Why Fight?

I think that life comes with many ups and downs and that part of growing up is seeing those once high expectations come crashing down; the youthful dreams of what life should be - regardless of what influences were wrought into shaping those expectations.

I was asked at work today if I believed to be true the maxim, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"I think what doesn't kill you can make you harder..."

Dashed expectations have a habit of making one colder. More lethal. And I think that if one is not careful, you can miss out on what exactly it is that makes fighting - well - worth fighting for.

There's the great quote from the Lord of the Rings movies - The Two Towers to be exact, and Frodo, in the middle of his journey to destroy the evil Ring of Power and despairing at his plight, turns to his ever faithful friend, Samwise Gamchee....

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam. 

Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to Sam?

Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.

If you forget the goodness - it makes fighting for it somewhat moot, doesn't it? Not the goodness, but the fighting. It means it's easier to blow off relationships with significant others because you've already forgotten why you even wanted to be with them to begin with. Maybe it's your wife, your family, your God... It's easy to forget. And it's easy to just arbitrarily fall into a direction and let the ship sail to wherever for however long... At least, it's easy for me to do it this way, and see it this way.

One of the senior high youth guys just asked me, as I'm writing this, via text: "What's the point in investing time outside of school with friends that I'll pretty soon leave and never talk to again? Why bother?"

I'll end with my answer to him.

The sum total of your life isn't what's practical or rational, it's how you choose to deal with what you've been dealt.With that logic why do anything in this cursory life? Why kiss the girl you love? Why climb the highest peak? Why anything...

I think I'm beginning to understand why Wilcox would say that we always have what we give to love --- why it is that the sum of the law and prophets can be found in, as my friend Erin would put it, passionately loving God and passionately loving other people.

Well, just some thoughts from watching another episode of Chuck.

I heart Chuck (well, actually) Agent Sarah Walker.