Tuesday, 11 January 2005

vanilla sky

We all impose rules on ourselves. They're not official policies engraved on plaques hung on our walls; rather, they're mental guides through life.

When you set these rules, you enforce them. But what happens when you break them? Are you then responsible for assigning your own punishment? Right and wrong seem straightforward, black and white, yet there's often a grey area. We make exceptions for things that don't neatly fit into either category. Mistakes are part of daily life. If no one knows of our mistakes, who judges us? Perhaps the guilt we carry is the price for our secret errors.

Life can feel ephemeral. Some days, I resist waking up - not out of depression, but sheer indifference. Facing another day, knowing it will pass like countless others, can be dulling. Most days, I'm content, but occasionally, a glum mood settles in. Distractions help momentarily, but nothing holds my interest for long.

The twist at the end of "Vanilla Sky" is breathtaking. The concept of living eternally in a dream, orchestrating every detail of that illusory life without ever knowing it's mere fantasy, is brilliant. Ignorance, they say, is bliss. Tom Cruise's character chooses the real world when given the choice in the movie. Films often persuade us that reality is superior simply because it's real. Given the option, though, I'd prefer the dream - a world crafted by my imagination to fulfil my desires. As long as I remain unaware it's a dream, it's my reality.