thoughts on a book

My most recent read book, which I actually read during my two days on the plane, on the way home and back to Oslo, made me realize that my genuine interest is not towards famous lives, but towards those which have no obvious intensity and yet are fascinating. Maybe this is because I don’t like to find myself in the spotlight, I actually resent it. And when I find lives which are kept away from the “famousness”, I automatically tend to fall for them. It’s always admiration I feel whenever famous people keep their personal lives out of the public eye. There’s this feeling of solidarity I seem to possess in abundance.

I have recently grown an interest in the Canadian literature and it was by accident that I took Barbara Gowdy’s “The Romantic” from the library. It made me think of how life’s perspectives can be so confusing and exciting at the same time. What is significant for me has no value for someone else, and what’s more important for me is to find people who actually show understanding when it comes to accepting so many different perspectives from their own. It teaches me the lessons of tolerance and I need a lot of them. Growing in a country where tolerance is almost a notion pertaining to the world of fiction makes it hard to adjust to a totally different reality, where broad-mindedness and acceptance rule.

On the other hand, I found in the book a more optimistic expression of my claim that life has no such great significance as others assign to it. And I don’t say it with a morbid tone of regret; I just make a statement that I believe reflects one of many perspectives of life. Whenever I meet someone I deem worthy of me bothering to express my opinion on the “huge importance” of life, I get the same reaction: what a sad thing to say! And it is only natural that people are in love with life, the first thing that comes to my mind is that it makes you healthy, mentally and physically, which I consider important. Nevertheless, I am inclined to adopt Louise’s perspective. Self-destruction is not on my favorite list of activities.

If one comes to this world, then one must try to reach greatness before it’s time to leave it.