Gouge Your Eye Out

Movies and TV shows hold so much power; grip our emotions and even take up our time and energy, so it is important that we are watching things that are worth it. Even though I am a film and TV enthusiast, I don’t actually watch everything. I have been noticing a rise in explicit content on screen (violence, sex, drugs, gore, nudity mainly) and I have certain guidelines in my life because of my faith and my boundaries that the entertainment world does not adhere to, so it’s best that some content remains unseen. Non-Christians, this entry is for you as well, as I am sure that you have some limits to what you watch/don’t watch based on who you are. 

As an avid watcher, I have seen a lot of things on screen, and in hindsight, probably at too young an age, Growing up, I did not take the age restrictions of film into consideration, I just watched anything that I thought looked good, when, in the long run, it wasn’t good for me. I have made hard decisions to stop watching particular shows and films that are too explicit for me in sexual content and bad language. I know that this could sound a bit extreme to some people, but the boundaries that have been curated for me so that my eyes, the lamp of my body, are in good condition.

Knowingly or unknowingly, all the movies and television that we watch imprint on us, and can affect our outlook on life. Obviously, watching things does not mean that you condone everything on screen, however, what we watch changes us and our perceptions, even if the content is fictional. At my age, I can legally watch most content, but as I have developed in my faith also, I have truly realised that just because it is allowed, but that does not mean that it is beneficial – or as my mum often quotes: “All things are lawful unto me, but not all things are expedient.”

I have 2 things we should be aware of:

1. What we consume forms our ‘normal’

When I watch violent content, I don’t think that violence is okay, but I become used to seeing it. The quantity of explicit content that we are exposed to can cause us to not see its severity, or, we even start to revel in the negative content. Even with the news for example, all of the bad news is what most people tune in for. For some reason, we want to see the violence, the nudity, the drugs, the debauchery, the gore. Slowly but surely, we become used to it and crave more to get a ‘high’, at the expense of our mind at times. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a lot of the explicit content are also common addictions that people struggle to break – drugs and sex mainly.

Sex sells, but at what cost?

2. What we consume shapes us

Content affects our minds like food consumption affects our bodies. We must monitor our consumption so it doesn’t become too much or too unhealthy. It is good to be entertained, but create boundaries and try don’t compromise them just because it’s the newest or most popular show/film. Your body, mind and eyes deserve the very best! Just like you work hard to change your body after not eating right for a long time, you can train yourself to resist content that isn’t good for you. I skip the scenes or even read the plot online if the content is too much or too explicit for me to see. We can consume media, but it should not consume us.

Am I saying that if you watch ‘IT’, then you’re going to find it normal to become a killer clown that terrorises a small town? Unlikely. But content sticks to you. I am not going to say a list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to specific content to watch because I think it’s a personal gauge of what you can handle that you learn overtime – but its crucial that you learn it, because it has become apparent that media will not do it for us. I think that some movies and series have gone too far with what they show. Just because film and television are visual aids, does not mean everything must be seen. There’s a lot of appeal in insinuation, implied things, subtlety and letting the audience put the pieces together. In my opinion, the industry has gotten a bit lazy with it, and, by trying to get people’s attention in a saturated market, some have resorted to R rated content. Considering the impact that media holds and the scope it has, this can be detrimental. 

It sounds like a lot of pressure on the shoulders of film and TV, because surely, they cannot create content that adheres to the boundaries of everyone, because boundaries are varied. And so, it is our responsibility to filter what we watch. Let’s be more cautious, and even take a break from film and TV instead of constantly binging. I used to binge movies and TV shows in my bed with blackout curtains for days and now I need reading glasses. Learn from my cautionary tale!! 

In Matthew 5:29, it says that “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” Don’t go and say Screenscope told you to get a spoon from your kitchen and start digging. This isn’t about fearmongering either, but it means that if anything that you do is beyond your threshold, and is causing you to think of things that are not true, noble, pure, lovely nor right, then try not to do it, because reducing the pool of shows and films that you watch is worth the benefits of a healthier mindset.