Monday, November 06, 2006

Another sign of our voyeuristic culture

I read an Associated Press story about letters written to God found floating in the Atlantic Ocean. Apparently, these letters had been sent to a New Jersey pastor, or left on his altar, for him to pray about. The pastor and his wife have both been dead for a few years. The speculation is that someone cleaning out their house didn't want to throw them in the trash. They gave them up to the ocean instead, believing that they would never see the light of day again. Unfortunately they were found. The man who found them took the liberty of looking at a few. Some are comical, many others are heartwrenching . . . I'm sure the people who wrote them never intended anyone but the pastor to see them.

Here's the disturbing aspect. The man who found these letters is planning to auction them off on E-Bay. I think its clear that the letters were never intended for public consumption. This man is attempting to cash in on the voyeuristic tendencies of our culture. It is appealing to the worst tendencies in people. My prayer is that someone will buy the letters on E-Bay for the singular purpose of incinerating them before anyone else can see them. I might do it myself if I can afford it.