Bing and Brotherhood

My wonderful wife enlightens and enriches my life in so many ways. For example, her love of movie classics has exposed me the Alfred Hitchcock's, Grace Kelly's, and Clark Gable's of the world. Before her I didn't know that movies existed before Star Wars.

Anyways, as is our Christmas tradition we always set aside a quiet night for hot chocolate and a viewing of the 1954 Irving Berlin/Bing Crosby classic, "White Christmas". It is pitch perfect in its message and a healthy holiday alternative to those degenerates, myself included, who typically get their holiday fix off of "Christmas Vacation."

One of the most moving scenes is when Bing and his partner, Danny Kaye, decide to throw a surprise Christmas Eve show at the struggling ski lodge of their old General. The pair, both highly successful, went above and beyond the call of duty in supporting an old friend whom they had not seen in years. Theirs was a bond that was forged in the battle of Monte Cassino, one that wasn't to be broken easily. It was an exceptionally touching moment and it got me thinking about the type of friend I am.

I think that it is safe to say that we live in a pretty superficial time. Most of our friends are mere acquaintances and most of our gestures are nothing more then passing greetings. I can almost see a spectrum that depicts all of our friendships on a scale of commitment and importance. It would probably look something like this.

1. The other guy in your department: He is nothing more then someone with whom your work or church calling forces you to associate with. He gets nothing more then a fleeting hello in the elevator.
   
2. Facebook Friend: Maybe someone more important to you, at the very least because he or she boosts your friend tally on the site. You might make a passing effort to feign interest and Facebook has multiple apps and ways to do so.
3. Christmas Card Friend: This one requires a least minimal effort and shows that your friendship a minimum phone call to get an address. The list narrows down greatly at this point.
4. I'll drive out of state to your wedding Friend: This friend is invested and it shows through deeds and actions. This is a much smaller group but it is safe to say that there is a mutual affection and dedication within it.
5. I'll take time out of my busy schedule and throw a gathering on your behalf because life is hard friend: This type of friend, as depicted by Bing and Danny, is one in a million and is usually forged by extreme conditions like war or four years of subhuman living conditions at college. These are friends through thick and thin and they embody the full meaning of charity as it pertains to the friendship.
   

Watch the movie. If you have any kind of heart it will get you thinking about what kind of friend you are to those around you. I think I've got a long journey ahead of me as I strive to better serve my friends. Thanks Bing.

Good Humor (Not the Ice Cream Treat)

I like to laugh. I enjoy religion. Ergo, I'm utterly fascinated at the high percentage of Jews that dominate the comedy scene. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising...they've had like 3,000 years to work on their jokes.

We Mormons, on the other hand, are mere babes when it comes to humor. We are still learning how to laugh at ourselves and there are too many cultural taboos that prevent any significant jocular investigation. The result is typically some kind of cultural introspection in the form of something like Singles Ward. I don't need a PhD from the USC School of Film to declare that everything up to this point has been a mixed bag at best. There have been some efforts, to varying degrees of success, that look into the culture and poke fun. But there have been far fewer successful attempts that have looked at the wider world through a humorous Mormon lens.

The following blog,Don't Do Dumb Things, is one of those rare exceptions. The site isn't overtly Mormon but it does a fabulous job of looking at a variety of subjects from a perspective you can relate to. The Bell brothers are in top form and I am taking this unsolicited chance to invite all 7 of my regular readers to drop by for a chuckle.