This Very Moment

"If I should die this very moment
I wouldn't fear
For I've never known completeness
Like being here
Wrapped in the warmth of you,
Loving every breath of you,
Why live life from dream to dream
and dread the day when dreaming ends?"

Tonight I'm watching Moulin Rouge, and this is by far one of my favorite quotes of all time. I have actually been pondering this quote for a few days, and I think that there is no more appropriate time than Valentine's Day to contemplate this idea. What is completeness? I think that for many, this is the ultimate goal of life, whether it is realized as such or not. If you've not seen the movie, I would highly suggest not reading the rest of this post. If you have, however, you know that this story is an immense tragedy, but, that the main characters unquestionably loved each other for the brief time they spend together. I suppose I must contradict myself on my previous posting and defer to my "hopeless romantic tendencies". The meaning that I get from this quote is that living on dreams, or dreading the end of those dreams is futile. If we don't live in the present moment, then we might miss being "wrapped in the warmth of somebody else" (whether that be a romantic love or other). Completeness, at least as stated in the quote, is a current state of affairs. I don't think that you can be complete if you're placing your hopes on some future (or past) state of affairs, dreams, or unrealized hopes. All we have is the present moment. Why not allow ourselves to be happy right now- without all the conditions and stipulations? Christian (the lead male character) ends up going through a horrible experience. The woman he loves dies in the end, and he is sent into an intense depression. Many would argue that because of his involvement with a "forbidden woman", one who he "should have left alone", that he finds himself in the depths of despair. I would argue, however, that Christian did the right thing. Not knowing the future, he dedicated himself totally and completely to the present moment and what he really wanted. He ultimately had an experience that was so rich and full and... complete, if you will, that he was fulfilled- even for just a short time.

Finding "The One"

Lately, I have been contemplating this very expression a lot. Everywhere I go, I seem to encounter bitter, lonely, sad people who hold on to 'hope' of finding the ultimate person that they need to make them happy. They justify their current unhappiness by saying something to the effect of "well, someday I'll find the one" or "I know he's out there somewhere", or something similar. I, being a hopeless romantic, used to buy into this notion- completely. I, along with other love deprived individuals would lament my singleness, but secretly hold out for the guy who would "complete me". I have to say now, that I think that this notion is total crap. When did we start needing someone else to make us happy, or to complete us? When did it become a good idea to invest our happiness in an individual who may not even currently be in our lives, (and for that matter, may never be)? An aspect that I hadn't considered, but that was brought up to me (in form of a sermon at Wesley...) was that our goal in life, and our happiness, shouldn't be centered around somebody else. It should be centered around God. Lately, I haven't been all up on the God train too much (which I'm really trying to work on), but I just thought that this was such a novel notion. Anyway- for me, I'm trying so hard to just be content with me- with my successes, happiness, and goals. Because, ultimately, that's all I have. I can't invest my hopes and dreams in something that's outside myself.