The Demons in our Dreams

“So, it all began as wide-eyed pure science. And then the ego steps in. Obsession. You look up, and you’re a long way from the shore.” 

One of the things that can make people fear success is the ego on the other side of it. From a Christians perspective, we neither want to be lazy, nor work obsessed. We neither want to be greedy nor struggling. We neither want to be manipulative nor weak. And sometimes it seems there is no in-between. Either we are successful, hated and compromising our values, or we have nothing.

If I can caution you with anything, it’s that we need to stop fearing extremes, and let God direct us to the proper alignment only He can give. What we need to have a holy reverence for, is our incredible ability as humans to wander from the original goal.

The third Iron Man movie raises several questions, but I think the one most important for us to consider in the marketplace revolves around the AIM project. Tony Stark meets two scientists that have big dreams about their research. They work for years on a project together and take the projects far from the goal of “helping people” to “manipulating anyone they can find.” It takes Tony awhile to realize what they have done and how far off base they have gone.

I love the scene where he confronts his friend, begging her to reconsider the decisions she is making and to stop going forward with the project.  “You used to have a moral psychology. You used to have ideals- wanted to help people. Now look at you! At least I get to wake up with someone who still has her soul.” 

I do love Marvel movies, but I honestly hate that an obsessed scientist doing evil things is where so many of the movies end up. There are very few examples, honestly, in modern film that paint scientists and innovators in a way where they are celebrated for pushing the boundaries on expectations, but do not go off the deep end doing so. And sadly, there’s a very good reason for that. And it’s that we are sinful beings. That regardless of where any work project or any relationship or any endeavor we get involved in starts, we have the potential to go completely off base. We have the potential to take what was pure science and turn it into pure evil. Honestly, science has no moral compass, and far too often we do not ever try to apply one to something that contains great power. Because of that, we have the potential to forget the people, and the consequences, and the sacrifices that are being made and continue forth with unending energy toward destruction. 

But regardless of how it gets portrayed so often in the movies- we also have the potential to be great. We have the potential to do the incredible, to dream of the impossible, and to engineer what was ridiculous. We were created in God’s image and are filled with his character and creativity. More than that, we are filled with the ability to reason. To step back and look at the long-term consequences for what we create. To think through the decisions we make. And more than that, to listen to and be guided by the God that knows more than we could.

Ideally, instead of running away from our projects terrified or going off the deep end as crazy, evil people, we could have God direct our steps from the very beginning- showing us where to push and fight for advancement, and when to wait and pull back. It’s only when we do our work with a holy fear of our own possibilities that we can get not only the appropriate boundaries but also incredible possibilities from God.