Jason

Now, what meaning do you think stands behind that video? When I watched it first, I felt a concern for the rock who was falling. I saw, certainly at places, the despair and resignation to the fate that awaited him. In my view, the focal point of the piece was the hopelessness of one, who, try as he might to arrest his fall, was still...falling! I felt that a deep sense of despair ran through the whole thing, even as the vapour cloud at the end dissipates in the blink of an eye. What a despairing reality.

So, believing that meaning lies with the author (application belongs to the reader, but interpretation - meaning - must be derived from the author), I set out to see if i could track down what the creator thought about his piece. Here’s what he said...

Wow, what a feedback! Thanks so much guys, especially for those who signed up just to give a comment... amazing!

About the content of the film and your question Gloria...

When we made the film, we thought about other characters, other smoke trails, shooting stars, about things you leave behind and many other aspects of death itself. We made the decision to concentrate on one certain aspect of death. Namely how we deal with it.

Although we humans try to tell ourselves otherwise, death is (so far) inevitable and ultimately mysterious. Something we don't have control over. The only thing we have control over, is how we spend the time that is given to us. We tried to suggest that only acceptance makes life worth living and that it might give you the option to replace fear with curiosity in the end.

But hey, I'm young. Ask me again in a few decades... ;)

It's certainly something that I wish for myself and the people around me.

So, reading that, I’d say I was wrong. I’d say my application wasn’t based on a proper understanding of the meaning of the piece. I shouldn’t have been focused on the despair, but the freedom that was mine to seize each moment knowing I was falling. Death is certain, so let’s enjoy life and live for the moment.

I see two fundamental problems with that view of life. First, the video assumes that the next life is either non-existent or unknowable. If there is no life beyond this one, then yes, live it up. But if there is a life beyond this one, then we do well to prepare ourselves in this one for the next. If what happens next (in the ocean as far as the video is concerned) is unknowable, then, yes, live in the now to the full because we don’t know what will happen to us tomorrow. Could be good, could be bad; but there’s no benefit in thinking about it because we just don’t know. But we believe that God has told us something of the next life. While it is ultimately mysterious, He has made the key parts clear in His Word. And so it does us no good to bury our heads in the sand.

The second problem with the worldview presented is that we don’t know how quickly the end is approaching. The rock had the benefit of seeing the end. He knew how much time he had left. We don’t. The end of our journey in this life is unknowable from our vantage point. That means that we could hit the bottom at any moment. I think that’s why Jesus tells us to turn and trust now, because today is the day of grace.

If you’re free-falling carefree through this life because you think this life is all there is, let me ask you a question. How sure are you? It could be that something is waiting for you on the other side of the ocean. It could be that the God who made everything really is there and that you really will have to give an account to Him regarding the choices you made in this life. And if that’s true, you don’t know how close you are to the water. All you know is that death is coming hard and fast and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. And that is despairing.

Thankfully, there was One who hit the water for us so that He might take us through the water into that next life as adopted sons and daughters of God. Jesus said to turn to God and trust in Him, forsaking everything else to entrust your soul to His care.

I wonder if you believe that?

jason