The Exaggeration of
Mankind
The world,
unfortunately, is full of exaggeration. I am not speaking of statements that
are meant to create surprise or comments such as, “Man, this purse weighs a
ton.” This statement may be teaching a lesson or making a point. I am speaking
more of what I call deliberate exaggeration; things that people do or the way
they act that, to me, are excessive and maybe even ridiculous. For example, facial
makeup exaggerates features that someone may want but does not have. It
exaggerates the faces that God gave us.
Another example was the recent race for the Presidency. Candidates exaggerated
aspects of their opponent’s political or business record and even their
personal lives. Of course, the exaggerations were meant to stimulate doubt
about the ability to govern the nation.
Exaggeration seems to be more prevalent among celebrity
artists. I am not knocking the gift a celebrity may have and his or her desire
to share that gift with others. And he or she should be compensated for their
performances and works of art but, for Pete’s sake, let’s establish a
reasonable pay scale. To be fair, however, the television, theatre, and movie
industries do add to the insanity by making outrageous money deals. And, of
course, the media does a great deal in exaggerating the public and private
lives of celebrities to the point of ad nausea.
Of course, exaggeration is not confined to that of humans. It
is prevalent in the manipulation of both animals and plants. Have you ever
noticed how livestock or companion animals are dolled up for exhibition shows
to emphasize traits (longer body and deeper chest, etc.) that are not there or fully
there? Do we really know how much money is spent on genetic, pharmaceutical,
and pesticide research to make the largest, greatest producing, and most
attractive plants and animals?
Now, some may say Jesus Christ exaggerated when he said, “It is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get
into heaven (Matthew 19:24).” For the purposes of this paper, Jesus did exaggerate;
but consider he was teaching a simple lesson (and, besides, my feelings are
that God can do anything). Why can’t today’s world be kept simple?
