Friday, August 17, 2012

On the Precipice

There is often a serious lack of resolution, of closure, in dramatic works.  Can you imagine if someone asked you an important question, and you simply stared back at them and then turned around and walked away?  (Happens on TV and in the movies all the time!)  Or if you were only aware of the beginnings or endings of some of your conversations?  (Books leave out parts of conversations all the time...it'd be boring otherwise!)  What if something quite important was about to happen, but (as always!) a phone call or unexpected visitor derailed the action?  (I have to admit this has happened to me far more often in real life than I would have predicted.)

Could we live with so much uncertainty in real life?

I think not.  When we ask questions, we want answers.  We don't want to be left hanging for the information to be revealed at the best dramatic moment, whether it be several days later or several decades later.  We'd run after the person leaving.  We'd insist until we got an answer.

When we miss part of a conversation, we want to know what was said while we were gone.  When we are interrupted, we try (often unsuccessfully) to recapture the moment that was lost.

Yet, there is something to be said for the excitement of uncertainty.  Perhaps, then, to avoid boring ourselves and others, we should consider removing ourselves from conversations and situations before they've fully played out to their logical end.  Always leave them wanting more, right?

I'm going on my dream vacation.  Bye! :)

Ren D.