Les Miserables For Me?

Les Miserables For Me?

  It is easy to see where people get captivated by things they love or, things they "love" rather. I have many good friends with iPhones and Xbox's. PlayStation 3's and HD TV's but where does it stop? I'm not saying I'm opposed to any of those things, I own a few of them to be honest, but at what point does what we love become what we "love"? It seems to me the two things merge all too easily, allow me to explain. 

I met a girl over the summer who became a good friend of mine. She was into theater type things. She enjoyed going to dances (if it was a "Ball" it was that much better) she liked plays, musicals, big bands and ballet and she was good at the things she liked. She could act, sing, sing opera (which, in my mind, is a totally different thing) dance ballet and was overall an interesting person. The thing was, she loved the book/play Les Miserables. I can honestly say I've never seen the play or movie Les Miserables or read even a sliver of the book. My friend loved it dearly and, when she discovered I hadn't "experienced" any of the different forms of Les Mis' glory she was almost determined to beat it into my mind. She would sing songs from the play and when I asked what she was singing she would reply with an almost snobbish "oh, it's from Les Mis, you wouldn't understand" as if I had missed out on some sort of revival that would grace my spirit with a fantastic awakening as soon as my mortal eyes gazed upon Les Miserables. 

The book/play/movie Les Miserables isn't what today's blog is about per say, it's the idea that because we've seen, done or can do something differently than someone else we're better than others, which may be the reason I haven't pursued it any more to this day. The impression I've been left with from many iPhone users has been the same "Oh, you don't have an iPhone? That sucks" as thought there was some sort of incomplete chapter in life that could only be better with the purchase of an iPhone. The mindset isn't just for those things though, as you probably know. It reaches to whether we drive a car over a truck, we play Xbox instead of PlayStation or whatever we do, we get based because of it.

I do, in fact, plan on seeing Les Miserables when it comes to DVD format (I'm not big on theaters) but I think the mindset that because the group does something and, because we're with the group, we're better doing that thing, needs to be quieted. The problem isn't so much the "If everyone you know walked off a cliff, would you?" thought but it's "If everyone else paid for a bus ride up to the top of a cliff, would you?" which, in short, my answer is no. I get uncomfortable around heights so paying to hang out with people up at the top of a cliff doesn't sound like a good idea. iPhones, Les Mis, Nike shoes and any other thing people buy up because everyone else is are (usually) fine products to buy, the problem comes when we see someone who isn't in our same purchasing circle and we frown on them. People are free thinking (or should be) and we have to encourage that in order for people to find the proper religion, friends, career, media and life purpose as a whole.--Mattaghetti