from kundera's "the curtain"

Now, are great dramatic actions really the best clue to understanding human nature? Are they not, rather, a barrier that hides life as it truly is? Isn't "insignificance" actually one of the greatest problems? Isn't that our fate? And if so, is that fate our good fortune or bad? Our humiliation or, on the contrary, our solace, our escape, our idyll, our refuge?

-Milan Kundera, The Curtain

wowww, holy shit, when i read that line i went searching for a pen, i had to underline it, and after underlining it and reading it again, i couldn't move forward, and now, 15 minutes later, i'm still not ready to move forward. the line compelled me to write, it has so much power and speaks to me in such a way that i was and am defenseless.

if you think about it, say, a wedding, is that truly a summation of the relationship between those two people? how about a divorce? how about a fight? or a series of fights? i know nearly every fight i've ever been in with a girlfriend either directly or indirectly stemmed from something in the past. look at the podium at the end of the tour de france, does that glimpse at the conclusion of the race really give you an indication of the significance of the race? is the drama in life really about the large things? is it about the birthdays and christmases or the birth of a child or finding a soul mate? and sure, bringing a child into the world can be a beautiful event, but isn't the beauty of raising a child when she's running around the kitchen, high on juice boxes and stops dead in her tracks, says, "i love you daddy," giggles, then runs off? where is that in the movies? or in novels? we're always given the big events, the milestones. life isn't a rolling wave of culminations, we're not always working toward our next big thing, sometimes the big thing falls from the sky. the drama is in the minor, amazing events of the day. the sun so bright in the morning we have to squint. that's amazing. that's life. when it rains for a few days and the grass is greener than normal, the leaves are stronger and happier. that's amazing. that's life. that kiss when you walk in the door from work. or opening the door at 6:12pm and smelling the smell of your house, the house you bought and built, that houses your wife and kids, painted by your hand and full of your dirty clothes. that's amazing. that's life.

that's the story i want to write and read. the stories that bring to light the significances of minor occurences. we live an insignificant life. it's true, and it's ok and it's wonderful. we simply have to open our eyes and realize how wonderful it is. artists help us do that.