Awareness

    Last week my office mate told me that I could take myself out for a date. I tend to always go out with people but never alone by myself. Now, I know the reason why it is beneficial to be out alone regardless of your MBTI. When you are alone you enter into a world with a new sense of freedom. You are not constrained by any choices because you do not have to consider how the people in your group feel or think. When you watch something you are able to pay full attention to every aspect of the show, unlocking the next level of experience that you do not discover if you are with someone. 

    There are a number of activities where you can spend time alone. One of which is watching a play. Recently, my brother attempted to convince me to commit to paying $7 monthly for a Netflix subscription. I am 37.43% convinced to approve his proposal. I realized the reason why my inner man opted for the other road. Every 3 - 4 months Fire Exit Theatre produces a play. Its founder and artistic director Val Lieske "believes that the only way to change culture is to create culture and that storytellers are changing the world".1 "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us..."2 If you are gifted with something use it to engage with your surrounding culture.
    Reading engages your eyes and listening engages your ears. Watching engages both. "If a picture paints a thousand words"3 then a moving picture paints a million words. A play not only paints a million words but produces a million sounds and endless stories. 

Footnotes:

1 Val Lieske, "ecclesiastes - summer 2021", Makers Collective, accessed May 13, 2024, https://makers.fireexit.ca/makers/val-lieske

2 Rom 12:6 (NIV)
3 Bread, "IF", Genius, accessed May 13, 2024, https://genius.com/Bread-if-lyrics