I pledge to watch what uplifts
I won’t tell you what movie I saw yesterday, because some of you might still want to see it, some of you might love it, but it depressed the hell out of me and left me in a deep, dark funk, and in keeping with the video I’m posting below, I pledge not to fill my mind with depressing fiction anymore, whether in the form of movies or novels. I just can’t take it. In the same way I used to love slasher horror films and now can’t even stand seeing previews for something like The Unborn, I no longer want to fill my head with stories of people relentlessly screwing up and spiraling downward until there is no note of hope. Yuck.
Anyway, this is a totally different experience, and really choked me up:
MySpace Celebrity and Katalyst present The Presidential Pledge
I caught this on another website and went straight here. I knew you would have seen it!
It is so wonderful!
And in keeping with this post, I pledge to always give a hug or smile at least one person everyday because even the small things can make a big difference.
I’m with you. And while I read a lot of dark fiction, I can’t stomach being depressed. I like being a little spooked, to solve a mystery, or ride the wave of suspense. But I don’t enjoy a story devoid of hope.
And I pledge to embrace a work ethic that helps the seat of my recliner gain back its normal shape.
I’m with you also. There is so much depression and angst in the world and I find myself recoiling from it more and more, looking for something light.
I used to subscribe to ranter/screamer blogs, they ranted and raged and screamed about the injustice of things. I used them to stay up on what was happening in the world, but I find myself unsubbing one by one. The constant drain on emotions gets to be too much after a while.
Why is it “childish” to want to be happy?
Mark, I don’t know if it is childish to want to be happy. I prefer to think of it as “peaceful.” I figure the more peaceful I am, the better I am to those around me, which in turn makes their lives easier. So is it wrong to only want to fill my head with peaceful ideas and images? Hope not.
And since I’m a writer, and am therefore part of the chain of fiction, I also pledge to write what uplifts. Years ago I wrote a novel that got a lot of my “issues” out of my system, and maybe it’s a good novel on its own terms, but it’s not a happy one. And I don’t feel the need to give that to the reading world. I’ll stick to the happier stuff.
Heather, I’m with you on the mysteries and things like that–intellectual tension is great, but depression is not. And hurray for your pledge to sit down and work. You are a link in the fiction chain, too, and if you have something to add to the world, stop withholding it from us!
Shai, I love your pledge. We all know from experience how being exposed to pleasant people makes our days go so much better. Thank you for being part of that process.
I’m making roasted eggplant.
Patrick, are you making enough for all of us?
now i want to know what the movie was
I like depressing books sometimes, i mean they are good, i love they way they are, i just dont know why
I finally saw Twilight, and I was right, it was bad, at least to me.
Sure, but you better get here quick.
The eggplant ended happily ever after. It was very uplifting.
Robin, I came to that point after my husband brought home “The Dark Night.” I stopped watching it about 1/3 of the way through, and he followed suit soon after. I had a similar rebellion with The Underneath (though I read it to the end). I’m not asking for happy-go-lucky and frivolity, but I am asking for hope!
Yep, Alkelda, “The Dark Knight” is another one that I put off watching because it did indeed seem too dark, and then finally I gave in and watched it, and regretted it. Yes, good acting, but the story is too relentlessly downbeat for me. I much prefer “Iron Man”–some humor and happy ending to go along with the tension.
Patrick, happy to hear everything turned out well with the eggplant. I know a lot of us were worried.
Carli, I don’t want to say which movie I was talking about, because some people might want to see the flick and might love it, and I don’t want to ruin that for them. Sorry to be so mysterious! And also sorry you didn’t like “Twilight.” But then, you were prepared not to.
I have never been able to read or watch horror. I refused to watch The Dark Knight because I liked Heath Ledger, and didn’t want to see him looking so creepy and sad. That may make me a wimp, but at least I’m usually pretty happy.
Also, you all may have forgotten that my Scottish boyfriend was coming for a visit over Christmas. He did come, and the visit was incredibly good. We both cried when he left though, and now I’m back to missing him terribly. All is not lost though, because he has agreed to job search here, and I have some options to consider for going there. I’m all about taking your pledge Robin, and trying to focus on the positive things in life, and not let the negative get me too down!
Katie Sis, I love that someone I know has a Scottish boyfriend. It’s like from some novel I read when I was a girl–so exotic.
Glad to hear it all went so well! But yeah, that only makes the separation harder. Boo for that. Hope your man can find work here so he can bring his cool Scottish accent over here and delight people like you and me (or is the accent not such a big deal for you? Give me any of them: Welsh, Irish, Scottish, English–sigh).
And I had that same feeling about not wanting to see Heath Ledger’s last film, with him playing someone creepy. I prefer to think of him as young and handsome in Brokeback Mountain. What an incredible performance that was!
I’ve gotten it half way done!! YAY!!!!
I prefer not to think of anyone in Brokeback Mountain…
I understand, Patrick. And this is one of those things that kept me up last night: Carli, that movie is too adult for you! Let’s refer to another great Heath Ledger one instead, Ten Things I Hate About You.
BBM is too adult for ME!
I love Ten Things I Hate About You, especially when he sings