Frames

This post is in response to a topic discussed at length in the last class session. Professor Smith pointed out that after September 11, people everywhere would never think of watching a basketball game- those games are cancelled, and the news is on 24/7. However, a church- any church- would never close after such an event. Churches stayed open for days and nights, so people could enter at will and seek the comfort that had disappeared from their everyday life. Many people have become Christians after events such as 9/11, and their testimony will often involve something along the lines of ‘it took an event/tragedy such as ___ for me to realize the need I have for Jesus”. This occurrence, this tragic event, has become that person’s ‘ultimate frame’.
While I agree that people as a whole may be assigned frames that include the group as a single, cohesive unit, I also think that each individual also has an ‘ultimate frame’ that shapes and influences every decision that individual makes. This frame can change- and it often does throughout a life- but whatever that frame is, it is the most important authority in that person’s life.
For some people, the frame is their faith, their lack of faith, their family, their job, or their life. What is inside this frame dictates what kind of life that person will lead, and what will constitute a ‘good’ or ‘fulfilled’ life for that person.
What is your frame?