Anthony Marais, click
here to update your pages on AuthorsDen.
Blogs by Anthony Marais
A sincere attempt at optimism... 8/5/2006 4:56:58 AM
(SOME SPONTANEOUS THOUGHTS WHICH APPEARED AGAINST MY WILL)
“In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey.” Thus begins the song “Loser” by Beck. Then the chorus: “So, I’m difficult. I’m a loser, baby. So why don’t you kill me?” I’ve got this tune stuck in my head—for years now. Like the song “No Mercy” by The Stranglers, this music seems to have a powerful affect on me. May I share just one line from it with you? It’s right here, in my mental 80’s file: “Everybody has some secret wishes. Just keep your fingers crossed; maybe they’ll all come true. But don’t worry if they just remain a fantasy: life shows no mercy.” Artists innocently pop these tunes out never fully comprehending the influence they have on other people’s lives.
Be that as it may—and I’m not sure if it’s advisable to seek out connections in coincidence—recently, I’ve observed in myself an unrelenting desire to fail: that is, something in me sees a profound beauty in those of us who manage to make it through life with dreams that allow no chance of achieving financial gain or, even more poignantly, no recognition. For such people failure is not the result of their inactivity, but the aim of their activity. They are the kamikazes of the soul; and in the realm of the soul they are heroes. For is it not the act of giving that we revere in people? And does giving not entail loss? Seen in this light, we come to realize that it’s the losers in life who pave the way to heaven.
