Survivor or Servant?

I enjoy "Survivor." It's getting a little long in the tooth as far as TV programs go, but it's still entertaining. If you have been on a different planet for the last few years and haven't seen it - here's how it works: twenty or so people, of various ages and from varied backgrounds, are brought together in some obscure, exotic place. They are pitted against one another in a series of challenges, competing for the million dollar prize that is awarded to the sole survivor. Although they begin the game in "tribes," the contestants must learn to form their own alliances if they are to advance. As the game progresses, they must endure physical hardships, including hunger. They must use their physical and mental strength, and their relational skills, in order to outwit, outplay and outlast the other contestants. Frequently, in the pressure-cooker environment of reality TV, they display the worst of human nature. The show is notorious for secret alliances and double-crossing. Len Sweet comments that, ultimately, "the most self-directed, self-motivated, self-absorbed, self-important individual becomes the final Survivor."

In an article in "Youth Culture," Walt Mueller writes about some of the lessons of "Survivor":

"1. Survivors look out for themselves. When you cooperate, it's to advance your interests. Not because it is helpful to others, but because it helps you. Forget those who can't help you. Don't bother with them. They are not a good investment of your time.

2. Survivors sleep with one eye open. Since everyone is out for himself/herself, no one can be trusted. Surviving the harshness of the environment is the true challenge.

3. Survivors must get used to being lonely. If you can't trust others, you can't be real or true or share true intimacy with them. It's a world ruled by the Miranda rule: You have the right to remain silent, for what you say can and will be used against you.

4. A survivor world is win-lose. Only one can win, the others are cast-offs. There is no common good. No common ground other than self-interest."

Now, it's only a TV show, and most people are capable of suspending judgment in such cases, but what worries me is that at least some viewers may be adopting these principles to their own lives. Especially in a world experiencing the worst recession in decades, it must be tempting to adopt a survivalist attitude. This isn't all bad. There are good lessons to be learned in terms of rising to meet the challenge, not giving up, and working with others to achieve some common goal. But at the same time, clearly "Survivor" teaches that our primary responsibility must always be fundamentally self-focussed.

That's very different to the Gospel. As we gather as God's people, we are to learn and to employ the principles of servanthood. Living as a Christian means rejecting the dictatorship of the ego; it means following the example of the One who came, "not to be served but to serve, and to lay down His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

"Survivor" is fun, but it does make me wonder what we are teaching our children and young people. Where are they getting their values and their worldview, from Jeff Probst, or Jesus?