June 14th, 2009
I remember this film I saw in one of the French Spring Film Festivals, “Chance or Coincidence” about an “eventologist” (or someething) whose “other” job is to find connections/meanings in the chance occurences of life. I don’t remember the details of the story, it’s a love story (I think). I liked it, and also this Nat King Cole song in it, with the words “For all we know/care…?” Ala lang, baka lang alam n’yo. Am being whimsical here. It might have some meaning in the greater scheme of things. Hehehe.
Was also fascinated by “Sliders” (the TV series with Jerry O’Connell?) and “Sliding Doors” (with Gwyneth Paltrow).
In the TV series (based on a scientific theory, the “many-possible worlds” theory), the character played by Jerry, with his friends and professor (John Rhys-Davies), travel through a wormhole that leads to a parallel universe. Same time, different world. In some episodes, they even get to meet their alter-egos.
The movie “Sliding Doors” is premised on this one triviality: whether Gwyneth’s character is able to get on the subway on her way home or not. And the two parallel lives of Gwyneth play themselves out, each radically different from the other — all because of missing/not-missing a train ride. The movie however makes this intriguing, though perhaps unwarranted, conceit. The two Gwyneths (almost meet physically in an elevator) become “reconciled” during this scene by having only one singular experience, implying that the events which would follow from now on would be the same, even if they diverged earlier. Perhaps her inner reconciliation brought about the reconciliation of two divergent worlds? Perhaps she is owned by a destiny that’s greater than all the numerous happenstance of her life?
I also like “The Spiderman” movies’ ruminations on freedom, power and responsibility. But as pop-philosophy, I really think the Matrix trilogy is a notch higher. It brings the question of freedom and choice to the level of fate and destiny.
A former student once asked me, “Do we choose the path or does the path choose us?”
We’d like to believe that we do. Get to choose. Our path/s.
We like to be in control. It’d be truly frightening to realize that we never had it in the first place. Control.
Perhaps, as Nietzsche would say, freedom remains to be one of our most cherished illusions.
“How does one become what one is?” (“Become what you are!”)
How does one solve (if there should be any need to “solve”) the mystery of freedom and necessity?
Nietzsche’s proposal: “Amor Fati.” Love of fate. Love of what is necessary. (“All idealism is mendaciousness in the face of necessity.”)
Surrrender? To reality? To necessity?
(Beethoven: “Muss es Sein? Muss es Sein?”) (Must it be? Must it be?)
Yes, eventually.
(“Es muss sein.” It must be. It cannot but be.)
But not without a struggle. (A “loving struggle,” as they say.)
Because it is in this loving struggle that what one discovers (Eureka!) what is truly necessary and what is merely a product of one’s whimsy.
The fluttering of the wings of a butterfly can actually produce a storm in some other place of the world. Everything is interconnected. Small actions do have great repercussions. (We just fail to observe them.)
Because I have written this piece (and you are now reading it), the world will be a lot different from what the world would have been had we not done so. Will it be a better world? I hope so.
We never know. There are no guarantees.
But lest this awareness (of the consequences of our actions) becomes a burden, we need to go back to a certain kind of innocence.
We can only act with the limited knowledge, power, and awareness that we have. And our own best intentions. Faith. Hope. Love.
The rest is…
not up to us.
Definitely not up to us.
What is up to us?
To stay the course…
Give up…
or…
Start again. Start again. Start again.
best regards,
ian
—
“And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain. Don’t carry the world upon your shoulder. For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool by making the world a little colder…
Na na na na na na na na na…”
- “Hey Jude,” the Beatles