In the early days of computers, when we were just getting
used to having them around, there was a common saying: “Garbage in, garbage
out.” This meant if programming was faulty, computers would not perform as
desired. They either would malfunction or not operate at all. Today almost
everyone has a computer and non-techies like me don’t worry much about
programming. But the adage is still true.
If you install flawed software on your computer, or the
existing software becomes corrupted (perhaps by bad company?), you’re going to
become very distressed. Computers are supposed to do what we want them to do;
when they don’t, we’re tempted to express some words that aren’t suitable
around children or at formal social gatherings.
Speaking of which, I’ve heard the recently released Martin
Scorsese film, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” is being called the “swearingest film”
of all time, employing the f-word more than 500 times. (Who was responsible for
the official count, I don’t know, but that’s not a job I’d want.) Based on the
length of the film, the word was used, on average, about every 20 seconds!
I haven’t seen the film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, and
won’t. Why pay good money to be bombarded by dialogue that sounds like someone
gargled with dirty toilet water? My mind is exposed to enough garbage during
the course of an ordinary day. I don’t need to go to a theater and buy some
more.
Hollywood seems so very fond of the so-called “f-bomb.” In
some quarters the film aristocracy apparently regard it as sophisticated, cool,
or something like that. I think it’s simply an excuse for lazy, unimaginative
script writing and cesspool thinking that masquerades as “creativity.” It also
shows a lack of respect for many members of the viewing public.
There might be occasions when using profanity can be
justified. But when usage of a word that’s unacceptable in most public settings
is spewed excessively, at machine-gun pace, how can that be excused? Maybe
that’s how those directors and actors speak in private as well, so for them it
seems normal. In that case, I won’t be inviting them over for dinner.
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| Based on how you're programming your mind, what are the words most likely to come out of your mouth? |
As Proverbs 4:24 wisely advises, “Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your
lips.” Ephesians 4:29 adds, “Do not let
any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for
building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen.”
Granted, in moments of anger or frustration a profane word
might slip out, but when such words become as common as periods at the end of
sentences, something’s awry. It’s to no one’s benefit.
But the larger issue – that of garbage in, garbage out – goes
far beyond motion picture dialogue. We need to be careful of how we “program”
our minds in every way. Romans 12:2 admonishes, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind….” Each day our minds are renewed,
influenced and shaped by what we allow into them.
I frequent some social media sites, but have noticed the gossip and negativity that make up much of the content we
read can undermine our thought patterns. Some people apparently ascribe to the motto,
“If you can't think of something bad to say, don’t say anything at all.” So I try
to avoid “friends” like that.
Years ago I was an avid reader of horror novels and stories
about the occult. I enjoyed a good scare. But after my pastor gave a sermon
about the occult, I asked his opinion of my reading preference. He didn’t
respond with judgment, but simply replied, “Well, when you read those books,
are they pointing you to God – or away from Him.”
Thinking about what he said, I realized that whenever I was
reading books like that my tension level would increase, interactions with
other people became harsh, and the pervasive language that typified such novels
certainly wasn’t helping my own speech to be “edifying,” as the Bible describes
it. They definitely weren’t pointing me toward God.
I often wonder about the extreme violence depicted in many
video games today, all in the name of “entertainment.” If it’s entertaining to
immerse yourself in a virtual experience in which people are killed, blown up
and maimed, is it any surprise that at least some of the perpetrators of mass
violence have histories of having been engrossed in such “games”?
The human mind has often been described as the most complex,
sophisticated and wondrous computer ever observed. But as with electronic
computers, programming makes all the difference in how our cerebral
computers operate: How we think, the way we act, and what we say.
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