An experiment

This video has the interesting title "It's hard to be God." Before you watch the video, be ready for an experiment. Before 30 seconds has passed, ask yourself what role the fallen character will play in relation to the title. Remember your answer, watch the video, then read on below.




I'm guessing most of you did not judge the "fallen" character well based on dress and attitude. But he was sent to do God's work. How often do we reject a potential messenger because they do not appear as we expected?

There are several other interesting points about the video. First, the fallen character only changed aspects of the situation. He never forced anyone to behave in an ideal way. Second, saving lives (and souls) is messy. The potential side effects of one solution are hard to anticipate* and we must humbly try again and again. This process of repetitive influence without violating individual choice is a good approach to family, friendships, work relations, and politics.




*Brief rant: We should use this fact to give ourselves and our leaders (religious, political, or otherwise) a bit of a break. No one has THE solution. We only have A solution. And any solution we implement WILL CAUSE the next set of problems. Here is where I won't give (political) leaders a break - when will they have the humility to acknowledge that they are creating problems as fast as solutions and to stop encouraging constituents to idealize policy to the point of protecting policy beyond its usefulness. Let's free ourselves from the left/right dogmatism encouraged by the depublicans and remocrats.