What I Like - Tragic Stories

I thought I would try to reboot my blog here and provide a renewed dedication to blogging on this blog. I feel this blog could provide a nice outlet for all my thoughts and wanderings and so would like to continue blogging here more often. Anyway I thought I would start again with a blog posting more about who I am. (Warning spoiler alert!!!)

I like tragic stories. Like really tragic. Why?? Well I will deconstruct that later. What do I mean by tragic stories. I like it when the protagonist (and maybe the antagonist) die. I think it is way more believable than the happily ever after that most stories trumpet. Real life is hard. In real life there are consequences that need to be atoned for and you can't get away from that. For instance, in 'V for Vendetta' the protagonist dies in the end trying to bring about the change he hoped for (now this is way different than the original material so I am only talking about the movie here). In Sunshine, the crew all dies however their payload is delivered and all of humanity is saved even though the crew isn't alive to see it.

Now I know you will say this is a very dark way to look at the world. However I see it as a very hopeful way to look at the world, why? Let's take sunshine for a minute. About halfway through the crew makes a decision that dooms them all. They go to get a second bomb. And after a course of very tough events like the oxygen garden burning they realize that they are all doomed. I like the fact that these are scientists and are logical in addition to the fact that they know what they are going to do. They knew when they got on the space ship and started traveling to the sun that this could be their last mission. Additionally they knew their mission and what is was. When faced with adversity and death they didn't waver. They never questioned it and in the end even though they knew it was the end they all proceeded to complete their mission. They died for what they wanted. They knew their purpose in life.

Why is this so important to me? I feel that for a lot of people, they shirk the responsibility of being great. Of taking the chance and providing huge benefits to those they leave behind. (I don't think all stories have to end in the death of the main character though but sacrifice is usually required.) I feel that often people say, 'I will enable others to be great,' and thus feeling like they are absolved from really succeeding in life (this is a generality remember). Sure it is easy to sit in front of the T.V. and ignore the world and slowly let the world pass us by, but I think this is a terrible thing. Maybe this is partially because I think about this that I gravitate towards movies and characters who stand up decisively for what they believe in and fight to the end for what is right. It is important to me that people stand up (I think this is partially why I am so anti-appeasing people when it comes to traffic laws which is a conversation for another time. But if you agree to drive you are bound by the laws of the road we all agree to, you aren't only bound by them if you get caught, and the ntry to get out of it, but I digress.)

I think you will find that in many things I post that it is obvious that the little things are as important as the big things and they need to be guided by an over-arching theme. There is room in this framework for differences and realizations and 180 degree turns but the point is that life isn't just a string of experiences that just happen to someone and that a person doesn't just go with the flow and just do whatever hurts them the least. In the some of the movies I really like this usually causes the death or extreme pain for the main character.

In fact, I think, being proactive is huge. Those that know me personally know I am proactive in everything (or try to be). I generally fault people who don't try and then bitch about their life, and praise people who try regardless of the outcome. It is important that people are not passive, to me at least.

In conclusion I would also say the final thing that I really like about these types of stories is that these people have a goal in mind. A thing for which they strive. They are on-screen versions of ourselves. Except they usually know they have a purpose whereas we do not in general. Why is that? It isn't for lack of purpose. It is fairly easy to find a cause you can help or a person who could use your actions. One thing I really liked about Sunshine is that all of the characters knew that the end was coming and so they charged into it head-on to finish their mission. The difference with them and people in general is that they knew their mission and when it would end. Just like us, because we are all hurtling toward the end, the question is, 'will you meet that end with a purpose?' To me, I think, that is why I like these kinds of movies where the main characters die and provide hope for others. I could name a lot of movies and books that fall into this category, 'Sunshine', 'V for Vendetta', 'Tale of Two Cities', 'Braveheart', ....