Better to have loved and lost...

Love...

We have all heard that saying before...It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Think about that for a moment. What's better about it?

I prefer the saying in the photo, better he/she is gone than to have spent your entire life with this selfish psycho who is hell bent on draining anything good from your life. It can be that bad but our society likes to believe both sides are equally wrong. Yes, I blogged about that previously but it's just such an annoying truth I had to say that again. It is possible that one person in a relationship can ruin the relationship. People are not always equally at fault when a marriage dies.

That saying is in my head, on my mind because that is what my co-worker said to me. In the future, if anyone says that to me, my response will be quick and to the point...NO, it's not better. What do you think it better about it? Broken love can create a bitter person who hurts other. Broken love or a broken heart can create a person so afraid of being hurt again that he/she will never love again...by choice. A broken heart, according to some, can even lead to death so who was the idiot who came up with that saying, "It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." It was Lord Alfred Tennyson, who is probably rolling in his grave from how we have mutilated his quote. The quote was not meant to soothe people with a broken heart but an obituary. There is a great difference between losing a loved one to death than having that person walk out on you perfectly healthy. This quote has not only been taken out of context, it has mutated into a meaning that was not meant for the quote in the first place.

Limitless and Trainspotting

I find it interesting how similar these films are. Both are about drug addiction, both end in a manner where the main character seems to have benefited from his journey into addiction. Both main characters take a journey to become clean so why is it that one film makes you wish you had the drug and the other film makes you glad you didn't. Also, Limitless makes you believe the lead character is actually better and going to be successful. In Trainspotting, I was left with the belief that the lead character was not being totally truthful with himself. I was certain he would relapse back into drug usage. But why not the other guy? It was the same type of ending and both were technically still addicts at the end of each film. I firmly believe once an addict, you always have that tendency to go back to that crutch.

Without giving away too much, in Limitless the lead character is a slacker, going no where. He takes a pill that activates his brain basically making him smarter. He is able to do a lot just because his brain is working faster and better...then the side effects kick in. The Trainspotting addicts know they are a mess. They have no delusions of grandeur. They suffer the ill effects of heroin addiction. Our "hero" in Limitless has similar problems with his side effects, including the possibility of death if he stops taking the drug.

I think the appeal of Limitless is that the movie is a fantasy. We all wish we could take a pill that will make us remarkably smart. Most of us would deal with the side effects to be able to use our brains to become wealthy and powerful. Unlike the poor saps in Trainspotting, the guy in Limitless looks great, has a fantastic home, millions of dollars and most of all...respect. This is pretty far from reality, regardless of how so many are looking up to various drug addled celebrities.

In the end, I enjoyed both films for various reasons. I think Trainspotting is the more gritty, realistic film about drug addiction but it got slammed for promoting drug use. If anything, Limitless is the film promoting drug use without consequences. I'm amazed that Limitless is totally escaping being called a film that promotes drug use. Maybe because the drug he used encouraged him to fit into society rather than hang on the fringes, maybe that's what makes it acceptable. Having a stunning pair of blue eyes helps a lot too. Not many women are drooling over Obi-Wan looking like he needs a fix.