When I was in college, I had a musician friend who hated it when people said we should "make a joyful noise." He said, "as musicians, shouldn't we try for better than that?" I couldn't help but agree, though I think that we shouldn't have to be perfect in order to make music for the Lord.
When I was a senior in college, taking calligraphy to fulfill my art requirement, I chose Psalm 33:1-3 for my final project (side-note: Josh got a frame for it for Mother's Day! We just need to put it all together so it can hang on the wall, 10 years after I made it!) The part I really liked was the end: play skillfully. As a music major, I did strive to do better than merely a joyful noise, though learning all the other instruments the best I could hope for was a noise...and prayed it was somewhat joyful to the Lord, since it was painful to others!
People who know me know that I tend to be picky. I guess there are areas where I'm not as low-maintenance as in others. I like "real" things. I got it from my mom: she hates 10 karat gold and created jewels. I can tell a difference in the quality between Legos and brands that work with legos, between Crayola crayons and anything else, and between Elmer's chocolates and Godiva.
(funny story: Benjamin has always been very literal and more that a little trusting. When he was 2 or 3 and Kenny and I worked at Wendy's, we "taught" him that Wendy's had "real, yummy chicken nuggets" and McDonald's had "yucky processed chicken nuggets." All was fine until mom took him to McD's. He was eating his nuggets, crying "yucky processed chicken nuggets!" so we had to untrain him)
This tendency of mine is showing itself more readily with things for my kids. Apparently I've made people afraid to buy things for them (sorry!) because of my high standards/pickiness.
Does it really matter?
I tell myself it does. I tell myself I want the girls to appreciate the quality of things by trying to keep away the lower-quality. But Jasmine has fallen in love with a few things that I can't stand. She's learning good things from it, but I feel like there must be better ways to introduce it.
Then I wonder if I'm just being a complete snob.
I love Veggie Tales. I love the quality of the music, the animation, the humor...though I'm extremely disappointed in their newest movie (Abe) since they are now being produced by someone who didn't understand the double-layer of humor. Much like when Jim Henson died and the Muppets were no longer funny to adults, and Disney totally missed the humor of A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh. So does it mean I don't let them watch Abe or Winnie-the-Pooh? No, they watch them; I just don't watch with them, and sigh about how much the creators missed.
I should come up with a proper conclusion but I'm completely stuck, so I guess I'll just leave ya hanging. I'd love to know what you think! Is it okay to pick and choose, or is mediocrity okay as long as they're learning?
1 comment:
Wow, this is a really good question! I understand your position, and I even have a daughter who espouses your position. On the other hand, I tend to always go with prudence. For example, my husband and I have for 35 years worn our very simple $18 wedding bands which we purchased from K-Mart. They work.
I can appreciate quality when I see it, but for me utility is what I look for. Does it fit the bill? Does it do the job? Like I only have one purse for every day, and one black one for evening wear. Same with shoes. Simplicity, utility and prudence are my mainstays.
Excellence is something I look for in a heart, not in material things. What is of most value in the world to me is excellence of heart. A pure heart. A godly heart.
This is just another viewpoint on the topic. I think both viewpoints are of value, and together they create balance.
Love, Aunt Amy
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