Good morning,
I hope you’re having a wonderful start to the week 🙂
Last week, I watched the finale of one of my favourite TV shows, The Good Place. It’s one of the best finales made, in my opinion, and there’s one speech made by the character Chidi that I wanted to share with you all today, and mention why I love it.
Hello and Welcome to Sweeney’s Blogs!
If you haven’t heard of The Good Place before, it’s a sitcom that explores morality, ethics, what it means to be a “good” person, and what really happens to us after we finish our time on Earth. It’s a brilliant study of the human condition, a show that makes you laugh, cry and become so attached to the characters as they move through their respective arcs.
I don’t want to spoil the plot of the show for you; however, by the end, the characters have developed a new afterlife system. This revamped approach reflects people’s ability to change and to learn from their mistakes and misunderstandings in life to become a “better” person.
After they do this, they have the option to go through a doorway, which takes them to the unknown. This is supposed to symbolise peace, and while we’re never told explicitly what’s on the other side, that’s a part of the magic of it all.
Anyhow, as each of the characters wraps up their stories, Chidi and Eleanor, two of the main characters right from the very start of the show, are talking about what happens when they decide to go through the doorway and “find peace”.
Eleanor is struggling to come to terms with everything, which is where Chidi says the following speech:
“Picture a wave. In the ocean. You can see it, measure it, its height, the way the sunlight refracts when it passes through. And it’s there. And you can see it, you know what it is. It’s a wave.
And then it crashes in the shore and it’s gone. But the water is still there. The wave was just a different way for the water to be, for a little while. You know it’s one conception of death for Buddhists: the wave returns to the ocean, where it came from and where it’s supposed to be.”
I find it a poignant and beautiful outlook on life. It’s about letting go, understanding that while our lives may have an end point at some stage, that’s nothing to be afraid of; it’s something to embrace for what it is.
We don’t know what’s coming next, but did we ever really need to? What scenes, quotes and stories like this do for me is remind me that we should make the most of every day we have, every chance encounter, every conversation and every lesson learnt.
When our time comes to be restored to the water, we can do so in peace, knowing that we’ve had a life well lived, loved and that we’re leaving behind a legacy we’re proud of.
I think back to October 16th 2014. Coming within three hours of death, I’m incredibly lucky to still be here today. I was given the opportunity to continue my life: to travel, to meet inspiring people, and to try to leave my own positive impact on the world.
No matter what happens, I know I can be at peace with living life in a way that feels true to me. Taking risks where they matter. Spending time with the people I love. And finding joy, even while navigating the chaos of the unknown.
I thought this would make for a fab blog to start the week off with, I hope you agree! What do you think? Would you like to see more blogs like this on the page? Are there any topics or ideas you’d like to see me take a look at next?
I’d love to hear what you think and any ideas you may have 😊
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely day!
James
Sweeney's Blogs 