At the 2016 Golden Globe Awards, actor Jim Carrey took to the stage to introduce the nominees for Best Motion Picture Comedy. But his speech was more than just an introduction to the nominated actors; it was, in fact, an introduction to the inner searches of his soul. While he began with a personal introduction, it quickly turned into a painfully honest critique on man's search for meaning.

So after being introduced as "two-time Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey," he proceeded to crack a couple self-aggrandizing jokes about what it’s like to be a two-time award winner.

Carrey remarked,

"Thank you, I am two-time Golden Globe winner, Jim Carrey. And when I go to sleep at night, I'm not just a guy going to sleep. I'm two-time Golden Globe winner, Jim Carrey, going to get some well needed shut-eye. And when I dream, I don’t just dream any old dream. No sir. I dream about being three-time Golden Globe winning actor, Jim Carrey — because then I would be enough. It would finally be true, and I could stop this terrible search for what I know ultimately won’t fulfill me.”

Everyone laughed at what Carrey said, and with nearly five million views on YouTube, people are still laughing. But the source of his humor is the truth it conceals: He was joking about the absurdity of trying to find ultimate fulfillment, purpose, and meaning in the things of this world.

You can watch the video clip here.

Officer Lawrence DePrimo of the NYPD made national headlines and received an official award of commendation from the New York City Police Department back in November ('12) for buying a pair of socks and boots for a homeless man. The whole thing was caught on camera by an out-of-town tourist whose pictures became a viral internet sensation. All around the country, hearts were warmed and stirred to similar acts of kindness and compassion.

But all that generosity of spirit seems to be coming to a grinding halt, replaced instead by disillusionment, cynicism and even anger. A few days after being gifted the boots, the "homeless" man was spotted back on the street, barefoot again (says he put the boots away for safe keeping!). And to make matters worse, it seems he isn't really homeless at all!

The Daily News reported the man people assumed was homeless ... has a Bronx apartment paid for via a combination of rent vouchers, Social Security and military veteran benefits. Now Jeffrey Tillman--the 54-year-old man at the center of this ... story--says that despite access to federally subsidized shelter, it's his choice to wander the streets.

What's more, he is an estranged father of two with lots of family and friends who care about him.

His family and various city organizations have tried for years to help him, but he's turned them all down.

"We love our brother very much," Kirk Hillman said. "Our door is always open to him, but this is a lifestyle he's chosen."

Response to the new revelations has been varied. One commenter thinks enough is enough and we should find a way to "deal accordingly" with those who make a "public nuisance" of themselves: "Everyone deserves a second chance but after a while people should be considered nuisances and should be removed from the streets and dealt with accordingly."

Another expresses what "dealing with them accordingly" might look like, with an oblique reference to an old sci-fi film in which the human remains of those who were considered a drain on society were turned into food wafers* for consumption by the working masses: "Soylent Green* anyone?" he asks cynically.

Fortunately though, there have been many who have seen beyond the "worthiness" of the recipient of the boots, to heart of the giver.

"The one thing to take away from this is the generosity and kindness of the police officer -definitely one of New York's Finest," said one.

"Let me say something, this cop did this out of charity and good will, nothing else! Whether this guy sold the boots for booze or has them hid means NOTHING! When you give a gift, you do so with the idea that the gift is their's, they can do with it as they want to. The cop's karma has been increased because of this, no matter what any of you say. How many of you have helped someone lately? Even in your own family??? However the media wants to spin this story, the cop did right, and has earned my respect," said another.

Dr. Lynn Anderson, in his book If I Really Believe, Why Do I Have These Doubts? recounts a story told him by his journalist friend, Juan Monroy:

Years back, my friend Juan Monroy, a Christian journalist in Madrid, Spain, was among those reporters selected by the Spanish government to interview the American astronaut James Irwin, who was on a European tour after his Apollo 15 mission to the moon. Monroy asked the astronaut, "What did you feel when you stepped out of that capsule and your feet touched the surface of the moon?"

To Monroy's utter surprise, Irwin replied, "It was one of the most profoundly disillusioning moments of my life."
 
Monroy pressed the astronaut: "How could standing on the moon be so disappointing?"
 
Irwin explained, "All of my life I have been enchanted by the romance and the mystery of the moon. I sang love songs under the moon. I read poems by moonstruck poets. I embraced my lover in the moonlight. I looked up in wonder at the lunar sphere. But that day when I stepped from the capsule onto the lunar surface and reached down at my feet, I came up with nothing but two handfuls of gray dirt. I cannot describe the loss I felt as the romance and mystery were stripped away. There will be no more moon in my sky!”

Dr. Lynn Anderson has been in ministry for over thirty-five years and currently serves as president of Hope Network, a ministry dedicated to coaching, mentoring, and equipping spiritual leaders.