For a decade or so, I haven’t really enjoyed or wanted to see movies that are thrillers or heavy dramas. Since that time I have thought it was my desire to live a life more connected to spirit that made me shy away from that kind of entertainment.
Recently I watched a couple of episodes of the original “Twin Peaks” with my teen daughter. While I didn’t prefer the ominous musical tones and the theme of demon possession, I also didn’t much feel affected by what I was seeing. Maybe there was just enough cheese in the production to keep me from suspending disbelief, but I did notice something I hadn’t noticed before.
I found a little corner of my awareness that was looking for meaning in what I was watching.
I realized that this little corner of my mind is always looking for meaning when I’m watching any kind of filmed entertainment. I don’t think I’m unique in this; I suspect that we all have this part of us that is looking for meaning in story.
Storytelling is an extremely powerful thing for humans. For a hundred generations it is how we built our cultures, passed on our history, and taught the young. It would make perfect sense that we developed some part of us that looks for meaning in the stories we are exposed to.
What is it doing to our internal “meaning machines” to be exposed to stories we consciously think are mere entertainment? Particularly when those stories make us feel emotions. Emotions that drive the meaning of the story deep into our psyche.
Whether or not I consciously believe in something like a demon possession, my subconscious meaning machine is going to find and attach some sort of meaning to the story that I just experienced. Americans watch a lot of stories about violent crime, cruelty, war, good-vs-evil, and broken relationships. How might this be warping our subconscious patterns of meaning, affecting how we see others, what we fear, what we aspire to, and what we feel?
In our anthropological past, stories were selected by the tribe to reinforce the values and meanings of the culture of the tribe. Stories to help the tribe survive, ultimately.
Our “tribe” of entertainment consumers is exposed to so many different stories, often with conflicting meanings, or meanings that do not support a generative human experience. Could this create a subconscious dissonance that is manifest in depression and anxiety?
These two aspects, the emphasis on the human shadow experience, and the multiplicity of story meanings, are good reasons to take more care when selecting filmed entertainment. I believe it is possible to develop an internal gauge of when story is having a positive affect, and when it is not.
It’s not always easy, especially for people who appreciate well-crafted entertainment. A show or movie can be “great” from the perspective of the writing, direction, acting, sets or locations, design, cinematography, and still be hitting your meaning machine in a way that doesn’t support you as a person who wants to have a positive focus in life.
For me that’s meant skipping “Breaking Bad,” “House of Cards,” and other well-crafted shows. I guess I’m missing out on some good art, but I’ve gotten to where I can feel those stories coursing through my emotional veins for a long time after watching, so I will keep on with my practice of skipping most of those.