As I drove home from dropping a friend off at the airport, it began to snow. The radio DJ had just announced that I'd be listening to Mozart's adaptation to a number of small minuets. Traffic was just starting to pick up - so many people start their day so early.
The snow was spectacular.
My drive had a serene feel. I had a newfound freedom which the slowly drifting snow and the joyful compositions seemed to proclaim. The snow had only claimed the outer edges of the street and some of Portland's ubiquitous roadside foliage: my path seemed almost clearly marked.
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I watched The Prestige last night. One thought, in particular, really got me thinking. A younger Christian Bale (playing a stage magician) is explaining a trick to a youth. He explains, most importantly,
"Now, you must never give away the secret to this trick. People are going to beg and bribe you, trying to find out how you do it. The truth is, the second you tell them, you become nothing to them. Once they know the secret, the mystery is gone and you are worthless."
In the world of "magic" this is likely true. I wonder how many people think this idea is valid in real life -- that it's important to keep their secrets about why they behave the way they do, lest they become boring and ordinary through being understood. Keeping secrets like this feels like a "trick" to me -- a method for someone who wants to interact with the outside world by proxy. It places a focus on appearing to be something we're not...and I don't respect that.
1 comment:
Eh, everyone's entitled to their own secret lives. You wouldn't expect Clark Kent to share his secret life, would you? =p
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