Ignorance is Bliss …Really??

Well last few weeks have been one of the most interesting times in life. Where I am abounding with one of the rarest resource on earth…TIME..!!..Well, the weekend as over & there was this whole week standing right there in front & staring at me, right into my eyes…pretty scary huh..!! It was a cold Monday morning….I thought of switching on my TIME KILLING MACHINE…My PC…but even that couldn't cure my boredom...What a pity…!!

All of a sudden ...one of the most beautiful questions mankind ever created hit me…WHAT IF..?? which hits each one of us at some point in life epitomizing all the desires & dreams in ones life all in one go…Isn’t it ?? For example…

What if I had a chance to go for an MBA in Harvard..?? What if I had been one of those lucky people who knew their passion in life quite early & accomplished it..?? What if the girl whom I liked, had liked me too…?? And on & on & on…

This reminded me one of my favorite movies…Vanilla sky which talks about the story of David Aames (Tom Cruise) the man that had everything he wanted…& one day he finds love of his life but more or less loses it on that very day… But he is given a second chance with a catch to regain it all back. The catch is he gets to live his dream but in a simulated dreamy life & a chance to be HAPPY FOREVER.

He now faces a choice to live in a dream or face the cruel reality...By the end of the movie, I was awestruck. I couldn't get it off my mind. The whole idea of it just blew me away. The ending, was more of a surprise than Shyamalan could ever do.

In the end facing his demons and the full scope of what is happening David chooses reality, simplicity, and normality to see if he can finally find the one thing he could never get a grip on: happiness.

Vanilla Sky touches the idea of making a choice between fantasies, dreams, and all-consuming materialistic pleasures, and then the stark realities of actual life. I was shocked at David's choice but not disappointed. Or perhaps I was disappointed in his choice but not shocked. It made me consider the way in which humans, when given the choice, will always choose knowledge over happiness. Ignorance is bliss, but no one ever chooses that path; as in the Matrix, no one chooses the blue pill. Humans resign themselves to "reality" (which is subjective anyway), & moan about the tragedies & the bleakness, but when given the chance to be comfortable and peaceful and to luxuriate in pleasantness and dreamy times, one will give it all up in the name of "truth".. it seems odd…Truth over happiness…But still natural. David's best friend in the movie Brian makes references several times to the sweet and sour nature of life, i.e. things are more sweet, when you've experienced the sour. The beauty of life is more truly appreciated when the trials and heartbreaks are fully experienced.& Its not about wondering What if..?? its about moving ahead, enjoying the Sweet & sour Symphony of life..!