justnick's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And they say TV rots your brain There's something very attractive about absolutes. That's what makes fiction so much fun, it's full of them. In real life, you rarely get to make choices that could define you as a person, or redeem past misdeeds. I've been catching up with 'Lost' over the holidays, and it's pretty good for exactly that reason. People get to stare into each others eyes and say things like "I swear to you, I will get you off this island." Or risk their lives to haul someone out of whatever flaming wreckage has revealed itself this week. It's the idea that no matter how much we or anyone else dislikes us, we could, with one action, become heroes. Win someone's love. Erase shame. I've always been something of a romantic for similar reasons, actually. It might not make sense to everyone else, but the same thing that makes me love space ships and ancient Gods makes me a sucker for breakfast in bed, surprise visits, and notes left in mirror steam. It's easy to define. It's escapism. You are the hero or the villain. The chosen one or the evil king. You're meant to be with her, or you're the other man. Like I said, though, life rarely works that way. As much as film has immortalized the grand romantic gesture in all of our minds, you can't change a person's mind with a boom box hoisted over one's shoulders. Molly Ringwald does not end up with the guy in the hat. She ends up with the other guy, and the guy with the hat spends the rest of his life comparing women to her. That's why there's something appealing about life or death scenarios. That's why all good fantasy involves them. Because deep down, we all want to believe that you are truly defined by how you perform during a crisis. And we all want to believe that we would all do the right thing. We would make the solemn vow that finally won her over. We would run into that burning building under a hail of gunfire to save her. But we wouldn't. Of course we wouldn't. Excelsior. 12:18 a.m. - 2009-01-03 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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