. My children, watching for the first time, were enchanted and excited by what they saw as alien beings. Through their eyes we watched normal humans like us get a new lease on life and a fresh perspective on eternity.
For my children, through inspirational movies like these, spirits and aliens are wonderfully intertwined. Unfortunately, the live affirming messages in these movies share shelf space with Ben 10 – a less than spiritual yet wildly contemporary ass-kicking cartoon. Is there such a thing as a kung-fu ascended master?
For that, we must visit my son Zak’s other on-screen idol – Bruce Lee. There’s no question that Bruce attempts to balances his martial arts prowess with profound meditation. My boys emulate that aspect from time to time as I sit by my local lake. Admittedly they only last a few breaths in the lotus position. They also like to jump around as secret agents demonstrating their best chops and kicks, reflecting their glimpses of the less than spiritual aspects of movies like ‘Enter the Dragon’ (which I won’t entirely let them watch). Is it possible that the loud violence in media overwhelms their quiet sense of spirit?
So in the end, while I had to applaud groups like the Spiritual Cinema Circle and others like it, I had to conclude that these inspirational movies and TV shows are few and far between. In practical terms, my wife and I spend more time helping our children avoid the media than encouraging it.
We prefer to spend time guiding them through a story in their imagination, eyes closed as we sit on the sand, a kind of prequel to the meditation we hope will come. We prefer to think this way although we don’t always meet it in practice – which is where movies like Cocoon, E.T. and Enter the Dragon find their way into our family life. Hey – we have to get a break from the kids sometime, right?!
This article was written by Tim Levy, Author of ‘The Life Summit’. You can purchase his his book, The Life Summit by The Life Summit: Map Out The Life Of Your Dreams In 6 Easy Steps
