"That sure is some life you've had," said the young banker.
"Yes. Yes, it is," the old man said. "I realized in youth that happiness was knowing I could do anything I wanted to do whenever I wanted to do it. They told me that this was not possible. But I found that it was, just that the only limiters of that happiness were other people. They said that money or other circumstances would limit you, but that wasn't true either. It was only people that prevented you and you had to let them."
"I should walk out of this bank today and start traveling. Seeing things."
"Most feel as you do and do nothing. It's as if the life they wish they had is a comfort of sorts--that maybe this life is practice and they'll get a shot at doing it right later on. It helps to believe in heaven."
"I believe in heaven," said the young banker. "If I can just make some more money I will start to live like you have."
The old man was silent.
Then he said, "I think it is good that you believe in heaven. But for me heaven is the opposite of happiness."
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This, overheard in a coffeeshop, was probably even better:
ReplyDeleteNEIL
A man told me once: you want to
make moves? Don't keep anything
in your life you're not willing
to walk out on in 30 seconds
flat if you feel the heat around
the corner.
(pause)
So if you're chasing me and you
gotta move when I move, how do
you expect to keep a family?
HANNA
What are you, a monk?
NEIL
No.
(pause)
I got a woman.
HANNA
What do you tell her?
NEIL
She thinks I sell swimming pools.
HANNA
And if you spot me around the
corner. You gonna walk out on
her? Leave her flat? Like that?
Not even say goodbye?
NEIL
That's the discipline.
HANNA
What you're left with is pretty
empty.
NEIL
Yeah?
(beat)
Then maybe you and me, we should
both go do somethin' else, pal.
HANNA
I don't know how to do anything
else.
NEIL
(the shared
confession)
...neither do I.
HANNA
And I don't much want to.
NEIL
Neither do I.
Both of these guys look at each other and recognize the
mutuality of their condition. Hanna's light laughter:
HANNA
We're sitting here like a coupla
regular fellas. You do what you
do. I do what I gotta do. What
happens if I am there and I got
to put you away?
(pause)
I won't like it. But, if it's
between you and some poor bastard
whose wife you're going to make
into a widow, brother, you are
gonna go down. 'Cause you don't
(MORE)
Converted to PDF by www.screentalk.org 88.
HANNA (CONT'D)
have to be there. You coulda
gone and been a... a mailman.
NEIL
There's a flip side to that coin.
What if you got me boxed in and
I gotta put you down?
(beat)
'Cause no matter what, you will
not get in my way.
(beat)
But now that we been face to
face, I would not feel good about
that. But I won't hesitate.
Not for one second.
HANNA
(smiles)
Maybe it'll happen that way. Or
who knows ...
NEIL
...maybe we'll never see each
other again.
They look at each other for a moment. Neil's wry smile.
HANNA
(to waitress)
Can we have the bill.
Achieving as a means of gaining happiness (earning, succeeding, winning, controlling, having) is perhaps part of it, though this idea is a bit troublesome to reconcile.
ReplyDeleteBut certainly no incremental amount of achieving, particularly some incremental amount that eludes you (i.e. you have yet to achieve), will not push you through some invisible wall surrounding happiness.
The common man, unfortunately, does not realize that. He is dumfounded, and does not recognize happiness's natural causes.
Becoming an animal. Meaning: living by instinct. Meaning: not talking. Meaning: only acting in accordance with basic physical needs.
ReplyDeleteRecovery of the animal in man, that should be the objective. All discussions of happiness, all this talk ends then.