Blind Appraisers Are We

If you haven’t gone to see The Book of Eli yet, you’re missing out. I think there are so many explicit Christian truths to be grasped by that movie, but for this blog I’ll just focus on one scene.

The main character Eli was talking to his new-found companion Solara when she asked him to tell her about what it was like before the war. She is referring to some apocalyptic event that killed many people, and practically destroyed the Earth. Now, the people that survived and the ones that were born after that event live in a desolated world struggling to find food and fresh water. The new currency is no longer centered around money or precious elements like Gold or Silver, but rather wet-naps from KFC are the new “Benjamins.” After she asked her probing question, he profoundly replied, “People then didn’t know what was valuable. We kill each other now for things that they threw away before.” (Keep in mind, I’m terrible at movie quotes, so that was a paraphrase).

That scene really resonated in my thoughts for several days, and even now I find myself still thinking about those simple words. I think the movie was meaning to make a commentary on the wastefulness and abundance of our culture we currently enjoy, but I keep thinking about how that scene also demonstrates how humanity historically and currently, arbitrarily ascribes value to things that are essentially worthless.

Take for instance the realm of art. Obviously, there are artists that are capable of producing superior works when compared to others. However, when appraisers consider the value of a piece very little consideration is given to the sacrifice that the artist made, the amount of time put into the work, or even the overall aesthetic pleasantness of the art; rather, rarity determines the value of many pieces. Can you imagine how little the world would care about the Mona Lisa if Leo had made 100 of them.

Sadly, the world did not stop with art when it came to ascribing value to things. Pick up a magazine, turn on your tv, or look at the sidebar of your facebook and you will quickly find out what the world has deemed valuable.
The problem that manifests itself with the world’s appraisal is simply revealed when you recognize God’s currency is not our currency.

We, myself included, spend copious amounts of time, energy, and money chasing after the things that humanity has deemed worthy, but spend so little time chasing after what God has made absolutely worthy. Perhaps a good test of our pursuits in life would be to ask ourselves, “would I still care about this if money held no value, beauty was not defined by Hollywood, and athleticism was not worshipped in my world”?

May we fix our hearts on what matters: grace, humility, love, kindness, holiness and integrity just to name a few. As we appraise the things in our life, may we remember that the currency we operate under here, is so very, very temporary.

Matt 6:19-20 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.