In my ongoing exploration of what it means to live a New Story, popular culture always provides interesting morsels to chew on—and once again I’ve found food for thought within a current movie. In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which takes its title from a line by English poet Alexander Pope, the filmmakers pose a set of intriguing questions: What if we could erase painful memories—memories of an “old story”? Would our lives be the better for it?
I once worked with a Buddhist therapist who was so adamant about living in the present moment that she refused to define herself in any way at all: most probably she wouldn’t have used the term “Buddhist,” and possibly she wouldn’t have even used the term “therapist.” Her commitment was to remaining fresh in every moment, to not allowing herself to be constrained by preconceptions of any kind (except for moral non-negotiables). I have always been fascinated by her example, by her insistence on living a New Story in every single moment of her life. Yet, without an “old story,” one’s New Story loses some context. Part of the power of a New Story lies in its evolution, in what it came out of and was a response to.
Eternal Sunshine brushes against some of this subject matter; in one scene, the characters are aware that the moment they are currently experiencing will soon be erased. “This is our last moment,” one says. “What do we do?” “Enjoy it,” responds the other.
Indeed, in some ways this characteristic—mindfulness, paying attention to the moments of our lives—is the cornerstone of what it means to live a New Story. We can’t fully author our lives if we’re not conscious of how we spend our moments. Actor Viggo Mortensen, an accomplished poet, photographer, painter and founder of an art press, was asked about why he has so many creative outlets in a recent interview. His response? That our lives are short, and by expressing himself in these various mediums he is able to more completely remember the moments that his life consists of.
It’s an admirable intention—to honor the experiences of our lives by paying attention to them, enjoying them, remembering them. It is a deeply creative path, this commitment to live a conscious life—and truly one in which the journey holds more significance than the destination.
I once worked with a Buddhist therapist who was so adamant about living in the present moment that she refused to define herself in any way at all: most probably she wouldn’t have used the term “Buddhist,” and possibly she wouldn’t have even used the term “therapist.” Her commitment was to remaining fresh in every moment, to not allowing herself to be constrained by preconceptions of any kind (except for moral non-negotiables). I have always been fascinated by her example, by her insistence on living a New Story in every single moment of her life. Yet, without an “old story,” one’s New Story loses some context. Part of the power of a New Story lies in its evolution, in what it came out of and was a response to.
Eternal Sunshine brushes against some of this subject matter; in one scene, the characters are aware that the moment they are currently experiencing will soon be erased. “This is our last moment,” one says. “What do we do?” “Enjoy it,” responds the other.
Indeed, in some ways this characteristic—mindfulness, paying attention to the moments of our lives—is the cornerstone of what it means to live a New Story. We can’t fully author our lives if we’re not conscious of how we spend our moments. Actor Viggo Mortensen, an accomplished poet, photographer, painter and founder of an art press, was asked about why he has so many creative outlets in a recent interview. His response? That our lives are short, and by expressing himself in these various mediums he is able to more completely remember the moments that his life consists of.
It’s an admirable intention—to honor the experiences of our lives by paying attention to them, enjoying them, remembering them. It is a deeply creative path, this commitment to live a conscious life—and truly one in which the journey holds more significance than the destination.
