Friday, March 11, 2011

Excerpt from "Life of David Gale (2003)"

Fantasies have to be unrealistic...



because the moment... the second...
that you get what you seek...



you don't...
you can't want it anymore.



In order to continue to exist...



desire must have its objects
perpetually absent.



It's not the "it" that you want.
It's the fantasy of"it."





This is what Pascal means when he says
that we are only truly happy...



when daydreaming
about future happiness.




- Or why we say...



the hunt is sweeter
than the kill.



Or be careful what you wish for,
not because you'll get it...



but because you're doomed
not to want it once you do.



So the lesson of Lacan is,
living by your wants
will never make you happy.



What it means to be fully human is
to strive to live by ideas and ideals...



and not to measure your life
by what you've attained
in terms of your desires...



but those small moments
of integrity, compassion...



rationality, even self-sacrifice.



Because in the end, the only way
that we can measure the
significance of our own lives...



is by valuing the lives of others.

How to say no

The title could be an open question to anyone out there or would surmise some insight into a lifetime of experiences which have been mostl...