THE WORLD OF IMAGE AND ETHICAL VALUES
THE WORLD OF IMAGE AND ETHICAL VALUES
FROM DEUTERONOMY 30:15-20
Ignasius Heri Satrya Wangsa
Starting with the question
When young people meet with the world of image inside a tiny “magic” box namely computer or television, will the artificial world created by the booming of technology creativity revolution be able to present emotional and human-oriented performance? Will the performance be consequently bringing destructive potentials because of market intervention? How to relate young people character with the reality of the world of image? It means that as whether the reality of the world of image could produce and form a specific character to young people?
Those questions are later on connected to the ethical values adopted from Deuteronomy 30:15-20. How the world of image which are commonly found in the world of young people and somehow tentatively bringing a message of destructive could be objectively discussed instead of “falsified” using the ethical values taken from Deuteronomy 30:15-20.
The world of image
The emotional and human-oriented performance is the continuation of creativity which keeps reproducing with the ability to covering the area of human-oriented. A tiny “magic” box namely computer or television has been able to present and provide a hope, dreaming out a new controllable and flexible life.
There is a hypothesis that the performance contains destructive potentials. It could be explained by its “collusion” to market. The logic of market is egoism of capital accumulation which has never been ended. That orientation has caused the fact that the performance produced by the world of image is a matter of technology creativity revolution, and that it brings much on material-oriented benefits.
Fact of the world of image is artificial one which present and bring unrealistic “beautiful” dreams. Those that promoting the ideal life of consuming. Consumer-oriented objects are created. Those who will not consume will be socially separated and left by their community. Radically, those who are not keen to consume their social identity will be separated. It is a hard consequence for consumer.
Problem in the world of image will never be ended if the audience are being less educated by the logical consequences of those consumptive-flavourness performances. Young people has been considered as potential target market because of “inherited” characters of opennes and easily-adjusted mindness toward changes. This character will accordingly be adopted by market mechanism and “invisible hands” to educate young people to be more consumptive.
Ethical perspective
From Deuteronomy 30:15-20 there is an ethical value that could possibly be used to give reasonable perspectives. They are not to eliminate the destructive potentials of the world of image but more on the “accompaniment” and developing critical thinking for the society.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 has also clearly stated the consequences living in the way of truth which there will be life and prosperity. There are commandments as well as promises. From this point of view God provides a frame which the man could use as guide to find the “goodness”. Man are encouraged to find the “life” instead of the “death”. The commandments are integrated in promises. This is the way to interpret God’s rule as His commitment to love us.
See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that I shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. (Deut. 30:15-20)
According to Keegan (1985) life is the criterion of truth integrated in the norms, actions, institutions or ethical systems; it is the content of what is good. What kills (death) is contained in a “false”, one-sided pronouncement by those who hold power; this has death-dealing instrumental ‘efficacy’: what it effects is evil – in its norms, actions, institutions or ethical systems.
From Keegan’s perspective life could be symbolizing as good things that have to be achieved, and death as opposite of life could mean as bad things that have to be rejected. This is the message that God intend to give, and that the life will only think about the “appropriateness and righteousness”.
The perspective of “good and bad” things can be found in Deuteronomy 30:15-20 and emphasized by Keegan (1985) as “ethical values”.
Commentary by Leslie J. Hoppe on Bergant, Dianne & Karris, Robert J. (1989)
1) The scene of Moses’ address to Israel is the region known as the plains of Moab, immediately east of the Jordan River. The time is just before the tribes are to take possession of the land promised to their ancestor. The context of these final words of Moses is an exhortation to obedience. This “testament” of Moses is his advice to Israel to heed the lessons of the past if it wants to secure its future. The lesson is simple enough: God expects complete loyalty from Israel; nothing less is satisfactory. Israel’s trek through the wilderness after its departure from Egypt has taught it over and over again that loyalty is rewarded and infidelity is punished. Moses will now spend his last energies in trying to move Israel to the kind of obedience, loyalty, and commitment that will secure Israel’s future in the land it will soon come to possess. (p. 198)
2) Deuteronomy 30:15-20 is Moses’ third address. The major concern of this address is Israel’s immediate future. Moses makes provisions for Joshua to assume the leadership of the tribes after his death. Equally important are the provisions made for storing the book of the law and for its periodic reading. The law is to be the guide in Israel’s future existence in the land. Individual human leaders come and go, but the law endures as the most effective way to safeguard Israel’s commitment to the Lord.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 contain all the elements found in the rest of the book: commandments, blessing and curse, the appeal for obedience. After all has been said, the entire thrust of the book comes down to a choice that people need to make. Israel’s future is dependent upon that choice. God’s graciousness is not at issue. It is the response of Israel that causes its future to hang in the balance. Moses is not a neutral observer in the process; he is passionately concerned for Israel’s future. That is why he virtually commands Israel to choose life.
The life-and-death alternatives are broader than may be apparent to the contemporary reader. “Life” refers to that sphere of human activity under the protection of the divine; “death” refers to that sphere of human activity which is devoid of the divine presence. Death, then, is more than the cessation of physical life; it is existence outside the land, existence in the nether world of exile. Death is life without God. Life is blessing, death the curse. (p. 226)
Good and evil here do not necessarily refer to moral choices. Good refers to the consequences of life with God: fertility, prosperity, and happiness. Evil refers to the consequences of life apart from God: exile, disease, and death. It is up to Israel to make one of two choices: (1) life with God, which brings blessing and good; or (2) life apart from God, which is nothing less than the curse of death. There are no other alternatives. (p. 226)
Moses calls upon the heavens and the earth to witness Israel’s choice. In an ancient Near Eastern treaties, personified forces of nature were witnesses to the conclusion of a treaty, and it was presumed that they would deal with any partner to the treaty who proved unfaithful to its provisions. Israel, of course, demythologizes this aspect of covenant form, but it retains the idea of witnesses to the covenant by referring to the heavens and earth here. (p. 226)
Israel will find its true self by making a decision for life. The nation’s very purpose is to love the Lord. Every generation of Israel is to put itself in the plae of those who were personally addressed by Moses, because all Israel needs to remember is that it has only two choices and that in making the right choice Israel will find “a long life”. (p. 226)
Commentary by Werner H. Schmidt (1990)
The collection of laws in Pentateuch are usually in the form of an address of God to Moses, but Deuteronomy is an address of Moses to the people and thus only indirectly is it the word of God. Its promises and ordinance are presented as the testament of the man who led Israel our of Egypt, through the wilderness, and to the very borders of the Promised Land. They constitute Moses’ farewell addresses. (p. 120-121)
The nucleus laws (Deut 12-26) is surrounded by an inner (5-11; 27-28) and an outer (1-4; 29-30) framework of speeches, and the concluding chapters (31-34) bring together Moses’ “song” (32) and “blessing” (33) as well as accounts of the appointment of Joshua (31) and the death of Moses (34), among other things. (p. 121)
Commentary by Hans Walter Wolff (1973)
The outline of the Deuteronomic law is clear. In the middle (chaps. 12-26) we have a collection of interpretations of the law. They are introduced by sermons in chapters 6-11, to which the Decalogue (chap. 5) serves as a preface. Lists of blessings and curses are found at the end (chaps. 27-28). The book is un questionably the result of oral recitation, and its outline may even reflect a liturgical formula. (p. 40)
The general values of Deuteronomy and, specifically, Deuteronomy 30:15-20:
adopted from Pilch and Malina (1998)
Law has powerful consequences. Power is the ability to exercise control over the behavior of others. It is obviously necessary that power be recognized and accepted by those whose existence is being controlled. When subordinates accept and respect the power of superiors, the superior is considered to be honorable. (Pilch) (p. 158)
Law also brings as a value of change. From disobedient setting to obedient commitment. The seeking of change or novelty is normally disapproved of throughout the Bible. Indeed, the general orientation is precisely to the opposite, ie., to stability and constancy. Because cultural and religious traditions provide the grounds for social values and the standards against which anything new is measured, change and novelty are usually met with hostility: change is fraught with fear of the unknown, bringing pollution and chaos in its wake; novelty doubts the value of tradition by manifesting disloyalty toward it. Change or novelty in traditional religion or religious doctrine and practice meet with especially violent rejection. In situations where the tradition and its values are believed to be seriously at risk, compromise is categorically rejected, and a struggle is waged to reassert the ascendancy of, or to remain faithful to, the tradition, no matter the personal or social cost. (McVain) (p. 19)
Young and easy
Young people are those who are full with energy and vitality to participate in the culture of change. Within the level of relatively unstable emotion they are characterized by resistancy towards the changes. In other words, the young people who are mostly having vulnerable emotion will become very resistant which means that they are either easily well-accepted or less-accepted towards the changes. An opportunity comes as market mechanism intervenes the resistant character of the young people by producing artificial character with all idolized attributes.
Most of artificial characters are directed to the character of “easiness” as well as the culture of “easy life”. Everything are easily accessible, obtainable, and consumable as much as possible. This character of easiness inspires very consumptive and innovative products with all “easy” offerings (usable, obtainable, and promotable).
Young people are those who always need easiness. Easy to get whatever needed. At another level of “easiness” means “quick and instant”. Accessible because of the “speedness”. A culture of “speedness” is also a culture of instant which becomes a contagious “virus”. All people need to be quick-served and sacrificing less.
Young and easy are two keywords which have complementary relationship, a relation to be complement. Young within the perspective of young people is a dynamic spirit. An energic creature who are filled with passion to have conflict with himself. Many challenges come out, all are eager to be gone through and dominated. Terminology of “easy” refers to medium which contains meaningfully on timeless. Easiness brings the spirit of in-essence which need less of critical thinking. Easiness is meaningless symbolizing the effort to shorten the “distance” between absolute ego and idealism, the idealism which proceeds in relatively short time because of timeless character. Therefore, easiness usually refers to conceptual meaning of instant. When easy and instant culture have become an orientation of thought and behavior, there will be a culture. Instant culture has the same meaning with culture of easiness, a culture which fails to recognize process and time, a culture which is process-less and time-less. Easy and young which have mutual relationship could be interpreted in case that young people with all of their inherited characters unconsciously consume culture of easiness to meet their ambition. There is a trend of natural “spirituality” of easy engaged in various way.
The world of image and culture of easiness
The world of image is an artificial world which is full with promise and hope. As bringing an artificial character so that the values of originality are essentially artificial originality which is creator-oriented. Within the material context, creator’s idealism will be polluted by economic values. The world of image tends to be directed to market mechanism. Following consequences to market mechanism orientation, the world of image has become a product that needs to be renewable.
The world of image will continuously innovate following trend of the market. Creativity that has to be adjusted by market mechanism. Trend of animation technology has given an example that creativity in the world of image is not dealing with “real” world. The creativity has crossed out of the “border” of rationality. Most of the audiences will unconsciously “be invited” to the “comfort zone” area of irrationality such as dream, hope and all “ecstasy of easiness”.
Character is formed by an addiction to consume the world of image. The image of violence and crime will animate “negative” characters of violence and crime. In contrary, the image that promotes values of morality, humility and honesty will animate “positive” character of morality, humility and honesty.
The Writer has opportunity to explore the mindset and behavior of young people in Asian countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. It has shown a fact of consumption pattern of the world of image influenced by opportunity and ability to access. The revolution of information technology has made information be accessible and borderless. The revolution has also created undeniable fact of information “bombardment”. All less-validity and “questionable” information has been irrationally consumed. This phenomena resembles the concept of impulse buying or tendency to unconsciously buy and consume certain product.
Young people as techies generation are output of world of image never-ending creativity. Character of technology is speed and accuracy which could be interpreted as a character of easiness. Speed and accuracy symbolize the effort to shorten and simplify processing time.
The world of image vs ethical perspective: an alternative
The idea of God is not invented by the philosopher but encountered in human history so that it cannot be sustained by merely logical construction. (Stokes in Brown, 1971). From this point of view it is shown that God can not be approached in the language of human logic but more on the eyes of faith. He is in his kindness brings hope for the “goodness” of his people. The word of “human history” could refer on the journey of experiencing life. There are “stages” that have to be passing through the same as when Israelits had their journey to free from slavery under Pharaoh regime in Egypt. Stages of having sorrowful and joyful moments “colouring” their journey that would then shape the their quality of faith.
It is interesting to discuss the end “direction” of the world of image. When the cycle of the world of image could be well-maintained for the reason of market mechanism, within the perspective that the presence of the world of image is necessary and consumable for the rationality of supply-demand relation, there will never be “extreme point” for the presence of the world of image. As an authorative spirit, the world of image will never be die. It will continuously evolve into new “faces”.
The world of image is produced by creativity. Man with his curiousity will continuously innovate. And, as creativity is essentially part of supply-demand relation, the creativity will become ego-centric. The subjective creativity should suspiciously be anticipated as it potentially produces the destructive virus of change and dies out the originality of humankind.
Using the logic of subjective creativity, the world of image will continuously be on the right track of creativity, building the spirit of virtual friendship. The creativity becomes destructive in terms of displacing social relation. Social roles will be replaced by virtual essentials which are in fact pseudo, artificial and market-oriented.
The world of image will continuously sell dream and hope. Market will also be getting responsive. There are many best-buy performances with futuristic content providing imaginative tourism and inviting audience to the world of creativity. An offering to enter the alternative world specially those who are tired and pessimistic to the reality of “real” world.
However, the world will not be ended with the pessimism of destruction caused by the fact of the world of image. It is still a hope that this life could be well-perceived meaningful if God’s commandment become a meaning of his promise. The ethical values found in God’s words could be understood as doing “appropriateness” will promote harmony of life. Using “prophetic” way of thinking, creativity in the world of image should not be directed to create new form of consumerism. Creativity will create harmony when it goes to functioning human to be able to perform as the people of God. On the contrary, the creativity will created disharmony when it goes to dis-functioning human as the ambitious creature who only drive by their selfishness. (ign.heri.sw/2009)
REFERENCE
Keegan, Terence J (1985). Interpreting The Bible: A Popular Introduction Biblical Hermeneutics. New York: Paulist Press
Brown, Delwin. James, Ralph E. Jr. and Reeves, Gene (1971). Process Philosophy and Christian Thought. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill education Publishing
Stokes, Walter E. (1971). God for today and tomorrow. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill education Publishing
Bergant, Dianne & Karris, Robert J. (1989). The Collegeville Bible Commentary. The Liturgical Press: Minnesota
Schmidt, Werner H. (1990). Old Testament: Introduction. The Crossroan Publishing Company: New York
Wolff, Hans Walter (1973). The Old Testament: A Guide to Its Writing. Fortress Press: USA
Pilch, John J & Malina, Bruce J. (1998). Handbook of Biblical Social Values. Hendrickson Publishers Inc.: Massachusetts
FROM DEUTERONOMY 30:15-20
Ignasius Heri Satrya Wangsa
Starting with the question
When young people meet with the world of image inside a tiny “magic” box namely computer or television, will the artificial world created by the booming of technology creativity revolution be able to present emotional and human-oriented performance? Will the performance be consequently bringing destructive potentials because of market intervention? How to relate young people character with the reality of the world of image? It means that as whether the reality of the world of image could produce and form a specific character to young people?
Those questions are later on connected to the ethical values adopted from Deuteronomy 30:15-20. How the world of image which are commonly found in the world of young people and somehow tentatively bringing a message of destructive could be objectively discussed instead of “falsified” using the ethical values taken from Deuteronomy 30:15-20.
The world of image
The emotional and human-oriented performance is the continuation of creativity which keeps reproducing with the ability to covering the area of human-oriented. A tiny “magic” box namely computer or television has been able to present and provide a hope, dreaming out a new controllable and flexible life.
There is a hypothesis that the performance contains destructive potentials. It could be explained by its “collusion” to market. The logic of market is egoism of capital accumulation which has never been ended. That orientation has caused the fact that the performance produced by the world of image is a matter of technology creativity revolution, and that it brings much on material-oriented benefits.
Fact of the world of image is artificial one which present and bring unrealistic “beautiful” dreams. Those that promoting the ideal life of consuming. Consumer-oriented objects are created. Those who will not consume will be socially separated and left by their community. Radically, those who are not keen to consume their social identity will be separated. It is a hard consequence for consumer.
Problem in the world of image will never be ended if the audience are being less educated by the logical consequences of those consumptive-flavourness performances. Young people has been considered as potential target market because of “inherited” characters of opennes and easily-adjusted mindness toward changes. This character will accordingly be adopted by market mechanism and “invisible hands” to educate young people to be more consumptive.
Ethical perspective
From Deuteronomy 30:15-20 there is an ethical value that could possibly be used to give reasonable perspectives. They are not to eliminate the destructive potentials of the world of image but more on the “accompaniment” and developing critical thinking for the society.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 has also clearly stated the consequences living in the way of truth which there will be life and prosperity. There are commandments as well as promises. From this point of view God provides a frame which the man could use as guide to find the “goodness”. Man are encouraged to find the “life” instead of the “death”. The commandments are integrated in promises. This is the way to interpret God’s rule as His commitment to love us.
See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that I shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. (Deut. 30:15-20)
According to Keegan (1985) life is the criterion of truth integrated in the norms, actions, institutions or ethical systems; it is the content of what is good. What kills (death) is contained in a “false”, one-sided pronouncement by those who hold power; this has death-dealing instrumental ‘efficacy’: what it effects is evil – in its norms, actions, institutions or ethical systems.
From Keegan’s perspective life could be symbolizing as good things that have to be achieved, and death as opposite of life could mean as bad things that have to be rejected. This is the message that God intend to give, and that the life will only think about the “appropriateness and righteousness”.
The perspective of “good and bad” things can be found in Deuteronomy 30:15-20 and emphasized by Keegan (1985) as “ethical values”.
Commentary by Leslie J. Hoppe on Bergant, Dianne & Karris, Robert J. (1989)
1) The scene of Moses’ address to Israel is the region known as the plains of Moab, immediately east of the Jordan River. The time is just before the tribes are to take possession of the land promised to their ancestor. The context of these final words of Moses is an exhortation to obedience. This “testament” of Moses is his advice to Israel to heed the lessons of the past if it wants to secure its future. The lesson is simple enough: God expects complete loyalty from Israel; nothing less is satisfactory. Israel’s trek through the wilderness after its departure from Egypt has taught it over and over again that loyalty is rewarded and infidelity is punished. Moses will now spend his last energies in trying to move Israel to the kind of obedience, loyalty, and commitment that will secure Israel’s future in the land it will soon come to possess. (p. 198)
2) Deuteronomy 30:15-20 is Moses’ third address. The major concern of this address is Israel’s immediate future. Moses makes provisions for Joshua to assume the leadership of the tribes after his death. Equally important are the provisions made for storing the book of the law and for its periodic reading. The law is to be the guide in Israel’s future existence in the land. Individual human leaders come and go, but the law endures as the most effective way to safeguard Israel’s commitment to the Lord.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 contain all the elements found in the rest of the book: commandments, blessing and curse, the appeal for obedience. After all has been said, the entire thrust of the book comes down to a choice that people need to make. Israel’s future is dependent upon that choice. God’s graciousness is not at issue. It is the response of Israel that causes its future to hang in the balance. Moses is not a neutral observer in the process; he is passionately concerned for Israel’s future. That is why he virtually commands Israel to choose life.
The life-and-death alternatives are broader than may be apparent to the contemporary reader. “Life” refers to that sphere of human activity under the protection of the divine; “death” refers to that sphere of human activity which is devoid of the divine presence. Death, then, is more than the cessation of physical life; it is existence outside the land, existence in the nether world of exile. Death is life without God. Life is blessing, death the curse. (p. 226)
Good and evil here do not necessarily refer to moral choices. Good refers to the consequences of life with God: fertility, prosperity, and happiness. Evil refers to the consequences of life apart from God: exile, disease, and death. It is up to Israel to make one of two choices: (1) life with God, which brings blessing and good; or (2) life apart from God, which is nothing less than the curse of death. There are no other alternatives. (p. 226)
Moses calls upon the heavens and the earth to witness Israel’s choice. In an ancient Near Eastern treaties, personified forces of nature were witnesses to the conclusion of a treaty, and it was presumed that they would deal with any partner to the treaty who proved unfaithful to its provisions. Israel, of course, demythologizes this aspect of covenant form, but it retains the idea of witnesses to the covenant by referring to the heavens and earth here. (p. 226)
Israel will find its true self by making a decision for life. The nation’s very purpose is to love the Lord. Every generation of Israel is to put itself in the plae of those who were personally addressed by Moses, because all Israel needs to remember is that it has only two choices and that in making the right choice Israel will find “a long life”. (p. 226)
Commentary by Werner H. Schmidt (1990)
The collection of laws in Pentateuch are usually in the form of an address of God to Moses, but Deuteronomy is an address of Moses to the people and thus only indirectly is it the word of God. Its promises and ordinance are presented as the testament of the man who led Israel our of Egypt, through the wilderness, and to the very borders of the Promised Land. They constitute Moses’ farewell addresses. (p. 120-121)
The nucleus laws (Deut 12-26) is surrounded by an inner (5-11; 27-28) and an outer (1-4; 29-30) framework of speeches, and the concluding chapters (31-34) bring together Moses’ “song” (32) and “blessing” (33) as well as accounts of the appointment of Joshua (31) and the death of Moses (34), among other things. (p. 121)
Commentary by Hans Walter Wolff (1973)
The outline of the Deuteronomic law is clear. In the middle (chaps. 12-26) we have a collection of interpretations of the law. They are introduced by sermons in chapters 6-11, to which the Decalogue (chap. 5) serves as a preface. Lists of blessings and curses are found at the end (chaps. 27-28). The book is un questionably the result of oral recitation, and its outline may even reflect a liturgical formula. (p. 40)
The general values of Deuteronomy and, specifically, Deuteronomy 30:15-20:
adopted from Pilch and Malina (1998)
Law has powerful consequences. Power is the ability to exercise control over the behavior of others. It is obviously necessary that power be recognized and accepted by those whose existence is being controlled. When subordinates accept and respect the power of superiors, the superior is considered to be honorable. (Pilch) (p. 158)
Law also brings as a value of change. From disobedient setting to obedient commitment. The seeking of change or novelty is normally disapproved of throughout the Bible. Indeed, the general orientation is precisely to the opposite, ie., to stability and constancy. Because cultural and religious traditions provide the grounds for social values and the standards against which anything new is measured, change and novelty are usually met with hostility: change is fraught with fear of the unknown, bringing pollution and chaos in its wake; novelty doubts the value of tradition by manifesting disloyalty toward it. Change or novelty in traditional religion or religious doctrine and practice meet with especially violent rejection. In situations where the tradition and its values are believed to be seriously at risk, compromise is categorically rejected, and a struggle is waged to reassert the ascendancy of, or to remain faithful to, the tradition, no matter the personal or social cost. (McVain) (p. 19)
Young and easy
Young people are those who are full with energy and vitality to participate in the culture of change. Within the level of relatively unstable emotion they are characterized by resistancy towards the changes. In other words, the young people who are mostly having vulnerable emotion will become very resistant which means that they are either easily well-accepted or less-accepted towards the changes. An opportunity comes as market mechanism intervenes the resistant character of the young people by producing artificial character with all idolized attributes.
Most of artificial characters are directed to the character of “easiness” as well as the culture of “easy life”. Everything are easily accessible, obtainable, and consumable as much as possible. This character of easiness inspires very consumptive and innovative products with all “easy” offerings (usable, obtainable, and promotable).
Young people are those who always need easiness. Easy to get whatever needed. At another level of “easiness” means “quick and instant”. Accessible because of the “speedness”. A culture of “speedness” is also a culture of instant which becomes a contagious “virus”. All people need to be quick-served and sacrificing less.
Young and easy are two keywords which have complementary relationship, a relation to be complement. Young within the perspective of young people is a dynamic spirit. An energic creature who are filled with passion to have conflict with himself. Many challenges come out, all are eager to be gone through and dominated. Terminology of “easy” refers to medium which contains meaningfully on timeless. Easiness brings the spirit of in-essence which need less of critical thinking. Easiness is meaningless symbolizing the effort to shorten the “distance” between absolute ego and idealism, the idealism which proceeds in relatively short time because of timeless character. Therefore, easiness usually refers to conceptual meaning of instant. When easy and instant culture have become an orientation of thought and behavior, there will be a culture. Instant culture has the same meaning with culture of easiness, a culture which fails to recognize process and time, a culture which is process-less and time-less. Easy and young which have mutual relationship could be interpreted in case that young people with all of their inherited characters unconsciously consume culture of easiness to meet their ambition. There is a trend of natural “spirituality” of easy engaged in various way.
The world of image and culture of easiness
The world of image is an artificial world which is full with promise and hope. As bringing an artificial character so that the values of originality are essentially artificial originality which is creator-oriented. Within the material context, creator’s idealism will be polluted by economic values. The world of image tends to be directed to market mechanism. Following consequences to market mechanism orientation, the world of image has become a product that needs to be renewable.
The world of image will continuously innovate following trend of the market. Creativity that has to be adjusted by market mechanism. Trend of animation technology has given an example that creativity in the world of image is not dealing with “real” world. The creativity has crossed out of the “border” of rationality. Most of the audiences will unconsciously “be invited” to the “comfort zone” area of irrationality such as dream, hope and all “ecstasy of easiness”.
Character is formed by an addiction to consume the world of image. The image of violence and crime will animate “negative” characters of violence and crime. In contrary, the image that promotes values of morality, humility and honesty will animate “positive” character of morality, humility and honesty.
The Writer has opportunity to explore the mindset and behavior of young people in Asian countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. It has shown a fact of consumption pattern of the world of image influenced by opportunity and ability to access. The revolution of information technology has made information be accessible and borderless. The revolution has also created undeniable fact of information “bombardment”. All less-validity and “questionable” information has been irrationally consumed. This phenomena resembles the concept of impulse buying or tendency to unconsciously buy and consume certain product.
Young people as techies generation are output of world of image never-ending creativity. Character of technology is speed and accuracy which could be interpreted as a character of easiness. Speed and accuracy symbolize the effort to shorten and simplify processing time.
The world of image vs ethical perspective: an alternative
The idea of God is not invented by the philosopher but encountered in human history so that it cannot be sustained by merely logical construction. (Stokes in Brown, 1971). From this point of view it is shown that God can not be approached in the language of human logic but more on the eyes of faith. He is in his kindness brings hope for the “goodness” of his people. The word of “human history” could refer on the journey of experiencing life. There are “stages” that have to be passing through the same as when Israelits had their journey to free from slavery under Pharaoh regime in Egypt. Stages of having sorrowful and joyful moments “colouring” their journey that would then shape the their quality of faith.
It is interesting to discuss the end “direction” of the world of image. When the cycle of the world of image could be well-maintained for the reason of market mechanism, within the perspective that the presence of the world of image is necessary and consumable for the rationality of supply-demand relation, there will never be “extreme point” for the presence of the world of image. As an authorative spirit, the world of image will never be die. It will continuously evolve into new “faces”.
The world of image is produced by creativity. Man with his curiousity will continuously innovate. And, as creativity is essentially part of supply-demand relation, the creativity will become ego-centric. The subjective creativity should suspiciously be anticipated as it potentially produces the destructive virus of change and dies out the originality of humankind.
Using the logic of subjective creativity, the world of image will continuously be on the right track of creativity, building the spirit of virtual friendship. The creativity becomes destructive in terms of displacing social relation. Social roles will be replaced by virtual essentials which are in fact pseudo, artificial and market-oriented.
The world of image will continuously sell dream and hope. Market will also be getting responsive. There are many best-buy performances with futuristic content providing imaginative tourism and inviting audience to the world of creativity. An offering to enter the alternative world specially those who are tired and pessimistic to the reality of “real” world.
However, the world will not be ended with the pessimism of destruction caused by the fact of the world of image. It is still a hope that this life could be well-perceived meaningful if God’s commandment become a meaning of his promise. The ethical values found in God’s words could be understood as doing “appropriateness” will promote harmony of life. Using “prophetic” way of thinking, creativity in the world of image should not be directed to create new form of consumerism. Creativity will create harmony when it goes to functioning human to be able to perform as the people of God. On the contrary, the creativity will created disharmony when it goes to dis-functioning human as the ambitious creature who only drive by their selfishness. (ign.heri.sw/2009)
REFERENCE
Keegan, Terence J (1985). Interpreting The Bible: A Popular Introduction Biblical Hermeneutics. New York: Paulist Press
Brown, Delwin. James, Ralph E. Jr. and Reeves, Gene (1971). Process Philosophy and Christian Thought. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill education Publishing
Stokes, Walter E. (1971). God for today and tomorrow. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill education Publishing
Bergant, Dianne & Karris, Robert J. (1989). The Collegeville Bible Commentary. The Liturgical Press: Minnesota
Schmidt, Werner H. (1990). Old Testament: Introduction. The Crossroan Publishing Company: New York
Wolff, Hans Walter (1973). The Old Testament: A Guide to Its Writing. Fortress Press: USA
Pilch, John J & Malina, Bruce J. (1998). Handbook of Biblical Social Values. Hendrickson Publishers Inc.: Massachusetts
