So I've been reading this book called Life of Pi, about a boy who gets stuck on a life boat with a Bengal Tiger after his ship sinks. There are so many interesting parts of the book and all of them I could go on and on about and analyze to death. But for honest I can't remember them all right now and that would be tiring I think. So I'll just discuss the one that most interests me at this precise moment. At this point in the book Pi is on the boat, the auxiliary animals have died and it's just him and Robert Parker, the Bengal Tiger. He is discussing his will to live and he says that at this point he discovers he has a fierce will to live. Some people give up on life very easily, others fight and then give up after a while, and only a select few would fight with everything they have for their life. Here's what I'm pondering. How do you know which one you are? Unless you have an extreme experience, such as spending 7 months on a boat out at sea with a deadly 450 pound tiger, how do you know? And what do you think you are? I honestly couldn't tell you which category I fall into, but if I did, would it change the way that I live the life I have? Would it effect me so much that if I was a fighter I would not waste any time, or make the most of every relationship I have? How would it change you at your core to KNOW what you are. Granted it could already be decided which outlook we have, but would knowing effect us any different? If you were one who wouldn't fight at all, if you knew that maybe you would change you view and morph into a fighter. I hostnly don't know but it is interesting to think about.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
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6 comments:
I loved that book, it is really fascinating. I read it when I used to have time to read (ie before I started grad school) so it was awhile ago, but the two things I remember most about it were that I suddenly found the two-toed sloth absolutely fascinating, and I no longer think its horrible to have animals in cages at zoos. I think there were more philosophical points to the book too, but eh. Oh, and when giving my lecture on Columbus I like to quote the line where he says his dad was moving them to America just like Columbus, and he pointed out, "yeah, but Columbus was trying to get to India."
That is a funny line! I really liked how he explained stuff about the zoo, I don't feel bad for the animals either. And it was good of his dad to show him that the wild animals still are wild animals.
Two things. I didn't understand why he needed to devote so much of the book to his decision to be Christian, Muslim and Buddhist (was that the three? I can't remember the 3rd), but then didn't talk about it at all the whole rest of the book,,, also-the part where he figures out he has a strong will to live. I never, even by the end of the book, thought of him as a fighter. He didn't describe himself that way. I personally would have died because I wouldn't slaughter a turtle, just can't do it.
The other one was Islamic. Ya I don't get that either. I mean there was the small part where he says that the lower you get the more your thoughts go up....but ya there wasn't anything.
Ya his 'fighting' was not so awesome....and okay when he goes blind, what is that? He just let himself go there but really what was happening. And how the crap did he find someone else then? Of all times to just run into someone in the Pacific it's when he's blind...
Oh, I forgot about the three religions thing! That was weird. I remember thinking that if he was really deciding to be a Christian, it would be pretty hard to be any other religion.
I think he just wanted to believe in something so bad that he decided to believe in it all and it all has good parts so he just dismissed the contradictions.
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