As I kid I was brought up on a TV diet featuring the bumbling adventures of secret agent Maxwell Smart. Agent 86, and his more sensible female partner, Agent 99 who both worked for the Chief of Control in a secret U.S. government counter-intelligence agency.
Together they fought against a never ending variety of threats to the world, each planned by KAOS “an international organisational of evil”.
Smart’s incompetent nature and perpetual demands to do things by-the-book invariably caused complications. But somehow Smart, despite the dreaded “cone of silence” and other specialist equipment and procedures never failed to save the day with the help of the “good thinking” of Agent 99.
Every day I seem to be in a war against chaos. Situations arise over which I have little control but I have to adapt and overcome. I have to Get Smart and deal with the unorganized evil that faces me. If art imitates life then this sitcom is a masterpiece.
I remember Smart’s catchphrases such as, “Would you believe…” Max invariably tries to lie his way out of difficult situations. “You had best surrender Siegfried, at this very moment this building is being surrounded by a hundred armed policemen….”
Siegfried doesn’t look convinced and so Max continues finally ending up with: “Would you believe a troop of Girl Guides selling cookies?” I too have a small tendency towards exaggeration… well would you believe telling lies? When Max’s grand plans failed he held his thumb and forefinger a little apart and said; “Missed by that much.” Sometimes I miss by a little, other times I miss by a country mile. Max was eternally optimistic I can be a little pessimistic. Max was often fooled and tricked by the “the old (such-and-such) trick”. I make lots of mistakes and often I have to get smart and say; “Sorry about that, Chief.” Sometimes the reality of my situation dawns on me or someone tells me something I don’t want to hear, “I asked you not to tell me that”.
So am I a comical hero, who tries his best to do the right thing? Am I good natured and brave? Do I have a go? Sometimes I seem to escape just by the skin of my teeth. Often when Max faced danger Agent 99 would say; “That was really dangerous Max” he would reply “And loving it! So am I loving life? As I take a good look in the mirror; do I grab hold of the opportunities I have? Do I take myself too seriously? I know for a fact that when I lose the ability to laugh at myself I then lose all perspective and I find myself in chaos.
The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper. Proverbs 19:8
eChap’s Prayer for Today.
Lord God, help me break the “Cone of Silence” between me and you. Help me to hear what you have to say to me, especially the things I don’t want to hear. Help me not to fall into the old trick of despair and forget your forgiveness. May I look on my life and thank you. Help me to shout out; “and loving it! Amen.
Attributions:
1. Publicity photo of Don Adams as Maxwell Smart and Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 from the television program Get Smart. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1926 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice, Claim fair use).
2. Screenshot Cone of Silence from Episode 1 (“Mr. Big“, 1965) of Get Smart (Claim fair use)