Hold Up the Good

Recently I watched the first two seasons of the T.V. show "Perfect Strangers." It was such a joy, as I laughed out loud and it is pretty hard for me to do that. My daughter can laugh at many things and it brings me a smile. I wish I had her talent. Nevertheless, these shows were funny. More than that, they were sweet and even "good." Themes of friendship, family, kindness, responsibility, and sacrifice were shown. There was even a Christmas episode where they said "Happy Birthday" to baby Jesu. Now I remember, that in the later seasons, there were some Christians who didn't care for this show as it seemed to make fun of religion. These early shows had none of that. They were done in about l987. That was a few years after my daughter was born. So as a toddler, there was still some goodness in our culture.
I remember the movie a few years ago called "Leave it to Beaver." Though updated from the T.V. show, it still had so much family love and goodwill that I cried at the end because usually, "they don't make then like that anymore."
When I look at the movies and television or even most of the music, I just see a slip from the good, the wholesome, and the beautiful. So when I buy movies on DVD, I get the best I can find and play them over and over. The same goes for books. I have read my books so many times.
I realize there is a whole world of Christian entertainment and information. That is wonderful. But now, it seems as if everything is cut with a knife - darkness and light. I am still believing that the dominant culture can once again have lovely things to offer. Some people will never turn to the Christian alternative. So for now, I am buying the good stuff, and praying for a change in tastes. What is so wrong with holding up the ideal? We hold up the ideal of beauty over and over to the sadness of many women. Why can't we hold up the ideal of family, friendship, and honor, to the good of all? Just asking. Nancy