05 August 2010 // 04:17 am // 10 Comments
Questions On My Mind
Solely for the sake of giving you kind readers a sense of background and context, I should confess here that, before I became a professional actor and writer, I was a professional lawyer. I’ve found that there isn’t a tremendous difference between being a trial lawyer and being an actor: both stand up in front of a group of people and tell a story, attempting to compel the people emotionally and intellectually.
There is an old adage describing each of the three years of law school: First they scare you to death; then they work you to death; and finally, they bore you to death. My experience of law school provides further evidence of the truth of that description.
For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of attending law school, professors there utilize what is called “the Socratic method,” named, to state the obvious, after our old pal, Socrates. The Socratic method is a Grecian formula that Socrates applied in teaching his own students, and it relies on the use of questions by the teacher to challenge students’ assumptions and to guide them in critical thought toward discovery of the truth. Basically, under this method, a teacher asks a question, and the student states what he thinks the answer is. Rather than immediately agreeing or disagreeing, the teacher then continues to pose other questions that challenge his student’s assumptions. At the end of this process, the student (if he is committed to intellectual honesty) will arrive at the truth – not because he is given answers, but because he is given more questions.
Socrates (and all good law professors thereafter) found that posing more questions, rather than just giving answers, is the more effective way of getting students to learn, not only because it challenges assumptions and promotes critical thinking, but because the student is receptive to the truth because he discovers it himself.
As artists, our job is similar, or at least it should be. Too many times we try to communicate some truth to our audience members by simply handing them the answer. Giving a person the right answer is useless if he doesn’t know what the right question is.
So it is with art. I increasingly find that those artists who spend more time asking questions than giving answers are the ones who are most intriguing and, more often than not, lead me to discover deep truths. They challenge my intellectual and emotional assumptions. In the end, the most fascinating and enduring artists are the ones with the most fascinating and enduring questions.
One of the main reasons that some works of art, including a large majority of modern faith-based art, seem to be so lacking is that the artists who conjure up these works are so intent on giving answers that they never stop to wonder what the questions are.
Here’s an example, and it’s one that may rile you up at first, unless you stop to think about it: There’s an old song that asserts “Jesus is the answer for the world today...” This is a good song, but it may no longer be correct. Jesus, in fact, may not be the answer if the world today is asking the wrong questions. It would be incorrect to say that Jesus is the right answer to questions like How do I crush my business competition? or How do I become wealthier than anyone else? or How can I become famous so I can feel significant? – all questions the world is asking today. Jesus is not the answer to those questions, in spite of how some may twist or dilute their theology to make Him so. You could put it this way: the right answer to the wrong question is the wrong answer.
The duty of artists is to get the world to ask the right questions. We start this process by asking the right questions ourselves, questioning our assumptions, wrestling with thoughts we’ve previously taken for granted. Whether you are a writer, actor, filmmaker, or some other type of artist, are you asking questions in your art or are you just giving answers?
You usually will find that a person will resist an answer if you try to impose it upon him, but if you provide that same person with the question and help him to struggle with it, he will open up to the process of discovering and exploring the truth.
Consider adding more questions to your creative work. For most artistic questions, the answer is to have more questions.
All my best,Hollywood Connect
- Published in:
- Creativity & Art,
- Spirituality & Ministries
August 05, 2010 // 05:05 pm // #
As yet another lawyer( and one born Jewish so a Jewish lawyer to boot) allow me to concur completely with your analysis, it is through the probing and discovering on our own that not only is the truth revealed, but it becomes owned by you and is a part of you…something special occurs in your walk with Jesus when you own the truth..Thank you Shaunlee for sharing
August 05, 2010 // 05:17 pm // #
I agree with this - the problem I have with most faith based works is they talk down to people and give them legalistic, pat answers based on what the pastor says. The problem I have with a lot of ministries in the church is that they are very narrow minded - most people in churches have never stopped to think that being an artist in film is a ministry in itself - I have been slammed for writing provocative, R-rated, and edgy material, yet I have witnessed to many actors in the process and have prayed for some actor friends who went back to church and one who got saved. So when you think in narrow terms, you won’t challenge people or meet them where they are at.
August 05, 2010 // 05:52 pm // #
Thank you for these words. I received and enjoyed the words. ...I see that asking questions is definitely a humble way of approaching communications with another. Humble and effective. Jesus asked questions to those He came in contact with; however, He also gave it straight to those who needed to clearly be put in their place or were absolutely ignorant to the reality of Him/the Kingdom. Discernment is key in this, I see… being led by the Spirit of Love who knows what each person needs and how to deliver the right answer to him/her. Thanks again for this.
August 05, 2010 // 06:28 pm // #
Well put Josselyn. I agree, I think people in the church need to open their minds and realize that the way ministries are taught at seminaries are far from the only ways to communicate truth to people. I consider myself a radical because I don’t believe there is only one way to minister to people - but Jesus was considered a radical, so he set the precedent. I get really tired of pastors etc. bagging on how evil the film industry is. They need to realize that people aren’t going to come inside church walls to be ministered to - and that you have to go to people where they are as the Holy Spirit leads you. He doesn’t lead everyone into the same type of pat ministry.
August 05, 2010 // 09:54 pm // #
I am working on a strong Faith theme script “Heart Lines.” The ending is quite subtle and ambigious. This is email quote while back from me to someone.
—-
(I am talking about the ending of film.)
Interestingly, it doesn’t matter if half of audience doesn’t believe the sign from God, Bell or not. I will be happy if they talk about it, it can open a great dialog about love and grace of God for non-believers.
—
Being an artist, I learn to be subtle and tell stories in non-standard way. Learn to open my eyes further and develop my styles.
Best
YongHwan
August 06, 2010 // 03:36 am // #
Oh so true as always Shun. Thank you!
August 07, 2010 // 12:39 pm // #
Thanks, Shun Lee. Much appreciated reminder. I’m rewriting a script that is very talky and it’s easy to just fall back on having the characters spout factual statements and tell the audience “how it is”. However, on this next pass, I’m gonna incorporate your suggestions to allow more questions as a way of breathing new life into the script.
August 26, 2010 // 09:04 pm // #
My Priest and I were talking the other day, and He said that preachers preach to the choir and parishoners preach to the world by how they act and what they produce… Blanket answers never help anyone and are condescending at the very least. It is every christians job to l isten to the questions being raised by tthe world and reflecting both the questions and the answer in their works. A list of answers with no questions is useless and a list of questions asked to a world ignorant of God is doubly useless.
September 10, 2010 // 08:29 pm // #
Great article. Thanks so much for sharing. I can definitely pose more questions within my scripts and stories. I’ll be working on this.
January 21, 2011 // 01:05 am // #
I can definitely see how this would be helpful for any type of faith based creative works. You shouldn’t tell people what to believe, you should ask the questions that help them figure out what to believe. That is definitely a more powerful form of persuasion. I love how you related the Socratic method to creativity. I never would have thought of making that connection.