There is awkwardness, love, rejection, absurdity, and an infinite amount of emotions... all of which we experience (whether we admit to it or not) in our romantic experiences (mishaps). But one thing that is persistent in Shakespeare (or what I've read at least), is the phoniness and superficiality of love. People fall in and out of love over and over again... and usually all in one day!
So it's got me thinking, can we all just love anyone?
As I'm writing, I'm sitting in one of my favorite coffeehouses... it's called B Cup Cafe in the East Village. There are only a few people here, but each one of them looks perfectly... lovable. Everyone has their own story and history, their own tastes and preferences, they all have jobs (or auditions for those starving actors) and they are sitting in a coffeehouse, wondering and people-watching just like me.
I guess my point is, I think most people are good people. It may take a little while to figure out where that goodness is within someone, but if it's not obvious... there is usually a reason for it. Tough childhood? Trust issues and emotional baggage? Whatever the reason, if we take the time to figure it out, suddenly that human connection that comes from really understanding someone may start to take hold. And it really is all about that understanding, after all, right?
Shakespeare makes me wonder... could we all grow to love any one of the people we interact with on a daily basis? Maybe we aren't all meant to be with one person, but rather we choose people we could be with... and because people are good and people want connection and intimacy with other people... we grow to love some person so much that they become our one person.
Wouldn't that explain the high divorce rate? I doubt that the world we live in today is cursed with the inability to find "soul mates." Maybe our grandparents and their grandparents were just taught to be more tolerant, accepting, and appreciative of their spouses.
They are still in love after decades and decades of marriage because they still pay attention to the person they are with and continue growing to love them... whoever they are.
Here's my concluding thought: Maybe if you "stop to smell the roses" of any person (within reason, of course), it is easy to become infatuated with their idiosyncrasies, thoughts, and the general world that they live in to the point of love. And if it's mutual? Well then my friends, you just may have yourself a love saga destined for the silver screen.
1 comment:
Oh, you are absolutely right about our Grandparents generation being more tolerant and accepting of the ones they love. I know a couple who've been married 60 years (this January). 60 years! I adore watching them together. They admire each other, respect each other, and love each other, faults and all. And they have a group of friends, all married couples who've been together about as long. It's almost mindboggling to me -- how can they not be just utterly sick of each other yet?! My marriage lasted just one year. And, yes, it's almost embarrassing to admit that! People react with, "just ONE year? Really?" Really. And one year was more than enough! Tolerance? Uh, no, it went extinct in our marriage about three weeks into it. After that, it was just a war zone.
Brilliant blog! You've got me all introspective here -- and it's only 6am! :-)
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