22 May 2005

Third Episode

I just got back from Revenge of the Sith, actually I shouldn't be going out to the cinema, but I was sick of reading all the time and I could not concentrate anymore. I called a friend of mine to go with me because I was lonely, but she was not in town so I went alone.

The third episode is, in a word, great. Like many, my faith in Star Wars had faded with the first 2 installments, therefore I was a bit skeptical when I bought the ticket. But soon, the story unfolded before my eyes and my doubts faded just like the passage of time, irreversible. Half way through the movie I knew this was another classic and when the credits rolled it was just perfect.

But as usual, there were things that pissed me off, and I mean really pissed me off. Just when the credits started to roll, the staff kindly informed people that it was over and thank you very much and all that crap and people started to leave! Yes, they got their asses of the seats and moved towards the exit! Can you believe that?! Ridiculous! And this happens all the time, I'm always the last man sitting. So what's the big deal man? You might ask.

Oh yes, my friend, it does matter. It shows the attitude of the people. By leaving immediately after the screen turns dark implies that they do not appreciate the work and treat it as a thing of no value, like a tissue paper, after you used it you throw it away. And furthermore, this kind of attitude shows that for them everything is just pure killing time. Art does not exist. Of course, the value of Star Wars is left to be discussed and one can either love it or hate it, but it's not the issue at hand. The issue here is of something that's very important and yet has not received its due attention. Attitudes towards life! You see, that's the problem we have these days, replacements, the latest, the best, nothing else matters, it's just keep going and going without histories, live like a blind man, have fun, drink, dance, kiss, shit, eat, fuck till you drop. It's all there, written on their faces, jokes, actions, it's here, among us, in us. I feel terrible, I feel sorry for my fellow countrymen and for the future. People often ask me why you study literature and what you think your going to do with philosophy, can they feed you? In the end, I got tired of answering so I just squeeze out a smile, I'm just so sick of them. Now thinking about it, it was lucky that I went to the movie alone, the last thing I need now is pretending that I'm happy. Which reminds me of Lo fatal, a poem by Rubén Darío:

Dichoso el árbol que es apenas sensitivo,
y más la piedra dura porque esa ya no siente,
pues no hay dolor más grande que el dolor de ser vivo,
ni mayor pesadumbre que la vida consciente.

Ser, y no saber nada, y ser sin rumbo cierto,
y el temor de haber sido y un futuro terror...
Y el espanto seguro de estar mañana muerto,
y sufrir por la vida y por la sombra y por

lo que no conocemos y apenas sospechamos,
y la carne que tienta con sus frescos racimos,
y la tumba que aguarda con sus fúnebres ramos,
¡y no saber a dónde vamos,
ni de dónde venimos!...

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