We were made to watch movies. I live in Hollywood, arguably the most influential place in the world. In my opinion Hollywood and the film (and often music) industry is more powerful than any kind of government, military, press or person in the world. If you want proof look at the what we REALLY care about. For the President's public address about the capture and killing of OBL (A historical landmark) ABC had 8.6 million viewers. But when the pilot of LOST premiered (A show no one had ever seen before) it had more than double with 18.6 million viewers.....wow......I think it is hard to ignore the facts about what we, as Americans, and actually care about.

But why? Why would we rather watch made up stories about lost Islands and a crazy game show of love with a bachelorette than almost anything else? Why are we obsessed with stories? This is the real question.

This is the answer. It's how we were made. I know, I know it's a cheap answer, but I think it's the truest one. I honestly think the reason the film industry is such an driving force is this: We were made to love stories and to have a grand part in a story. We were made to desire to be a part of a bigger story, an epoch. Stories change us and teach us, we learn best through stories and stories are what inspire and last and tell the history of who and what we are, and give us hope for what we could become. Just look at the most influential documents in history, The Bible, The Koran, The Little Red Book...ALL STORIES. And movies are just a beautiful new way to make stories visual. That, my friends, is why we have made going to the movies one of the most important things we do. We were pre-wired love stories and consequently, to go to movies.

But there in lies the danger. We have seen such amazingly terrible consequences occur when we allow the screen raise our children, teach our youth, and mold the ideas of us as people. We are letting a money-centered, fame-crazed empire inform, entertain, and teach us. So this is our problem. We are made to desire and be a part of something that has now become corrupt and robbing us of our money, all in one fell swoop.

ArrgggHHHH so what do we do?! Do we give up on the industry as a whole?

NO! I think rather we change it, we guide it, and we watch very carefully what we watch and let influence us, as we swim through the dangerous waters that are the movie industry with careful strokes, weighing everything thing we let speak to us or inform our hearts. But most of all. We support the good in the sea of bad. We recognize the lights in the dark, and we tell this industry that we like light and want to see more. And if all else fails, we make our own light.

So get out there, support the films and pieces of story that are worthy. Or better yet, make your own! And keep the tradition of good stories alive!