THE OFFICE’s Rainn Wilson: ‘Faith-Based Wisdom’ is Answer to Mental Health Crisis
By Movieguide® Contributor
Rainn Wilson is best known for his unforgettable turn as Dwight Shrute in THE OFFICE, but the actor has been outspoken about today’s youth not turning to faith during today’s mental health crisis.
He hopes young people will seek religion to help them through difficult times.
“Have we thrown the spiritual baby out with the religious bathwater?” Wilson asked. “God is just so intrinsically interwoven with an idea of a patriarchal figure that is judgemental and is watching you to see if what you’re doing is right or wrong. I worry for today’s young people in the mental health crisis that they’re not tuning to this reservoir of faith-based wisdom to help them on their journey.”
The actor sat down in Google’s Play Vitsta Office to promote his book “Soul Bloom,” which discusses the role spirituality plays in his life.
“There is a great deal of solace, meaning, hope, belonging, [and] connection that can be found in these spiritual teachings,” he said.”It’s unfortunate to me that we have collectively had such kind of like a gag reflex, knee-jerk reaction against anything having to do with religion that we’ve also kind of lost that essential beauty.”
Wilson revealed that his struggles with anxiety in his 20s led him to look for answers.
“The very first question that I pondered as I was on this journey was, is there a God? … I would ask my friends, ‘Hey, do you believe in God?'” he told NPR. “It’s so not cool to be religious. And it’s so funny because I’ve always identified as being a dork and a misfit and an outsider. Maybe that’s why I played Dwight so effectively, apparently.”
Movieguide previously reported on why Wilson chose joy in uncertain times:
“It’s really easy to get pessimistic and cynical. Just read the newspaper. This sucks. We’ll never get out of this. Nothing will ever change. I find myself falling into that position a great deal,” Wilson admitted on The Relevant Podcast.
Despite issues including the divisive political climate, the mental health crisis and materialism, Wilson believes that every person can decide how they will approach life’s challenges.
“You could make a decision. Not only am I going to attempt to feel joy and connect with joy, but I’m going to spread joy. I’m going to give joy to someone else as a service,” the three-time Emmy nominee stated.
He added, “Believe it or not, when you give joy to someone else, you actually feel you get like a 10% dividend on the joy that you give to someone else. It actually makes you feel more joyful.”
He believes that “fostering joy” allows negative emotions to become “valuable teachers” that encourage action.
“There’s people working to make a better world, to help nature, to raise awareness, to connect. This is everywhere and it’s easier said than done, but focus on the integration and start to let the disintegration go,” Wilson said.
While the actor is vocal about his Baha’i faith, we applaud him for encouraging young people to seek faith-based wisdom. Join Moveiguide® in prayer for Wilson and today’s youth to discover the Gospel and turn to Jesus Christ during these uncertain times, as He’s the ultimate guide and protector.
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