Give it a rest, already. Let it go. Embrace the Spiers Doctrine:
"You know why you hid in that ditch, Blithe? You hid in that ditch because you think there's still hope. But Blithe, the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier should function."
Now add some Stockdale:
When Collins asked who didn't make it out, Stockdale replied:
"Oh, that’s easy, the optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart."
We're not getting out by Christmas. Deal with it.
and finally
In my earlier years 0.9beta (East Asian studies, Japanese Language) I watched a lot of Kurosawa. One film stuck with me more than any Toshiro Mifune sword-fu, or the epic battle scenes from Ran; a film calld "Ikiru" ("To live").
A hopeless city hall paper-pusher learns he has only months to live. His remaining family has already checked out of his life. His job is a joke. What's left? He dumps the bitter bureaucrat act, and does one good thing with his remaining life. He fights city hall and builds a childrens' playground.
Two scenes are burned in my memory.
The opener: Visual of an xray in a doctor's office with a voice over, "Our story isn't about this man. He's already dead. Our story is about the man he becomes."
Final shot: Kids playing in playground. Our man is sitting on a swing slowly rocking back and forth. Big smile. Tears flowing down his face.
The moral of the story. Once he "died" and lost the bitterness he finally "lived".
--
Seriously. Let it go. "And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function."
Last edited by orangedog; 06/04/0906:21 PM.
"My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand." Thich Nhat Hanh
