(A “Notes to Self” Series)

Quote for Thursday, 21 February 2019

“You might think I lost all hope at that point. I did. And as a result I perked up and felt much better.”

― Yann Martel, Life of Pi

Twists, turns, up the hill, down the hill, turning points, bends, obstacles, and what-have-you’s would always seem good, especially in fictional books. What good would a novel have if you as a reader could readily predict everything that’s going to happen? Would you still care to read that novella even if the plot is so straight and predictable? What kind of story would there be if everyone’s a protagonist and there’s no antagonist at all?
Let’s say there’s only one character in that story; would his or her persona grow on you if he or she hasn’t had any dilemma, predilection or challenge to conquer along the way?

Among bibliophiles, the answer may already be too obvious that asking the above questions may already seem too moot and academic.

That’s fine. I’d anticipate that, too.

What’s not acceptable, though, is if all the negative sides of a piece of fiction happen in real life, too.

That’s as far as I am concerned, at least.

Let’s use, as an example, the book that our quote of the day had been taken from. Yes. Having an award-winning, chart-busting novel or movie like Life of Pi is great. However, would you want to be Pi? Would you care to experience what he had?

I’d rather not.

Nonetheless, what’s striking with our featured quote and the story is that not everything is bleak. Downsides proliferate in reality, too. Yet there’s always hope. There are lessons from failures. We learn from our mistakes. As long as we live, there’s another chance for us to do and be better.

We could be found, eventually, in one sense or another. There’s something to find.

We all need at least one good thought to hold on to. May we all have ours.

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(For more quotes about hope, check out Goodreads.)