For my composition class we were supposed to watch our favorite/least favorite romantic movie. I decided to watch (500) Days of Summer. I encourage you all to watch it because I think it will end up being either your favorite or least favorite romantic film. For me it depends on my mood. When I went to bed last night it was my favorite and when I woke up this morning it was my least favorite. I guess it depends on what you have going on inside your head at the time.
I'll spare you the synopsis of the movie and instead talk, like I have so many times before, about love. I'll also focus in on chance and coincidence.
I'm not sure there is much I can say about love that I haven't said before. However, I recently read a piece of literature for my composition class called "Love's Labors" by Laura Kipnis that gave me a new way of looking at love (quite a cynical way, at that). While I find Ms. Kipnis's comparing of love and it's "labors" to a Marxist USSR to be quite absurd I think she made some good points (as well as some I think are absurd).
Ms. Kipnis is quite cynical throughout her essay about love, marriage, and monogamy. She continually brings up adultery and desire which she refers to as "incurable". She asks time and time again why we work so hard for love whenever it ends up being ruined by desire, boredom, or because we have an idea of something grander. I think Ms. Kipnis is a bitter old woman truth be told. She is essentially saying that love is doomed and not worth a damn because it'll be ruined by one of the three forces aforementioned. She also proposes that one way to avoid being hurt is that we could just be emotionless. What kind of crap is that? We can't be emotionless and expect to be okay. And we can't not love because of desire.
Desire isn't a cancer to love, Ms. Kipnis, love is the force that quells desire.
That's my little blurb for love. Now chance and coincidence.
I believe in chance but don't believe in fate. Is that backwards? Are the two really the same thing? I think of fate as something predetermined that is guaranteed to happen, but chance is when something happens based on an impulse. I view chance as missing a bus and meeting someone new, but fate as...damnit they're essentially the same thing. Maybe chance and fate are the same thing and coincidence is what I believe in. Yep, that's it. Coincidence is choosing to get coffee not lunch and meeting someone new. Damnit. I'm lost.
I believe that if something good falls through that something better is out there. That doesn't mean you should simply give up on the good expecting great to fall in your lap. It doesn't work that way. Fate isn't real. Maybe you'll get lucky and meet the great because of a coincidence, or maybe you'll meet the great because you man up and go for it. Maybe, just maybe we have more control than we think. Take control of your life and let coincidences play a minor role.
If you have 500 days to spend with someone I hope you do everything you can to keep them. I hope you show them what you love. I hope you let them in. I hope you take them out. I hope you make sure they know how you feel. I hope you make the most of those 500 days because you never know when things will change. Not because of desire or boredom, but simply because as time goes on, feelings change.
You can't predict what will come of 500 days, and you can't guarantee you'll have 500 days. All you can do is live one day at a time.
It's quite simple really. Take life one day at a time, hope for 500 days, and if you do it right you'll end up with a lot more than 500 days.
NP: She's Got You High-Mumm-ra
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