A dialogue between Johann and Marianne, from Ingmar Bergman's 'Scenes from a Marriage'(1973)
Johann: I don’t really care where I live. To me every domicile is temporary. Security must come from within.
Marianne: Does yours?
Johann: I didn’t feel that way as long as I lived here. Material things were more important. We became dependant on rituals.
Marianne: I don’t know what you mean
Johann: Our sense of security was anchored in externals. Our possessions, our cottage in the country, our friends, our incomes, our food, our parents, holidays.
I’ll describe my take on security. The way I see it…loneliness is absolute. Anything else is illusion. Never expect anything but trouble. If something nice happens, all the better. Just don’t imagine you can do away with loneliness. A sense of togetherness can be created in say, religion, politics, love, art. But loneliness is still all-encompassing. The treacherous part is that every once in a while you’re struck by an illusion of togetherness, just remember that it is an illusion. That makes it easier when everything returns to normal. You have to face the fact that loneliness reigns supreme. It puts an end to your moaning. Then you feel safe and secure. And you learn to accept how pointless it all is, with a certain satisfaction. I don’t mean you should be resigned. You should carry on as best as you can, if only because it is better to do your best than to give up.
Marianne: I wish I were as certain as you.
Johann: It’s all talk. You find yourselves expressing thoughts to fend off the emptiness inside. It’s funny, come to think of it. Has it ever struck to you that emptiness hurts?
You’d think that it would make you dizzy, or queasy in spirit. But this void inside me is physically painful. It stings like a burn. Or like when you were little and you’d been crying, and the whole inside of your body ached.
At times, Paula’s tremendous political commitment astonishes me. She’s so sincere, and so very involved in her political group. Her conviction answers her questions and fills the void inside her. I wish I could live the way she does. I really mean that, without any sarcasm.
Why are you sneering? Do you think I’m talking rubbish? So do I…but who cares?
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Excellent! It reflects the absurdity one feels when faced with the reality of the world. What's the real world? Universe? Humans themselves are alone in this infinite universe. And in society each individual is alone, without knowing his meaning of existence. Maybe, we shouldn't know the truth. That may be the reason why we feel that truth is beyond knowledge.
And since nobody has any idea about what the truth is, it might be wise to acknowledge that through such agnostic stands like "Loneliness is absolute" instead of falling into some euphoric illusions about the meaning of our existence.
"It’s all talk. You find yourselves expressing thoughts to fend off the emptiness inside". It is in trying to understand this "painful void" and in trying to cope with it, that one realises a sense of helplessness in not knowing the "true meaning" of life and existence. For if we knew the meaning of life, then we could successfully deal with the so-called negative emotions of emptiness and the pain. But what if we could believe that pain, emptiness and loneliness is not negative but it just is, like pleasure. Perhaps attaching no signifiers to such so-called negative emotions could be the starting point of the greatest coping mechanism of them all. Of course such belief is as elusive as understanding life!
@amit
Then it would be better to live not trying to understand its meaning, wouldn't it be?
Hi Sandeep
I don't have a good answer to your question. From what I have experienced in my life, it seems that in "trying to understand" life, I find a sense of satisfaction and perhaps, even joy. That doesn't mean I know the truth or that I understand life to the extent that it can be understood, its just that thinking about the "truth" seems like an interesting and enjoyable exercise. On the other hand, in situations of despair, I find that such an analysis doesn't help me all that much. While that could be because of many reasons, I cannot help but wonder whats the use of pursuing the truth if it cannot help one cope with the pain and emptiness in life.
You can be full with emptiness. Though There is nobody to fill it..No subject exists out side perception, i think.
Post a Comment