This probably the best line I've read in this class all semester. That doesn't say much because I probably haven't read as much as I should have to be honest (really sorry; don't hate me please). But still, this sticks out to me. When I saw this the first time I went back and analyzed it a little more and thought, "Hmmmm he could be on to something here."
Simple- an absence of complexity
Ordinary- lacking defining actions
Terrible- terrible
I can see how simple and ordinary go hand in hand, but terrible? To me that gets put in to convey the shallow-ity (I think I made that up) of Ivan's life. Ivan led a life dictated to him by the social standards of others. He acted nice and politically correct and made friends with the right people, he even married a woman out of a sense of propriety. All these things he thought would give him a happy, good life. But in the end he sees how futile all his past actions in life were. He sees that happiness (what he had searched for his whole life) was actually pushed farther away by his actions instead of bringing it closer to him. We as people (for the most part) strive to obtain happiness, morality, and honor in our lives. It's weird though, because most of which we strive for is defined by man. The fact that it's set by man means that the standard can and with time will probably change. So we strive for approval in the eyes of our peers and those around us, even though we say that we don't. We do this by attempting to attain traits and habits that are up to man's standards. Is this a bad thing? Well, by obtaining what people set for you to obtain, you become ordinary, and depending on what you acquired life may become more simple; which means you have a terrible life. I'm not advocating we are all terrible people, but according to romanticism and stuff, shouldn't we just be trying to fulfill our passions instead of becoming socially acceptable? Not saying that we don't. Just saying lol. Probably didn't get my point across in a way people could understand it, but oh wells.
Commented on Suffering into
ReplyDeleteI do like your point Tyler.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about life that way. That by trying to attain what goals or standards man has set, we instead make ourselves more ordinary. I mean I alway knew it was shallow to do such things, and that people do become more like a herd when such actions take place, but I didn't think of it the way you put it.