Monday Musings - finales and happy endings

Ali and I have been big fans of the TV show "House" pretty much since it started.  Over the last 8 years or so, there aren't many episodes we've missed and I think it was one of the most well-written dramas going around.

Sadly, it came to a conclusion last Monday, so it was with some trepidation that we sat down to watch the last episode... (I should confess here that I don't think there were many final episodes of any of the previous seasons where a few tears weren't shed).

**Spoiler alert** If you don't want to know what happens during the episode, you should probably stop reading now...

They had done a great job building up to the finale - setting up a number of plot possibilities and the episode did look like it was heading to a close with House dying in an explosion.  Sure, very sad way to finish, but in some ways, it kind of seemed appropriate.

However, it was all a ruse and in the end House lives and he and Wilson end up riding off on motorcycles as they live out the final months of Wilson's life (which we don't see).

While I think it was a good (not great) ending, I was left with a lingering question...

Why do we always look for a happy ending?


Think about it - there have been lots of shows that have wrapped up, but in the main, they end up being nicely resolved with some sort of happy ending (although someone did tell me that the Desperate Housewives finale finished with less of a happy ending - haven't ever watched that though, so I can't comment...)

I think that if ever a show was ripe for a sad, non-resolved ending, it was House (if you've watched it over the years, you know what I mean).  Yet here again, we return to "it all worked out in the end."

As I've thought more about it, I've reflected again on God's big story and been reminded about the way in which we believe that will end... us living at peace with God, each other and creation.  Forever.

In his book "Simply Christian", NT Wright talks about echoes - times and spaces where we hear an echo of something bigger and more profound - in beauty, in justice, in relationships, in our spiritual thirst.

I wonder whether happy endings are another echo - something that points us to a greater reality, where we inherently know "this is how it should all turn out" and causes us to live in greater hope, for now and the future.

How do I feel about happy endings?  Why is that?
Why are we wired to want everything to work out in the end?
How much confidence do I have in God's authoring of the great story and the way in which it will end?

Monday Musings - deletions, do-overs and developing culture

Fascinating article on what happened at Pixar when they accidentally deleted most of the files for Toy Story 2... during production.

It's a pretty long read, so for those who can't be bothered, the core of it is that someone accidentally deleted the main directory with all of the files for Toy Story 2... while they were in the middle of making the film.

The first part of the story is a very interesting reflection about the ways in which we can react to something like that.  For many, as the article says, the first reaction would be to try and track down the person who made the mistake and reprimand them severely.  Pixar's reaction?  No point in doing that - there's too much to do, we just need to get it fixed.

Great quote about meeting culture in the midst of that...

The thing about a disaster like this one is that the technical directors and staff at Pixar had to trust one another to fix the issue, even though there were several mistakes made and one of them was responsible.  'If you can't sit down and calmly engage that meeting, you can't be in that meeting with them'.

What an awesome culture to be part of - no pointing fingers, just all hands on deck, let's solve the problem.  Together.  Even though everyone knew that one of the people in the room was the source of the huge problem, if you can't let that go and be part of finding the solutions, you're best not to be in the meeting.

Even more interesting as you get further through the article is that less than a year before the release date, they decided the movie wasn't as good as it could be, so they started most of it again.  From scratch.  In any circumstance, that's a big call, but to do it after the issue with the deleted files?  Wow.  Again, what a great culture to be part of - one where the focus is on doing the best we can do - even if it means that we have to scrap some things that people have invested significant time into, even if it means having hard conversations about "Are you kidding?  After all the work we did restoring the deleted version?"

I love the comment the writer makes towards the end of the article:

The thing that I take away about these experiences is that the spontaneity of the communal support speaks to the culture of Pixar the rest of the time.  That kind of thing doesn't happen all of a sudden.  You can't simply have a disaster and suddenly develop this sense of community and camaraderie and help and support. 

It has to seep out.  It has to be in the soil.  You don't just go ahead and plant it and watch it grow in one day.  It has to be cultivated.   

So true.

What culture am I cultivating in my spheres of influence?
When a problem comes up, am I someone who wants to find the source or the solution?
How much am I willing to sacrifice, in order to get to my very best?