Back in the 1970’s I watched a movie that left a lasting impression upon me. After viewing the film on television I went straight to the library and checked-out the book; reading through the thick volume in only a few days time. Though the book was written seventy years before I was born and the movie was filmed when my parents were young, there was a considerable controversy surrounding the story. The book was titled Dorian Gray and was the only published novel by Oscar Wilde.
How was I able to view this movie and read the book without drawing the ire of my parents? The movie was old and in black and white, thus it was relegated to a Saturday afternoon showing on network television. Also, what was considered controversial back in the 40’s was merely winked at by the time I was a teenager. It was much later when I learned the word narcissism, (and I spelled that right thanks to Google!) but the basic plot of the story is a perfect example of that personality disorder. I believe that is what Mr. Wilde had in mind when he penned the novel.
The story revolves around a handsome young man by the name of Dorian Gray. He is asked to pose for a portrait and the artist is amazed at his perfect features, advising him that he may even start a new art movement with his profile. Knowing that beauty and looks fade with age, Dorian sells his soul. In exchange for his soul the man in the portrait will age but he (Dorian) will not grow even one day older. With the problem of aging taken care of, he then begins living a life of hedonism, pursuing his every desire and whim. However, he discovers that the portrait becomes more and more disfigured with every callous act he performs in his life. I’ll spare you the ending if by chance you decide to read the book or watch the movie on your own.
What made the book entertaining and popular is that there is a little bit of Dorian Gray in all of us. I say this as a product of the ‘Me’ generation myself. For years we have been taught by the media and by those around us that it is important to take care of ‘number one’ first and foremost. Whatever it takes to advance our station in life and elevate us to where we seemingly need to be should be done with no thought at all for the consequences of whatever actions may be required to get us there. The proof is in the statistics for money spent on plastic surgery, weight-loss clinics, and self-help books. Get-rich quick schemes and scams are all the rage, causing many people to be taken advantage of by those that would impulsively prey upon them when given a chance to do so. It wasn’t meant to be that way.
In Luke 12, Jesus teaches us with a parable the story of a man who was caught up in this mind-set: “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
By the text, we understand that this man cared nothing for anyone but himself. He did not confer with his wife or his family, and he did not pray for God’s guidance, either. Note the wording, he says “What shall I do”, “This will I do”, “I will bestow”, and “I will say to my soul”. In the end, though, we see the axiom sadly proven yet again that man proposes and God disposes. Knowing this, I should strive to lay up for myself treasure in Heaven, and be much less obliged to build up things here on earth knowing that I will pass away and that somebody else will simply get them once I'm gone.
Is it wrong to be rich or to have nice things? No, it is not. It is never wrong to have the finer things in life; it is all about how I manage to acquire them in the first place. What did I trade for them? Was it simply for me and me alone with no thought of how it might hurt someone else to gain them? Did I have to turn my back on God in the process?
An honest answer to questions such as these will go a long way toward preventing me from painting my own Dorian Gray-portrait in life.
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