Subject: Re: Defining Moments
Omlor@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 09 2001 - 08:53:50 GMT
Hello all,
You know, I've thought about this and the truth is...
I don't think I've ever *had* a defining moment. I mean, I've had lots of
important moments in my life and some that have changed my life significantly
and I've had important days and months and even semesters and years, but I
can't think of any single moment that I can fairly call defining. Maybe this
is my problem. I mean, I'm just over forty years old now and I still haven't
had a defining moment. This *could* just be the result of having led a
perversely comfortable and pleasant life, wherein nothing seriously tragic
nor devastatingly painful has ever really happened and where peace and joy is
a fairly regular occurrence. It could be the result of a shallow nature that
is not sensitive to the potentially defining moments as they pass by. I
don't know. But I seem to have missed out on the whole defining moment
thing. My life just hasn't happened that way. It's been very nice, and some
parts have been even nicer, and all in all it's been great and I have always
had anything I wanted really and I've had a few, tough, personal
disappointments and even an emotionally difficult period or two, but nothing
all that glorious or tragic and nothing at all that would compare to some of
the things Scottie and Tim and everyone are talking about.
I'm certainly glad that I never had a defining moment in war. I don't even
like camping.
And I've never feared for my life, but I can't say as I really feel cheated
because of that.
I've had revelatory moments -- reading books or watching films or listening
to music or driving down the highway with the top down on the car or finding
peace on the golf course or getting lost in wonder during sex or biting down
on a perfect steak or standing in front of a class and seeing their eyes
light up and their brains engage -- but none of these stand out as
particularly or uniquely defining.
I'm beginning to be worried about this.
Meanwhile, Tim writes:
"Certainly Hemingway never stopped mulling over the mortar that had his
name on it -- that moment when, as he described it later, his soul left
his body, then came back..."
I'm not sure if everyone has heard this biographical detail, but it turns out
that Osama bin Laden had just such a Hem defining moment, as a young man
fighting against the Soviets. One day a shell apparently fell directly at
his feet and then failed to explode and he took this as a sign from Allah
about his true calling and what he owed to God and the words of the Prophet.
>From that moment on, this billionaire's son dedicated his life to the fight
and the purity of his soul and to his reading of the Word and, well, you know
the rest.
Maybe I am glad I haven't had a defining moment.
--John (from America... home of the "Here come some bombs... Now, have a
sandwich" approach to air strikes)
PS: For Jim and Zazie's information, I personally love and take great
delight in "the French style of writing." I find it joyous and playful and
easy and it gives me great pleasure.
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