Enjoy It While It Lasts
Project 365 here 365Pieces
Apr 24th, 2011 @ 2:31 pm
My Mind Taking Flight Like a Butterfly
In French class in school our teacher shows us a bit of a French film every week. We’ve seen a good few since September with La Haine, Harry un ami qui vous veut du bien, Joyeux Noel, Tell No One and Le Placard. Most of them were great but Le Placard should be burned in the pile marked “Just why?”
Anyway, we recently watched Julian Schnabel’s The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly. It is by far the best one we’ve watched and in just over a week has become one of my all-time favourite films. If you don’t know what it’s about here’s a summary
“The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn’t paralyzed”
From his hospital bed he dictates a book to his speech therapist by blinking and yeah if you watch the above trailer then you’ll know.
I then got the book out of the library. It’s such an achievement. Bauby’s prose is beautiful (even if I read it in English and he wrote it in French) and he is always funny. I won’t say much more other than that it’s only 130 pages long and the font is big enough. It’s a really quick read and you’ll get a lot from it. The film is infinitely better than the book but the book is Bauby’s achievement and I think it’s quite important.
Reading that book and seeing that film I was reminded of how ridiculous and ignorant people are. Every day we hear people moan and complain about the most stupid things and it is so infuriating. Especially on this website. Fucking first world problems people.
(Indeed I could be just as bad as them for making a big deal of it in this post but bear with me)
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying that people’s problems aren’t important but people need some fucking perspective. It’s not my reading of TD-B&tB that has brought on this anger but reading it just drilled home the thoughts that I’d been having for a long time. Can you not just deal with the hand you’ve been dealt or just sort out whatever ridiculous “problem” you’re having?
Obviously I’m being ~controversial and insensitive but I am sorry: If a man who has lost all ability to move and speak can be positive and write a book then you can do whatever the fuck you want. So what do you have to be sad about? If you’re going to be sad be happy about it.
“If I must drool I may as well drool on cashmere”
- Jean-Dominique Bauby
Adopt his attitude maybe. Whatever, I’m not coherent but I think you get what I’m trying to say. H8 on me h8erz.
