So Far yet So Near

I have always been a fan of romantic movies. I have always appreciated the small love angle that even a sci-fi movie had. I will remember Titanic more for the way the love story between Jack and Kate was portrayed than for the stunning camera work and graphics.

But somehow I have never been able to relate what happens in the movies and what life dishes out to us who live outside the big screen. May be because everyone around me has had terrible relationships or has had great relationships which didn’t end up too well.

Why is it that what happens in the movies and what happens in our lives so different? Aren’t movies a reflection of real life as film makers claim them to be? I guess they are but we fail to look at our lives the way we look at movies.

Somehow I feel everyone in this world (including me that is) wants to be a tragic and brooding hero. Everyone wants people to look at him/her as a victim of one injustice or another. Whenever we are in a bad mood we try and show people how unhappy we are instead of just smiling and making everyone around us feel as if nothing is wrong (which is the apt thing to do at times). We try and think of the saddest and most depressing moments of our lives at this time where as what we need to do is think of joyous occasions that can bring us out of the gloominess.

I once, after watching a movie in which a person was allowed to erase the memories of anyone he/she might have known asked one of my friends, who was going through a bad phase in his relationship who was the one person he would like to erase from his memory? He said obviously the girl who was leaving him for very justified reasons on her part.

I couldn’t convince myself to agree with him at that point of time and I guess I have finally figured out why. If a person is totally erased from your memory then won’t all the good things associated with that person be lost forever too? Why is it that we tend to remember people with the bad memories we might have had with them when we are angry or sad? I am sure that the good times we might have had with anyone must surely outnumber the bad ones any day.

I think this is and will be one of life’s great unanswered questions. But what ever may be the case I will try and make a conscious effort to remember people for all the good times I shared with them no matter how distant or far (emotionally or geographically) we are. I guess life will be much simpler that way.
PS: I got to thank a special someone for this article. If it was not for this person may be I would have never made this realization. Hope you get to read this M.S.