The Hunger Games vs Revelation

I have been watching a lot of dystopian movies and TV lately.  And, to be honest, it has been bothering me that I have been drawn in that direction.  I have been trying to figure what I am getting, psychologically, through this "entertainment."

One of the things that have been occurring in my life is I am currently without a job.  I have been trying to navigate the job market and trying to convince employers that although I have been out of the field for over 20 years, that I have relevant skills and that my time in the church can be a benefit to their business.  However, even though I try, I still can't help but feel pummelled by the system; hearing that the job market is wide open and then getting hardly a nibble in over three months is frustrating.

Then we have the things going on in the government.  To see people who are prima facie corrupt, bullying, dare I say, "evil," succeeding.  Not only are they succeeding but succeeding without any impediment makes me want to just go get drunk and never get sober.

All of this drives me crazy.  All of this makes me want to escape.  And I guess, that is why I have been drawn to dystopian fiction.

I picked The Hunger Games just because of its popularity.  We, as a society, seem to be drawn to the story of the "good person, while remaining true to themself, overthrows the evil in the world."  Katniss succeeds by being her true self.  She has a weird talent, archery, and it is that weirdness that enables her to succeed.  Even when others tried to make her "better," it was in staying true to herself that allows her to succeed; not just for herself, but for all people.

Perhaps that is what I am looking for in these movies/TV Shows; I want to know that I am ok being who I am.  I am not saying that I am perfect the way I am, no, far from it.  Even Katniss had to learn and grow in order to succeed.  But I think I am looking for a way to say that I am not, at my base, fundamentally flawed.  Or maybe I am looking for validation that these "trouble spots" that I see in my life can be used for some greater purpose.

Being the theological person that I am, this train of thought reminded me of The Book of Revelation.  (Notice that "Revelation" is singular not plural!)  To sum it up in a really quick and dirty way, Revelation involved helping a group of downtrodden people know that what is happening to them is not because they are fundamentally flawed.  It also reminded them if they stayed true to their God, they would emerge victorious over the forces that were trying to keep them down.  Since "Self" is the Humanist God, to stay true to one's "Self" would be the equivalent to the early Christians saying true to God.

So, I guess during this time of change, transition, unrest, it is only natural that we would be attracted to dystopian stories.  These stories give us encouragement that if we just stay true to ourselves (God) that we will eventually overcome the evil that seems to be flourishing in the world.