(*I do not claim to know everything - these are my thoughts and opinions. Feedback is welcome, if so desired!!)
Today was, in a word, rough. I was tired, I was out of it, and my luck had reached its end. When a bad evaluation finally put me over the edge before the clock even struck noon, I sank into myself, as I am wont to do. I put on a chilly front to the rest of the world, but inside myself was a swirling mass of despair and frustrated anger. It was a horrible feeling, really. Thankfully, I had a few minutes' break in the middle of the day, so I popped in my headphones, closed my eyes, and hit play on some "Boston." The lyrics "I just want to have my peace of mind," and "I lost myself in a familiar song/
I closed my eyes and I slipped away" flooded into my ears, I felt a tiny edge of that dark mass melting away. Not a lot, but enough to make it through the rest of the day.
And isn't that how a lot of people use music? It's an escape, a place to go when we can't take the real world any longer. Whether we're air drumming along to Journey, or shaking our hips to some One Direction, or belting out the music of Les Miserables, music helps us to escape ourselves and our lives, at least for a few minutes. In the chords and lyrics we find an understanding voice, words that seem to be meant for us alone, and a freedom and release that is seldom felt in reality.
It is not just music that people use to escape the confines of this world and its problems, however. Sports, art, dance, television, hunting, working on cars, studying history - all of these things have been used by people to find a relief from a constant bombardment of stress. And most of the time, these are not seen as bad things. I mean, who hasn't plopped down on the couch on a Monday night and just let the newest episode of [Enter Show Name Here] filter into their minds? In getting wrapped up in the fictional characters and their plights, people forget their own problems for a time. They may even find that their own problems are somewhat silly by comparison - at least they aren't getting chased by killer robots or fearing that their ex-husband's ex-wife's dog's former owner's cousin with lung disease is going to run them over in their yacht. These fictional (e.g. sometimes completely unrealistic) scenarios can help people to make it through the day in a way that is perfectly acceptable to society.
In my life, my escape has normally come at the hands of fiction. This trend of mine started during my middle school years. At school, instead of focusing on all of the drama, I would read. I escaped into world of fantasy and magic, and developed a love for such things that has never left me. When I went to college, due to time restraints in between bouts with homework, I turned to other forms of media after a rough day or week: movies, TV shows, and more recently, Pinterest (that wonderfully addicting blight of humanity!). Through browsing the "Geek" side of Pinterest, especially, I became aware of this thing called "fandoms," which to non-Geeks is a term used to identify those who are - you guessed it - fans of a certain TV show, movie, or book series. There are Potterheads (the Harry Potter faction), Whedonites (all things Joss Whedon), Psych'Os (for those who enjoy Psych), and Whovians (for the awesome people who obsess over Doctor Who), among a myriad of others. I mean, there are probably hundreds of these fandoms. And when I use the word "obsess," I don't mean a vague obsession. I mean, obsess. These people know everything to know about the actors, follow every move they make on Twitter and Facebook, pin hundreds of pins of their favorite show or book on Pinterest, spend thousands of dollars on merchandise or the chance to meet their favorite actors, and completely revolve their lives around what happens in the story.
But I can't separate myself from "these people." I've always had a bit of an obsessive streak. I finished the Harry Potter series (movies and books) in two weeks. When I read the Redwall book series in middle school, I went to the library every couple of days to check out a new one. Even now, if you look at my Pinterest boards, you can see an abundant overflow of my newest obsession, Supernatural. Because honestly, it's a great show. I enjoy the characters and the storylines. I found something in the show which speaks to me and entertains me, and yes, helps me to escape from the worries of the world - the story of two brothers, a struggle for family, a struggle for redemption. I love stories - stories are the air I breathe - and this story, I have developed a particular love for.
Now, in the eyes of the world, Geeks and fandoms are looked-down-upon fringe elements who are a little crazy and a lot weird, although we are making a comeback, and are one step closer to ruling the world (muahaha!) through big events like the Avengers and The Hobbit. However, with the smaller fandoms (anime, video game, and MMORPG fans, perhaps), people who like such things are regarded with suspicion and distaste. It's not socially acceptable to be that "into" anything. Society's picture of a geek or nerd is a 30-something-year-old man wearing unwashed wizard robes and wasting away in front of the computer in his parents' basement.
And in retaliation, the relatively powerful Geek community has responded with books like Fangasm (two college professors who become obsessed with Supernatural) and statements like this one by the great Simon Pegg: "Being a geek means never having to play it cool about how much you like something." Through fandom, many lonely people find a community where their likes and interests are accepted. As Jensen Ackles reportedly stated, "People are different everywhere but there's this one little show that brings us all together." It's like another world, a whole other family and support system, which lessens the pain and hardship of the life people have to live day-to-day.
I freely admit to being a part of this world. However, being a Christian, should I be comfortable with such a statement? Should I not find my comfort and family in Christ and the Church?
I believe that yes, I can be part of this world, and find my comfort with Christ and the Church at the same time. But, I have to be careful of that line between fan and FAN in the Geek community. Which is a small degree of difference; but a larger one that people probably think. There is a difference between enjoying something and letting something run your life. I am not personally convicted about my love for stories, because that is not running my life. My life is fully in the hands of God (although, like most, I struggle with letting him have control), and my love of stories, which goes to my soul, is one of those extra things he has given to me. It is not the only thing.
Sometimes, the anticipation of the newest episode of my favorite show helps me to make it through a particularly hard day; and there is nothing wrong with that, just like there is nothing wrong with listening to Boston when I'm feeling a little down and out. Sometimes, we need to escape for a short time - honestly, I feel as if I didn't, I would go crazy. There is a part of us that was never meant to live in a world so messed up by sin, and I personally think that part of us craves sanctuary at times. But that doesn't mean I let those small bits of entertainment or enjoyment run my life. At the end of the day, they are just stories - they aren't my life. My life is what I live day-to-day when I get out of bed in the morning. It is touching other people's lives with the gifts God has given me. I have a mission, and that mission is not enjoyment, entertainment, or escape. It is the Gospel. There is a time and place for everything. There is a time to get lost in a good book or TV show, and there is a time to face the real world with its invisible monsters, dragons, and rapscallion hordes, in order to shine the undying light of Christ to those lost in darkness.
In conclusion, there is a line constructed in society about just how far a person can go with liking something before it becomes uncomfortable; but that barrier is being slowly beaten back by various fandoms becoming more mainstream and powerful. There is also a line with regards to being a Christian and being in a fandom, the main principle being, Christ should be at the center of everything we do (even fangirling over the latest picture of Tom Hiddleston or episode of Supernatural). If ever those things control our lives or take the place of Christ in our hearts - then, we have crossed the line. But if there is anything that Zachary Levi, a well-known Christian actor who runs the convention Nerd HQ and gallivants around with the likes of Tom Hiddleston and Nathan Fillion, has proved, it is that one can, in fact, be a Christian and a committed nerd at the same time. So enjoy away, fellow Christian fans - but remember who owns your life and holds you safely in his hands!!
