eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

given the opportunity what event or people would I want to erase from my memory?

there are pains that are so harsh that some days I want to bang my head against the wall and trigger selective amnesia. the one time I've been deceived and betrayed by the person I love the most and lost the trust I had placed in him. my father and the violence I've been exposed to as a child. probably also that one time I let out a big loud fart in front of 10 people. 15 years later I still blush when I think of it. but of course erasing these events and people would mean erasing all the good things that are intricately and intimately linked to them. the birth of my kids, the first 12 years of my life, the first time I fell for a boy at church. those things feed my memory with senses and emotions, colors, fabrics and sounds that shape my heart, mind and soul. there are invaluable and essential.

how decisive and meaningful are the bad things that happen to us? how much do they influence and teach us about who we are? do they unconsciously dictate the way we respond to life? are they as important as the good things?

Comments

[AnP]

I'd like to think that we can, of course, do without those bad things ever happening to us BUT, the kind of person we have turned out to be is partly due to those "bad things". our ability to recover and focus on the good kinda makes you wanna give yourself a pat in the back.

yup, one ofthe best story ever written. original and thought-provoking.

[carol]

I want to go rent this right away.

Hey...just to let you know, you are a great writer. I wish I could figure out a way to get my thoughts to come out that well. Brava!

[Rachael]

oh, yes, this movie really is one of the best and most poignant!!

[Auntie M]

Yes, the bad things help shape who we are...and help us to be better, more sympathetic, empathetic people, I hope.

[Sammy]

I LOVED this movie... sweet and funny, touching, deep... and who doesn't want to see a happy ending?

[coffeegirl]

So many people have recommended this and I have still yet to see it. If it inspired a post such as this then I will have to pencil it in with some wine and quiet time.

[joelene]

After I saw that movie I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. I love movies that make you think... and this one was freaken awesome.

May I ask what your #1 most favorite movies is?

[Susie Sunshine]

I loved this movie too. It really was like you were inside a dream at times.

And it made me think, something I don't get to do often enough.