Married, Morals, & Mad Men

I work in advertising.

I have a degree in journalism/mass communication, and my concentration in college was public relations and advertising.

I watch Mad Men.

I've watched Mad Men for about two years (thanks Netflix).

Source

For five seasons, I've watched Mad Men completely encompassed by the lives of fake advertising executives. I imagined that this is what life must have looked like while my parents were children. I envisioned my grandparents back then. I imagined what I would be like if I lived in that time period.

I was a fan.

Season six started three weeks ago. I've made a decision to give it up.

This isn't some sort of "I've giving it up for lent" type thing. I'm not giving it up because it distracts too many other aspects of my life, nor am I unable to function because of my fandom of this show. In fact, my decision to give up Mad Men is actually pretty easy.

So, here's the big question: Why? Why am I giving up a show that I like? Why am I giving up a show that probably won't be around much longer - why not just finish it out?

My answer: Because I got married.

Before you quit reading, hear me out on this.

Jason and I have never been the type of people who blame things on marriage. We haven't cut off all communication with the opposite sex because we got married. We don't ignore people we work with if they address us or say "hello". We didn't quit our individual relationships with God and protest that we can only pray together now that's we're married. We didn't quit hanging out with friends by ourselves because we got married. In fact, our lives are surprisingly the same externally since we got married seven months ago.

Internally, not so much.

I've noticed that over these last few months, it's been a lot harder for me to watch movies like P.S. I love You. Before I got married, I probably shed a tear or two while watching sappy movies like that, but now I literally have to turn them off. Although I don't know exactly why that is, I have an inkling that it has something to do with being able to identify with the character. Now, as a married woman, I cannot image the pain of being Hilary Swank and losing Gerard Butler because I cannot image the pain of Jessica Morales losing Jason Morales.

I think the same is true when it comes to Mad Men.

Now, this theory is not universal - there are so many cracks in it so please don't hold me to it! But the constant infidelity, the constant unrealistically realistic drama, the lack of honor and nobility - it's all just become too much for me.

I was reminded of Colossians 3:5 on Saturday at a workshop I attended at church.

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."

It hit me 24 hours later as I was sitting on my couch watching Don Draper cheat on his (second) wife  for the billionth time that I'm polluting my brain. If I can't bear to watch Hilary lose Gerard, how in the world am I able to sit and watch Don defile the covenant of marriage?

So many times I've just set aside immoral things in TV shows or in movies, and I'm not saying that I never will again, but for some reason I just felt sick to my stomach as I watched the third episode of season six Sunday night.

In Genesis 6, in the beginning of the story of Noah, the bible says, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart." 

I really just want to keep this simple and stay clear of the deep theological study of what it means that the Lord "regretted" since I firmly believe in God's Omniscience. So let's look at this practically for a second.

There came a point in time when either all, or the majority of people on the earth had a heart that contained only evil and that their thoughts and intentions were evil as well (The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil). This was something that was continuous and wasn't changing over time (continually). The Lord then regretted that He'd made man on the earth and it grieved God and broke His heart (And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart). Immediately after these two verses, the bible says that God decided to wipe out, not only the human race, but all animals and living creatures - thus we have the story of Noah. God was creating a blank canvas by preserving faithful Noah and his family and two of each animal (Genesis 6-9).

Now, I don't know about you, but I already am a wretched sinner. I deserve death each day for the person I am, but for the glorious mercy of the cross. Many times, I don't necessarily mean to sin, it just happens and when I realize it, I feel horrible. Sometimes it's uncontrollable and I just have hateful feelings toward someone or something. So, for me to sit on my couch on a Sunday night and deliberately fill my mind with images, speech, and thoughts of things that are "earthy," "immoral," "impure," "evil," and "covetous," I'm basically just setting myself up for God to look at me, shake His head, and think that I am continually sinning on purpose.  

I can control what I watch on TV, and I should. 

Do you have a "Mad Men" in your life? Do you have something that you watch, listen to, or read that you know is not true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellence, or worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8)? I urge you to contemplate what you're putting in your mind and reflect on how it's effecting your heart.