Upon the request of my persistent sister and mother, I began my journey into the Hunger Games series. Four weeks, and 1,175 pages later, I've concluded the last book, Mockingjay, with strong convictions and lump in my throat.I loved the series while reading it. I was entirely enveloped in the story line and whenever I had a free hour or so I was reading. I just had to know what was going to happen! It was the injustice of it all that kept me hooked- pulling mere children out of their poverty stricken homes to an arena full of traps with no escape except death itself, except for one lucky winner... How could this world ever exist?
I convince myself that our world could and would never come to this. It's absolutely impossible; our human race has far too many outspoken and opinionated people to be repressed for so long. An uprising would surely develop far sooner than in the books. But...
Now you can call me crazy, and this may even be a bit of a stretch, but as I'm reading these books, I'm beginning to pick up glimpses of its themes in our culture. Stay with me here. The concept of pulling people into a terrible situation out of their control, only to be taped and broadcast for the entertainment of an entire country. Sound familiar? It sounds like every reality show ever made! Just look at the percentage of shows on tv right now that are "reality." From the Bachlorette to Survivor to Kardashains to American Idol. We DO love watching other people go through their own personal hell. We ARE entertained by this concept. Sure, not to the degree that we would watch people die on national television, but it makes me wonder if we ever will get bored with what we now thrive on. In the distant future, is it possible for us to push the limit this far? When do we draw the line?
In a culture that is becoming more and more tolerant and less and less sensitive, where do find our standard? Who decides "the line?" Will we be bold enough as Christians to stop far before we become so corrupt?
