I wrote yesterday about lonely, despairing people who go on killing rampages right before taking their own lives (see The Recent Shooting). I thought about a Christian movie review of One Hour Photo (2002).
One Hour Photo is about a photo technician named Sy (played by Robin Williams), who works at SaveMart. He is obsessed with the Yorkin family, whose photos he has developed for years. He has copies of their pictures on the wall of his apartment, where he lives alone with his television set. He has no family, and he's not very good at making friends. He fantasizes about being part of the Yorkin family, which he idealizes.
In one scene, young Jake Yorkin is having a hard time getting to sleep, for he feels sorry for the socially-challenged Sy. Jake and his mom send Sy "good thoughts" so Jake can feel better and go to sleep: basically, they close their eyes and think happy things about Sy. The scene then shifts to Sy in his bleak apartment, watching TV with the same blank expression. Apparently, the "good thoughts" from the Yorkins were not having their effect!
The review on Christian Spotlight on the Movies states the following (see here):
The movie continues to follow Williams' downward spiral until, like all movie mental-cases, he meets with an unhappy end. But does it always have to be this way? Imagine this: What if, upon sensing his pain, instead of sending Sy “good thoughts” (which does nothing for Sy and serves only to make the Yorkins' feel better about themselves) the Yorkins did something that could ultimately save his life… What if they invited him to church? What if they took the time to help him bond with other, similarly wounded people or guided him to a ministry designed to heal his long-buried hurts? If told from a Christian perspective, a story like this could be one of redemption and victory. Instead, the world offers what it always offers: emotional breakdown and despair. That is why it is so important that when those awkward, desperate people cross our paths, we make the effort to introduce them to Jesus. Actually, that goes for trendy, young couples who seem above it all too. (Emphasis mine.)
I kind of blew off this statement the first time that I read it, since going to church hasn't always alleviated my feelings of loneliness! Now, some of it strikes me as reasonable. I don't think the Yorkins should have told Sy that he needed group therapy or asked him if he knew the Lord, since that doesn't appear socially appropriate to me. They only know him on a superficial level, after all! But invite him to church? Why not? I can picture them doing that! "Sy, we were wondering if you'd like to go to church with us sometime." Sounds easy, and Sy would probably eat that up! And, because he'd be going with the Yorkins, he wouldn't feel as isolated during the service.
I'm not trying to impose a legalism by saying Christians should invite their local sales-clerk to church (as if I have the authority to tell anyone to do anything!). But are there reasonable, socially-appropriate ways to reach out to the lonely and build bridges with the socially-challenged?