Tuesday, August 12, 2008

another quote

This is from one of my favorite movies, Hannah and her Sisters (Woody Allen). I remember I first saw it on TV over winter break. I was knitting and was fairly impressed with the depth of what, on the surface, appeared to be the run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. But when I heard the following lines, I had to put my knitting down and really take the whole scene in. Woody summed up the way I had been feeling about life, but was too scared to acknowledge (having been raised and educated as a Catholic). But as opposed to portraying agnosticism/atheism/nihilism in a negative light, Woody hints at how lucky we all are to have at least experienced something, whether or not it means anything.
"One day, about a month ago, I really hit bottom. You know, I just felt that, in a godless universe, I didn't want to go on living. Now, I happen to own this rifle, which I loaded, believe it or not, and pressed it to my forehead. And I remember thinking, 'I'm going to kill myself.' Then I thought, 'What if I'm wrong? What if there is a God? I mean, after all, nobody really knows that. But then I thought, you know, 'No! Maybe is not good enough. I want certainty or nothing.'....
....I started to feel, how can you even think of killing yourself? I mean, isn't it so stupid? I mean, look at all the people up on the [movie] screen, they're real funny, and what if the worst is true? What if there's no God and you only go around once and that's it? Well, you know, don't you wanna be a part of the experience? You know, what the hell, it's not all a drag. And I'm thinking to myself, 'Geez, I should stop ruining my life, searching for answers I'm never gonna get and just enjoy it while it lasts.' And, you know, after, who knows? You know, maybe there is something, nobody really knows. I know 'maybe' is a very slim reed to hang your whole life on, but that's the best we have. And then, I started to sit back, and I actually began to enjoy myself. "

1 comment:

Panthera Leo said...

This is a riot of hilarity. Before this, I didn't comprehend the brilliance of woody allen. Now I do. And I understand why it's important for me to keep living. Imagine saying "well it's not all a drag" to someone who really wants to end their life. 'Maybe' sure ain't much to justify living life but it's better than having no justification for it all. Go woody! Go big blanket!