“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” - Albert Einstein

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Knowing the Times

Long ago in a galaxy far away . . . . I think it's a safe bet that Star Wars will go down in history as part of our culture's list of great stories. It's a good story and exciting to watch. A & E channel did a story on the making of Star Wars. I don't think I'd ever realized how ground-breaking a movie it really was. One line from the show hit me and stuck with me. As part of the deal Lucas made with the studio, he got the rights for all the merchandising associated with Star Wars. The commentator said, "George Lucas knew the world was changing. The movie studios hadn't realized it yet." Lucas made many millions from the sale of Star Wars merchandise.
I had forgotten that Star Wars was born in the late 70s. America was recovering from an unpopular war, facing double-digit inflation along with high unemployment. Pessimism was high and the future was uncertain. But Lucas saw what others could not or would not: that he could tell a story that would be compelling and fun and that people would love. The success of Star Wars was even beyond his imagination.
I would never suggest that our society is in the kind of malaise as we faced in the 70s. (However, I do think Obama would make Jimmy Carter look like an effective president by comparison.) But I sense that we may be at the place where people like George Lucas will find opportunity and hope where others see doom and gloom. Jesus chided the Pharisees because they couldn't discern the signs of the times. While the media is saying that we're even short of hand-baskets for everything that is going to hell in them, I want to be one that sees the great possibilities others won't.

2 comments:

Elan said...

Possibility thinking - it's a good practice. Sometimes the best time to start something new is in the midst of depression. The 3 industries that thrived in the Great Depression were tobacco, alcohol and cosmetics. I wonder how many people gave up their jobs to start a new venture in the depressed economic climate of the 1930's? We need to seek hope and think hope - the kind of hope that only comes from the Lord, the King of possibility thinking. He knows what is possible for us, but do we see it and do we know it?

Florence and Gary Deeter said...

Eric,

I have been reading the book of Proverbs--going through it three times straight to absorb some of the principles. Three qualities embodied in individuals keep coming up--the fool, who is morally bent; the simple one, who is morally clueless, and the one embued with wisdom, who sees what others do not see, sees things through God's eyes, sees the path that is unnoticed by others, and sees vistas that lie beyond the ken of most. Possibility thinking fits into that structure.

Dad