Compromises
Kundera’s question throughout the “Unbearable Lightness of Being,” was “Muß es sein?” (Must it be?), and the answer always came back the same, “Es muß sein!” (It must be!).
We carry the burden of our decisions throughout our life here. We carry our trophies, our losses, but mostly, we carry our painful compromises. Like scars, they maim us forever.
We see our existence through these very same choices. Instead of turning a page, we tear it out of our book. Then we close our eyes and we let the heavy air engulf us. We push forward and simply hope we made the right decisions.
Compromises tell of the weakness we all have. Compromises tell of our human condition.
In one week, I hugged a woman dying of Leukemia, and I closed the book on three years of my life. Now, I’ll drink my beer and go to sleep.
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Oh Yazan, how this resonated with me (and not only because you quoted my favorite author, albeit of my least favorite of his works).
On the other hand, we choose to carry the burden of our choices. We can live without regrets, it is possible. But it’s something that few people are able to reconcile in a lifetime. Personally, je no regrette rien.
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Compromises Yazan!?
I’m afraid there will be more.
April 2nd, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Not everything “must be” but whenever it really must be then it isn’t your choice to regret. The only regret is you not keeping in mind the contingency of such endeavor. It happens.. c’est la vie. We live, we learn… :)
April 4th, 2009 at 12:13 am
I couldn’t resist not replying to this particular post, for the fact is, 3 centimeters away from my hands lays the book which I’m reading for the.. 4th time I think..
In my version of “being”, the worst than compromise was realizing that Kundera was right.. The non-eternal recurrance of life makes it light, unbearbly light. Worse.. There is no space for comparison, and if we don’t push our senses towards the belief that the decisions we made were the most rightful, then we deifintly will die misrable.
I shall have a beer soon. I believe this is the best decision I can make now.