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"You sharpen the human appetite to the point where it can split atoms with its desire, you build egos the size of cathedrals, fiber-optically connect the world to every eager impulse, grease even the dullest dreams with these dollar-green, gold-plated fantasies until every human becomes an aspiring emperor, becomes his own god; and where can you go from there?"
The astute preceding paragraph is from the screenplay adaptation by Jonathan Lemkin of a book by Andrew Neiderman, called The Devil's Advocate. The dialogue in quotes was delivered proficiently by Al Pacino, playing the Devil disguised as lawyer John Milton. I apologize if any dialogue I attribute to Lemkin was originally penned by Neiderman; I haven't read the book. Here's the YouTube video of that scene in the film (warning: some adult language): D3vil's Advocate- Eddie Barzum Like a piece of art, the interpretation is up to the observer. However, any artist, unless he or she is being disingenuous for the sake of monetary gain, generally has a specific meaning or meanings intended by the work. The Devil's Advocate is a clever story, and is about as accurate as you can get regarding the alleged status of Satan. That status being not the traditional Halloween monstrosity, but the proud and rebellious individual who once held a high position in the presence of God. He is the once-perfect being whose heart was lifted too high by the magnitude of his beauty, and whose wisdom was corrupted by his brightness. While the book and movie are works of fiction, and I am ignorant of the contents of the book, I will observe that the screenplay was exceptionally effective in portraying not only Satan's place in the universe, but Man's as well. We, the proud creatures who also fell from grace due to our arrogance. As we move further into the 21st century, there are so many things we take for granted in more advanced and socially progressive countries. We assume that we have natural and guaranteed birthrights to happiness. We assume that our egos alone are justification enough for our subjective opinions regarding what is good and what is not. We assume our own assessments of morality are the correct ones; furthermore, we assume that those who disagree with us are either idiots, or just plain wrong. Take a look around. Believe it or not, despite every technological development from the wheel to the personal computer, human beings are exactly the same as they were back in ancient Mesopotamia. Our interactions, our joys and sorrows, and all of our worldly and daily concerns have not changed one jot since the beginning of recorded time. Our clothes, homes, automobiles and endless gadgets are truly impressive, but strip them all away, and the naked humans left standing are no different than their 'primitive' predecessors. Knowledge can only build on itself; we are merely at a place in history that exhibits the exponential technological fruits of the passage of time. We gawk at those who make public statements about this 'imaginary entity' called God. We spend every waking moment fulfilling our own inclination to pretend there is no greater measurement of right and wrong than the one between our own ears. We have bought the lie. We actually think we are our own gods, that all that matters is what we think, and that the pursuit of personal gratification is the most important endeavor toward which a human can aspire. 21st century human beings believe they are more evolved, more enlightened, more wise than ever before. Yet the rampant selfishness and great sorrow that it produces are tangible reminders that we're only deluding ourselves. The human experience is the same, from the beginning until now, and shows no signs of changing other than in our own misinformed imaginations. We have bought the lie; hook, line and sinker. Like fish that will always snap at a dangling worm, we allow ourselves to be manipulated by 'non-existent' beings that we have been brainwashed to believe are nothing more than horror-movie bogeymen in our imaginations. At the same time, we also allow ourselves to be manipulated by the whims of the detached elite and social provocateurs of dubious character. It is far easier and acceptable to pretend the universe exploded from nothing all by itself, therefore erasing any moral codes other than ones we may dream up on our own. It is much more difficult to attempt passing through the strait gate; especially when most of the world will try to guilt, deride, condescend, trick and persuade you away from it. Why would anyone want to 'endure' such a narrow path, if all signs point to more worldly pleasure if you don't? What kind of 'sad and ignorant fool' would fight to retain his or her honesty and integrity against all odds? For many are called, but few are chosen. |