Persistent Thoughts
Media. From our crawling, shrieking days to our now cynical and mostly-busy days, we have been exposed to different forms of it all our lives.
Books, sitcoms and movies are an integral part of just about everyone's life. Have you ever stopped to think about how most of the stories in all these are portrayed? How many times have we heard the phrase "happy ending"?
Almost every other book or movie you come across will have this happy ending. The hero and the heroine get together, family feuds are resolved, the protagonist kills the antagonist and peace prevails. That about sums up most books or movies. Their endings at least.
Why is it that humans are attracted to such "happy endings"? Once you reach your mid-20s at least, you realize that such perfect endings are a farce for most part at least.
Maybe it is because most humans are delusional. We crave utopia in our ways and since we are unable to find it in reality, we crave it elsewhere - in any form of media. In fact, there have been reports of movies not doing well at the box office merely because they have more realistic endings and not the fairy tale ones we are generally used to.
This is not to say that nobody gets their happy ending in life, whatever it may be for each person. If I had to play devil's advocate to all that I just wrote, I can think of specific instances where books have not really been off the mark in describing people's lives. They might account for just a small percent, almost negligible. But it does exist.
For a long time now, creators of any media form (except journalists) are forever stuck between creating happy endings or making their creations realistic. But as more and more people begin to introspect and differentiate reel life from real life, does it really matter as to what kind of endings books or movies have?
On point! And they get the most critical response when the form of media leaves it to the imagination of the viewer/reader. Great thought.
ReplyDeleteYeah, true that. Glad you liked it, thanks!
DeleteSometimes this quest for a happy ending, especially in real life, makes people lose sight of the happiness which is part of the journey. So creating this need for a happy ending is not necessary at all. Instead we should try and enjoy the simpler moments along the way.
ReplyDeleteHaha. That's what my general outlook is. But can't help but thinking otherwise every now and then, DSouza!
DeleteSince all the above you mentioned were entertainment it should make us happy and forget our monotonous life or I should say forget ourselves and get involved in those characters and all that we can dream of is 'What if my life was like that'. It's more like a small escape from the real life for that short time span. It should be more realistic as you said only then will people realise that life need not be a fairytail to live happily.
ReplyDeleteEscapism. Precisely what I was trying to convey through this musing, I suppose.
DeleteBest to be pragmatic for yourself, but enjoy the happy endings in movies and books without getting attached to the concept. Don't have to become a cynic or something :)
ReplyDeleteDetachment. Easier said than done? :)
DeleteI'm keeping it simple and saying, "Just enjoy the show."
ReplyDeletePlot twist: Life's the stage.
And kudos on the writing, love. I'm loving your simple yet thought-provoking approach.
Awww. I am glad you liked it. Thanks so much!
DeleteThe concept of "Happy Endings' have been psychologically fed to us since childhood with all the fairy tales of Snow White, Cinderella, (Good vs Evil), etc. No wonder we all grow up attuned to happy endings and expect them in every form of story, movies, and perhaps even in real life because thats not uncomfortable. How many times have we watched a movie with a 'not happy ending' and either came out saying 'Movie was not great' or 'Movie was too awesome'. The reason for such extreme ambiguities lie between the chasm of being extremely uncomfortable (Hence Movie was bad) or too scared to comprehend or accept the (Un)happy ending (It was awesome). But yeah, this is a topic, where we can delve much deeper. Keep writing doc..I love the way you do..makes me think and write as well :)
ReplyDeleteThat's true. I think this is one of those topics which you can keep dissecting over and over again, and look at it from different perspectives. So happy you liked it! :D
Delete'Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.' - so if it's not a happy one, it isn't the ending :)
ReplyDeleteWell written, as always!
That seems like too much of a utopian thought though, doesn't it? Merely thinking out loud.
DeleteI have always been a great believer in happy endings and continue to be one. Having said that, I also believe that there is an ending for all of us but to make it happy or not, is in our hands and ours alone.
ReplyDeleteComing to the media bit of it, most of the books, movies, SITCOMs, etc. reflect the image of the society we live in - but of course more in an exaggerated way (no one goes running around a tree or theme park, dancing, singing a song to express one's love for another). If there were no happing endings then the term would have never been known to the human kind, leave alone the media.
Now, the real question is 'do we want a happy ending cos the media shows it or do we want it cos it exists?' I think many people want it cos it exists and feel that they deserve one. There is no harm in it and it’s not a delusional to want one because it’s a reality (in a less exaggerated way!)
That’s my view on happy endings!
Btw, great piece. You do have a talent for writing. :)
I remember us discussing something very similar a few weeks back. As an optimist, I would like to believe each of us can make our endings a happy one just like you mentioned. But as a realist, I am not so sure. Thank you for the kind words on my writing :) It really is highly encouraging!
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