I Am Here, Take My Hand

I recently read Stephen King's latest wonder, Doctor Sleep. This book is a follow up on The Shining. Whatever happened to Danny Torrance? In addition to watching The Shining, I have also read the book.  I almost always prefer the book over the movie. I think a lot of fellow readers would agree with me on this.

I liked several things about Doctor Sleep. I'm glad it wasn't nearly as scary as The Shining. I can do scary, but I like the way King handled Danny's life after the Overlook Hotel fiasco. Yes, the True Knot in Doctor Sleep is made up of some very freaky people doing terrifying things to those with a bit of shine. And Hollywood would probably fright show it up more than what comes across in the book. That's okay. People like to be scared. People like good versus evil. I would love to go on about all the goods and all the evils in this book. I digress.

This blog post isn't intended to be a book review. I want to focus on an element in Doctor Sleep that I found quite thought provoking. We all know that Dan (he's all grown up from his Danny days) has the shining and is way more perceptive than the average bear. Dan is imperfect and scarred after his terrifying ordeal in Colorado. Doctor Sleep depicts Dan's journey into the adult world of alcohol, bad choices, regrets, new beginnings, new friends, and family. Danny uses his shining gift in a beautiful and touching way. He works in a hospice (hot spice, love that), and he eases the dying; he guides them and comforts them as they breathe their last. 

Stephen King presents a flawed hero who shows incredible patience with these ebbing, frail beings. Dan's gentleness as he wipes their faces and whispers bits of nostalgia gleaned from their tired bodies is both touching and inspiring. He gives them the only things they need in their last human moment on earth: compassion, understanding, reassurance, and a calm command to simply fall asleep.

When everyone bustles to fix the world's problems (including dying) with money, prestige, drugs, or false hope, can we be that selfless person who knows when a gentle touch and a kind word are all that is needed? Can we be that person who is just there?

Dan Torrance a.k.a. Doctor Sleep inspires me to be that person. 

I don't have the shining (although I have had double dreaming/false awakening a time or two), but I don't need extra or special powers to offer my hand to fellow life and death travelers.

"Death was no less a miracle than birth."

Thank you Mr. King for another great read!

Two Truths and a Lie

"The best lies to tell are the ones people want to believe."

This is an interesting quote from Jasper Fforde's Shades of Grey (not the 50 kind, thank goodness).

Interesting because it is both positive and negative. I'm always spotting contradictions because I'm always searching for balance. Balance is the key to getting through the moment, through the day, through life.

Contradictions mimic a scale: two opposing things battling for weight, the spotlight. Let's examine the contradictions in the above quote so that we can savor the balance.

Best and Lies: Can lies, in their very nature, be called best? We are taught right from wrong, and we are taught that lying is bad; lies lead to trouble. They create a tangled web that ensnares and then dumps us into embarrassing (or worse) situations. Does a best lie exist? If a lie is best, does that make it okay to use? Is silence a lie?

Lies and Believe: If told cleverly, a lie is easily believed. Is this really a contradiction? I think it is. If someone doesn't believe, is it really a lie?  We can believe in lies, but we can also believe in truths. Confusing, isn't it? That's why I like contradictions. They create thought. They create questions, and questions lead to debate, and debate leads to answers or even to more questions. Don't stop questioning the contradictions. Don't stop questioning the lies and the truths.

The quote tells us that people want lies if the truth is unthinkable, unbearable, unflattering. This may apply to many, but not to me. I prefer the truth. Yes, the truth can be ugly, but deception and self deception are far worse. Don't lie to me to spare my feelings. I have developed a steely armor against such shenanigans. But this is a digression. 

Where is the balance in this quote?

People and Believe: We can believe in people, but we don't always believe people. Sounds sneakily like a contradiction! You're getting there! It's hard to determine how many lies are flung at us throughout our day. I would like to think most people are honest or at least considerate enough to keep silent. This doesn't make me gullible, it makes me hopeful. I know people lie, but I want to believe you because I believe in you:

If you open your mouth and a lie snakes out, I will believe you.
If you open your mouth and a truth wings out, I will believe you.

You decide which path to trod, which lie to tell, which truth to reveal. You decide when silence is golden.

Did you spot my contradiction? It's there. I contradicted myself on purpose because it's my blog, and I'm allowed. Actually, I contradicted myself because that's how life is sometimes. Never look at just one side, and never think that one side is completely right or completely wrong. It's a muddle, and life is a beautiful mess of contradictions and balance.

*******

If you want to be saturated with contradictions and balance, read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.