3D Gen

“Wuzzup, Harold?” The first year college student was lazily bent, eyes tightly shut and elbows clinging to the table’s edge as he cradled his lead-heavy head between his two hands.

“…Hhhed-eck, Fathuu…,” he softly mumbled and tried lifting his eyelids at me.

“Partying last night?”

“…nuuh, muhviesss…” He managed to shrug his shoulder.

“Hang-over with beer, then?”

“Nuh-theer…,” he slowly unfolded himself and massaged his face with both hands, trying hard to reboot himself up. He opened his left eye first, squinted a bit and opened his right.

“So what caused your headache?”

“3D movie with friends!”

“That explains it. There are some people who can’t really watch these movies. The glasses and the colors seem to make their brains go awry.”

“Nuh, I’m fine with those,” Harold said.

“Okay, what then?”

“Guess we watched one too many.”

“How many?” I asked.

“Five…,” he slumped back on the table cradling his 3D heavy head.
 
* * * * * *

3D movies have been around since the 70s when I was in grade school. For some reason, they did not click then as much as now. Personally, I’m pretty fine without any optical paraphernalia to enjoy a movie.

Watching five 3D movies is enough reason to have a headache like Harold’s! But many young people today are getting another version of a 3 dimensional headache because of what they are exposed to via the Internet, movies, music and more.

These 3 D’s that spell disaster for many are: a) Disenchantment, b) Distrust, c) Depression.

Disenchantment is a subtle type of boredom in both young and old. It literally bores through one’s thoughts, emotions, and passions. It’s not our ordinary boredom, but a by-product of today’s culture of ‘easy gratification’ and ‘throw away’. You want it? You get it, easy. No frills. No strings attached.

Kids, for example, have it so easy with school projects. They Google it, then follow a YouTube tutorial and if they’re too lazy, they ask their yayas or mothers to do it for them. They literally have everything they need, and are disenchanted because no effort is required of them to experience discovering things on their own, to make some mistakes and learn from them, and to verify their experience through people they can trust and learn from.

Distrust is one consequence of the flat digital world the Internet has created. In this flat information universe authority and objective moral values are undermined by the relativism weighed by millions of Likes and the intensity of hits. Sadly, many confused and lost young surfers rely more on Google more than on their parents and elders who ought to be standards for virtues and as identity forging models.

Depression will often result from disenchantment and distrust. This is a plateaued vision securely glued to material goals of fame and fortune and prevents one from soaring toward spiritual horizons. Coupled with disenchantment and distrust, one’s life becomes a series of clinging briefly and swinging fearfully from one fragile and passing accomplishment to the next.

These 3 D’s, however, are addressed by another set of 3 D’s. For disenchantment there is diligence. This is a virtue that isn’t only working well but orienting it for others. Diligence finds its fullest form in service. Seeking to serve others in an unconditional manner firmly edifies a person in a very unique way that the fleeting pleasures and comforts of this world cannot.

Distrust is arrested by docility. This is a growing inner experience of learning how to abandon oneself to God and others. It is not a foolish dependence but a discerning capacity to spot what is good in others. Focusing on this goodness one learns to be grateful, forgiving and courageous to help others take a step towards improving.

Depression is cured by the divine. Putting one’s happiness in a vicious cycle of self-indulgence will most likely just aggravate one’s depression. Only something spiritual can give material realities their true and fruitful meaning. We become divinized through a constant and sincere dialogue with God: His love for us, His purpose for us and others. It is this divine cultivation of our hearts and minds that lead us to another bonus dimension: to dream!

When we learn to dream, if we are men who dream with God, then our dreams would be lovingly wakeful. This is the salve that removes the disenchantment, distrust and depression that are easily sown by refusing to dream with God. Thus, we will not only be contemplating another dimension, but will truly be part of it and bring others with us in a loving communion with God here on earth and later in Heaven.