Big Brother, Sauron's Eye-What about Divine attentiveness?

Big Brother isn’t watching. He’s singing and dancing. He’s pulling rabbits out of a hat.Big Brother’s busy holding your attention every moment you’re awake.
He’s making sure you’re always distracted. He’s making sure you’re fully absorbed.
~ Chuck Palahniuk

There has been a growing sense in the last 100 years in literature of an entity that has pervasive knowledge, which it uses to control people and create a kind of dead order—1984’s Big Brother and Lord of the Ring’s Sauron, to name two. These two characters are very different in nature, but both are extending their control over all things through their “seeing” power. The fact that they are always scanning and that one must always assume that they are being watched is terrorizing to some (those who resist) and deadening to others (those who give up). What seems to be lost in the mix in light of these kinds of characters, and often understated, is the existence of another omnipresent being who is the antithesis.

This sense of a pervasive force for good is present far more in the book version of Lord of the Rings than in the movie version, however, it is rarely much thought of or discussed.

In this day and age, one can be truly paralyzed by fears of having one’s phone tapped by the government, of having one’s identity stolen and all one’s life savings with it, or of being constantly watched by cameras in public places. We do live in a kind of panopticon—we are always being watched. Think of the number of places you go where there are cameras, or where you can be identified and located by someone in a remote location (e.g., when using a credit card or placing a mobile phone call).

However, we must not despair that the only “all seeing” agents out there have evil intent, though some may. What very few people seem to discuss or consider is the presence of ever present goodness. Sure, there are children’s stories about fairy godmothers and guardian angels, but there is also Santa Claus. Those of us who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob need to be reminded that our God is all seeing and everywhere present and He is a force for good. In spite of the accusations that might be placed against Him (i.e., “Where was God when tragedy struck?”), our faith compels us to face the fact that His Word assures us of His constant presence and His constant working for good. While Big Brother’s may exist in the 21st Century, there is a deeper, more pervasive omnipresent One compared to which all the Big Brothers are only a distorted, cheap imitation. His loving kindness endures forever—His is a tenacious attentiveness.