I've always remembered what one of my college professors taught. He said that you could tell whether an element of art or literature or philosophy was right, real, and true if it entertained twice. Anything might entertain you once--entertain in the sense of being amusing. But something deeply important would be not merely diverting but would come back to be entertained by you--entertain in the sense that you think carefully and that you consider the various aspects of it.
He told us that being able to make that distinction is a valuable gift to cultivate. That's advice that I still take to heart.
The movie I watched yesterday, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, was certainly entertaining. But I have also been entertaining some of the notions from the movie. It's hopeful while not facing away from sorrow. It believes in seeking satiety while not necessarily expecting satisfaction. It faces the fact that life goes on; unless, of course, it ends.
And I've been especially thinking of the film's tagline which seems like a wonderful notion to adopt:
Everything will be alright in the end.
And if it's not alright, then it's not the end.
I like that. I like it a lot. So I believe I'll continue entertaining that idea for awhile.
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