Face Value

There are some days when I really wish people could, at least for a moment, see things for what they are. I never realized it until recently that my intent in posting one of the quotes on my contents page has probably been mistaken for a long time. Here’s the quote:

“Events unfold so unfairly, so unpredictably, that human happiness does not seem to have been included in the design of creation. It is only we, with our capacity to love, that give meaning to an indifferent universe.”
– Louis Levy

I didn’t fully credit the source and it’s out of the context in which I originally heard it, so I’m not as suprised that my original intent was lost as I am surprised that I didn’t notice until now. The quote is from the Woody Allen movie, “Crimes and Misdemeanors” (1989). The words were spoken by philosopher professor, Louis Levy, as part of a documentary being made about him sometime before his infamously short suicide note, “I’ve gone out the window.” Google it if you want to know more, or the video is available used on Amazon starting at $1.99 (VHS).

The movie itself I found mostly boring except for the Louis Levy subplot, and that’s what has made it stick with me so long. I first saw it in school, but after watching it there, I ended up renting it to write down and eventually memorize that quote. The movie is pretty thought provoking, but my lasting impression of it included being unimpressed by the acting for most of the lead roles and the main plot was dragged out/slow.

But back to the point of this entry. I probably read that quote a lot differently than most. So, let’s try an experiment. First, read this quote from Shakespeare’s tragedy, “Hamlet”, and then read the Louis Levy quote again and see if you can see how I heard it.

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

At one time I had the Act and Scene memorized, but that’s just another sad reminder of what my memory used to be like. I could do the research to find it now (don’t ask how many copies of that play I have,) but I’m feeling lazy.

So did you catch the difference? The difference is that I did not hear it as, “oh what a wonderful gift we’ve been given,” or “aren’t we so special that we can understand love and make this cold, heartless universe an enjoyable place to live.” No, nothing at all about love or anything positive. I heard an echo of what Hamlet said in fewer words. We put the meaning into life. We define what is Good and Bad.

I’m sure I’ve brought this up before, but it bears repeating even though I hate redundancy. There is no meaning to life but to be alive. Anything else has been added to suit someone else’s purposes. It’s that simple, but is that too simple? Does there really have to be something more? If so, why? Is sugar coating it necessary? Or is it just making it a choking hazard with all the coating it needs?

Is that view of world too bleak and empty? I don’t think it is. I think everyone needs to really just see everything for what it is. Take the beer goggles off! We shouldn’t need to have the world painted in pretty colors in order to function from day to day. Accept the world for what it is, nothing more, nothing less. If you want to go about prentending it’s something more or different, at least be able to admit it.

It would really make life less of a Hell if everyone understood that. I just want to bang my head against a wall all day long.