It's a Bittersweet Symphony, This Life

Is there any shame in finding beauty in sadness? Because it's THERE. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than a sad song, sad film, or a sad story. Now I'm not talking about the completely sad and miserable stories where there is no catharsis, no redemption or those packed with senseless violence. Those get on my nerves. Instead, I'm talking about those insights into the human experience that make me appreciate all of this senseless beauty and wonder that exists. I like to see how emotions come together- regardless of what those emotions happen to be. Sometimes they come together like water and oil, but in a truly beautiful bittersweet moment...They blend perfectly. (Like Neopolitan ice cream- Pardon the simile. I'm practicing.)

I catch a lot of crap from my AP students who are still young, mostly optimistic, and completely idealistic. They can't understand why so much literature is, in their words, "like so depressing." I try to explain that what they deem depressing is in fact beautiful and representative of the human experience. Life isn't Hollywood, and there are many of my loyal readers (props to you!) who not only agree with this statement, but who have lived it. This explains why some of the best poetry has been written by mentally unstable drunks, agoraphobics, and young aristocrats dying of tuberculosis. My intent is not to dampen the sparks of optimism of today's youth, but instead, I find it important to be aware of the multitude of human experience and to be open to whatever life brings. Sometimes life can be pretty sucky; however, if you can drown your melancholy in a song, a poem, or a film, I find that it makes the condition much more bearable, even enjoyable. So embrace the bittersweet. Feel it and connect yourself to the universe as we know it.