There is a wonderful plot twist in one of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books where he talks about vampires. A thoughtful vampire father attempts to inoculate his vampire children against the painful problems of things like crosses by presenting them with an alternative way of looking at them. . . For a great deal of the story, this works out very well. The villagers try to use crosses on the vampir
es and they simply use their father's guidance to change them into two intersecting lines. But then, due to plot devices which I will not spoil for you here, a switch comes over them, and they suddenly realize that everywhere two lines intersect, a cross is formed. The danger for them is no longer merely crucifixes and rosaries, but every crossbeam of every building, every window pane. They are crippled by the ever-present cross. This is what I would like to do with my whole world. Everywhere I look, in every piece of pop culture, no matter how vulgar and crude, comedic, horrific, it makes no difference, there is a strong spiritual message to be found. I do not think that looking for a spiritual message in everything waters down the message. Just because the message comes at you from the latest Seth Rogan movie does not make the message any weaker. Rather, the increased awareness that the message could be found anywhere sends us looking for it. Like a giant, cosmic Where's Waldo game. Suddenly all around us are these echoing messages. There are crosses in every window pane. So it is my intention to begin reviewing and discussing all of my favorite movies, shows, books and anything else that happens to occur to me, not just to rate the experience, but also to unearth the spiritual message underneath. Challenge me. Stump me. Set out to undo my logic. There's a catch. In order to figure out whether a movie or a show or book has an insignificant enough message to be difficult for me, you'll have to be looking for it, too. Soon it will be you that is surrounded by intersected lines that have suddenly become crosses.
