The Path of Least Resistance

"The Path of Least Resistance"
Excerpt from Hollywood Connect Newsletter 07/16/09.
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I've had a Non Sequitur comic strip on my desk for a few years entitled "The Magic of Hollywood," in which a handful of studio executives sit around a conference table in dark business suits. The chairman of the meeting states, "A motion has been put forth that we should seek to create rather than imitate. All in favor of killing this silly notion, nod in mindless agreement…"

Unfortunately, this is what the entertainment industry is too often known for.

I wonder how many times our own creativity – whether in the arts, business, or just life in general – gets shut down simply because we’ve spent our time imitating rather than creating. The former is usually easier than the latter, and more often than not, it’s a result of neglect – failing to take the time and effort to stand up, look around, and see things in a new way, apart from what others have done or are doing. In the end, however, it’s never as effective or fulfilling, artistically or otherwise.

Do we tend to do things only because "that's what's worked before" or "that is the path of least resistance" or “that’s what everyone else is doing”?

It happens not only in the area of creativity, but in our broader spiritual lives as well. We have a tendency to want to take that same path of least resistance, taking our cues from those around us instead of heading out into what might be the unknown, the dangerous, or the solitary – even in those heart-thumping times we recognize that God has called us to meet Him there. This is unfortunate, especially because we are called not only to be believers in Christ, but followers of Christ, choosing to follow Him wherever He leads, even when that means diverging from the rest of the crowd.

Shun Lee
Director
Hollywood Connect