I saw a movie last night called “Melinda and Melinda.” Here’s the two sentence premise: two men – a comedy writer who believes life is tragic and this must be offset by moments of comedy, and a dramatic writer who thinks that only tragedy can make poignant the comedy of life – are a given the shell of a tale and must share their view of the story. Thus, over dinner, four friends recount two very distinct journeys of a mysterious dinner guest, Melinda, and her effect on the dinner guests.
All in all, the movie was decent – it wasn’t a defining point for cinema or anything, but it certainly plucked a string for me. In the end, you are left with one unavoidable conclusion: comedy, tragedy, meaning… it’s all in the eye of the beholder, and where you look for empty and desolate, you will find it. Likewise, where you look for meaning, you will find it. It’s important for me, a soon-to-be parent, to see happiness and joy and love and hope and charity and comedy and meaning in life.
And I do. While life may seem small on a cosmic scale, it’s up to us to enjoy the ride or choose to waste it. And I decided that I, for one, would prefer to spend my time laughing.
So it turns around now. From here on out, I focus on the positive.
