random destinations

So glad I spent the time to read Life of Pi again. My reactions to a book depend on where I am in my life at the time I read it. I loved this book when I first read it a few years ago. It was hard to put down. I'd carry it around in case I got a few extra minutes and could read a page or two. And the ending was a puzzlement. This time, it stayed on my bedside table, and frequently kept me up later than I intended because, despite having read it previously, I was drawn into the story like it was new to me. In a way, it was.

I didn't remember much other than the main storyline, but at this reading, something else stuck. We are infinitesimally small and insignificant and yet, at the same time, masters of our universe. Piscine Molitor Patel experienced the profound loneliness and terror of his insignificance each night and the immense power his choices and actions had to shape his destiny in the light of day. It reminded me of the end of Forrest Gump, when Forrest wonders if we each have a destiny, like his momma said, or if, as Lt. Dan put it, we were drifting around, all random, like a feather in the breeze. Of course, Forrest thinks, maybe it's both. So it is with Life of Pi, it's both, we're both insignificant and immensely powerful. Our choices mean everything. The challenge is to be aware of the moment of choice and to make conscious choices.

Being aware of the moment of decision calls to mind Socrates' questions from The Peaceful Warrior:

Where are you?
What time is it?

Read or watch The Peaceful Warrior if you aren't satisfied with your own answers to these questions.