http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi2pBZGJqj8
Life can be pretty confusing. I'm a woman. Do you think I ever know exactly what I want? Sometimes. So how do we know where to go or what to do?
If someone gave us a specific set of instructions, do you think any of us would follow them?
I'd say, sadly, no. As humans, I believe we are rebels by nature...and it just doesn't work that way because it's not exactly the same for everyone.
So where are our instructions? Where do we look for truth?
Perhaps it is in the plot of a story...cleverly tucked in pages or hidden within reels...a surreptitious set of meanings for the audience...
..But we perceive and create meaning in different ways. It's like reading the "Little Prince." Two people could read it and get completely different meaning from the novel. Read it when you are ten, then again at 30. Your story is different and so the book itself means something different to you.
I believe that art is a component of several things--intent, creation, conveyance, and the evoking of thought, action, or emotion.
In that sense, life becomes pretty complicated, because by that definition, life is art. I guess that's why art imitates life and perhaps it's no imitation.
So maybe art is more like a mirror and the artist's intent gets lost in the whole process..unless it is clearly, clearly expressed. So how do we become a mirror to the world? My best solution is to tell stories. Aesop told fables, Jesus told parables and, perhaps I'm the least of the lowly, but I will tell stories. Stories spin a tale with a face that we can relate to on a more personal level, as humans.
So maybe when I'm elbow-deep in snot, watching "The Notebook," it is really a story of hope..hope that maybe one day I'll be loved in a lifelong sense..in a pee-my-pants-perfect kind of way...but maybe it won't be perfect and maybe it will be messy, but nothing will ever happen if I don't do anything.
Nothing happens in a stagnant pool, but if we can learn to ebb and flow and reflect the world in our waters and likewise, learn from the stories that WE tell and from those told before, maybe we can be hopeful and spread stories of hope. Maybe one day the world will see that it's all about our individual stories and how we understand and connect with each other. Because we are all in this together.
If you don't believe me, just listen to NPR. Every great news story has a face. Every great comedian adds a personal story to their act. Every cook has a personal touch to their recipe.
So when we live through this romantic comedy that we call life, what do we leave behind? It's our carbon footprint and our story...and hope.
