“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” –Henry David Thoreau
M and I recently started binge-watching the series “Lost.”
I saw the first season when it originally aired, and I enjoyed it muchly. Then when work and life intruded, I decided to wait until the entire series was available online to view the rest.
Back in 2004, I was very taken by the writers’ use of literary symbolism — the white rabbit, the floating Ophelia doll. Now I’m struck by the way the characters are drawn, and how they all seem to live lives of quiet desperation.
I don’t live this way.
Yes, my life is perhaps quieter than it used to be. I enjoy the silent solitude of night more than the loud rumblings of the day. And yes, I’ve had my share of troubles and tragedies, illnesses and dramas. Yet overall I feel neither quiet nor desperate. I remember the past. I do my best to live in the moment. I plan for a future, in the hopes that I will be there to meet it.
How are you living?
4 Comments
Jeff
I live my life “all in.”
P.S. LOST is my all-time favorite TV show. Ever ever.
jess
So “LOST” is one reason why Adam and I fell in love (he saw so many connections between plot lines; I loved the connections to art, history, myth, philosophy, literature and film, among others, that suggested layers to the narrative), was a huge shared love between me and my father, and is the origin for Desmond’s name (our favorite character). And when people said they were disappointed in the end (which I will not spoil!) I didn’t share it because although it started out for me to be about the connections, it ended up being about love for the experience of each of the characters. I heard one of the writers say that they learned this from Stephen King: you can create a intricate story, but if your audience doesn’t care about the players within it, they won’t stay with you. They won’t want to know more. It’s not a flawless show, but to me I will always love it reached so high and made me feels so much on so many different levels.
I could go on all day. But I will stop here.
Jade Walker
I didn’t know that, Jess. How fascinating. I look forward to seeing how the show unfolds.
Jade Walker
Good to know. So far, it’s quite an interesting show!