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I'm starting over. It's not quite the New Year, but I am committed to writing daily in this blog. Probably for nothing more than just penning my thoughts and having them somewhere retrievable. Not sure that anyone even reads this thing - I know I don't really advertise it.

I'm halfway through Spotlight, the movie. It is heartbreaking and unsettling. It's not new news, I remember when priest scandals and abuse seemed to constantly be in the news. But nevertheless, it's still disturbing.

One of the things I find disturbing is a pattern. It's an excuse for the evil or the bad that people do. It's one of the reasons given in the movie for allowing a cover up. "Look at all the "good" that's happening here" That was from the scene between Michael Keaton and his lawyer friend. As if life is a sum game - if A is doing "lots of good" then it's ok or allowable that there is a discretionary amount of "bad" that A can be forgiven. What theology is this? "Mostly good is being done here, so we turn our back on the bad or the evil." It is infuriating and wrong and sick.

This theory of balancing good and evil is not just from this movie - I've heard it more than enough times in person as a way of justifying the bad that people do. And sadly, more than half the times I've heard it - it's been associated with the church or something religious. And it's just bad theology. To think that you can only do good or that somehow the evil you can be shoved under a table because you are also doing good or even mostly doing good seems asinine.

I'm not advocating for perfection. God knows I'm not perfect, but rather than look at our moral character as an equation, maybe it might be wiser to view it like a backyard. Elements, weather, usage can create mess, chaos - like leaves and snow and things. But try to keep it clean. **excuse me as I step off my soap box (and try to take inventory of my own moral character...)

In other things - joining SAG AFTRA on Nov 30th proved to be an amazing decision. (I'll try to remember to write about that experience later - something to do with residuals being held in trust, essentially paying off my membership fee...what?? I know. #spoiled. #gross) A week in Michigan with my family and we get to watch all the movies I've wanted to have time for these last couple months = Christmas made.