I'm enjoying watching my Sailor Moon boxsets. I think it's really appealing because it is a fantasy, and so it can have values, without getting too heavy handed. Usually when we think of values, we think of religion, which is pretty much dead as a source of real authentic values. Maybe it's geography, but mostly I see churches too weak to reach out to their gay brethren, churches focusing on 'don't have sex' messages, rather than the real dilemmas that shape our real lives, and churches that are mostly focused on waving the finger, not helping their fellow man.

However, in Sailor Moon, the idea that friendship and romantic love are the most important things in life are easily dramatized. Need to talk about friendship? Well, the heroines' friends sacrificed their lives to save hers, and their spirits guide her to defeat the enemy. Want a little love there? Well, the enemies learn to love and thus, save the world! Of course, if this happened in a realistic setting, it would seem much flatter than it is, because real life doesn't really have as much drama, and the dilemmas we face can not be wished away with a "Moon Princess Elimination".

We should try to find values in our own lives, but strive to embody the positive sides of those values. The side of personal responsibility that says "I can choose not to be rude", not the side that says "It's your fault if I am rude". The side of charity that gives freely, not the side that says "Well, it makes me look good", and so on.