Post by Josh on May 2, 2009 13:49:22 GMT -8
A short story from my journal:
May 3, 2000
The Juggler
Woodburn High School held their annual May Festival last week- a surreal experience. It was a combination of shallow frivolity, youthful lust, and secular humanism (did I mention the candy coating?). What was surprising were the emotions it evoked in me. The theme song for the millennium- “Imagine” by John Lennon. It’s not that it’s hard to imagine no heaven, no hell. It’s horribly easy. But I can’t understand how everyone doesn’t see how disappointing that would be.
At least “Imagine” has depth. But if it is the theme song for the future, its offspring is amazingly hollow. The rest of the show was so base it was alarming. Yet there was a carnal allure to it, in all honesty.
Most of the festival I sat in resignation at the inculcation of absolute nothingness. But there was one act- one act that stood out. The juggler.
It was the only excellence in the whole mediocre show. The absurdity of it- a juggler, the best act! But as I beheld his first performance I suddenly had the feeling that here was a genuine guy. Something about his single-mindedness. His serious but goofy unself-consciousness.
After him, there were a few more acts- mostly pop dance routines set to poorly spliced techno beat music tracks. Then, the only outright mention of Jesus in the whole sha-bang- a nauseating choir. I felt confident that these would-be proclaimers of “Christe elesion” had just heard the news from Nietzsche a century too late and were still dumbfounded in their reply.
But then the juggler came back on. And again, I liked this guy! So good at what he did, so lively! Then suddenly, ringing out from his peppy surf/swing soundtrack, I distinctively heard these words being sung, “Do you know where you’re going? Do you know where you’re going?” followed by something about heaven and very indistinctly... could it be???... hell.
Clearly no one around me even heard it. Not an eyebrow was raised.
But, I was thinking, could it be that this guy knows You?
And though I may never know for sure, as the juggler finished his fabulous act and the deserved applause rang out, he simply raised one finger high.
May 3, 2000
The Juggler
Woodburn High School held their annual May Festival last week- a surreal experience. It was a combination of shallow frivolity, youthful lust, and secular humanism (did I mention the candy coating?). What was surprising were the emotions it evoked in me. The theme song for the millennium- “Imagine” by John Lennon. It’s not that it’s hard to imagine no heaven, no hell. It’s horribly easy. But I can’t understand how everyone doesn’t see how disappointing that would be.
At least “Imagine” has depth. But if it is the theme song for the future, its offspring is amazingly hollow. The rest of the show was so base it was alarming. Yet there was a carnal allure to it, in all honesty.
Most of the festival I sat in resignation at the inculcation of absolute nothingness. But there was one act- one act that stood out. The juggler.
It was the only excellence in the whole mediocre show. The absurdity of it- a juggler, the best act! But as I beheld his first performance I suddenly had the feeling that here was a genuine guy. Something about his single-mindedness. His serious but goofy unself-consciousness.
After him, there were a few more acts- mostly pop dance routines set to poorly spliced techno beat music tracks. Then, the only outright mention of Jesus in the whole sha-bang- a nauseating choir. I felt confident that these would-be proclaimers of “Christe elesion” had just heard the news from Nietzsche a century too late and were still dumbfounded in their reply.
But then the juggler came back on. And again, I liked this guy! So good at what he did, so lively! Then suddenly, ringing out from his peppy surf/swing soundtrack, I distinctively heard these words being sung, “Do you know where you’re going? Do you know where you’re going?” followed by something about heaven and very indistinctly... could it be???... hell.
Clearly no one around me even heard it. Not an eyebrow was raised.
But, I was thinking, could it be that this guy knows You?
And though I may never know for sure, as the juggler finished his fabulous act and the deserved applause rang out, he simply raised one finger high.