In our time Romantic ideals can easily seem to be out of place and irrelevant. Rapid technological progress, the growth of the global economy and the mass appeal of online marketing in goods and services all point towards Science (with a healthy amount of capitalistic oversight) as the discipline from which we must obtain our answers for the future. I disagree, for we are also using these new technologies to keep in close contact with distant, and sometimes not so distant, friends and relations, we are making new contacts through our business operations with people all over the world and, in addition, we are effecting an increasingly substantial portion of the world population with matters of newness in all shapes and sizes. Because of this accelerated mass interaction of humanity how we relate and communicate our intentions and feelings are more important than ever.
That is why I suggest a review is necessary of the literary and social Romantic movements from the 18th and 19th centuries. Though, as a student of history, I am well aware that ideologues obsessed with personal vendettas and crusades would take these idealistic notions and warp them into some of the worst crimes against humanity, I believe that it is unfair and academically irresponsible to condemn the Romantic ideals of love, truth, beauty and freedom in the face of these heinous acts of blatant self-interest. In truth these ideals hold above all things the constant recognition and realization of our place in the human family. Since all people become equal upon this consideration it is impossible to justify any form of mass murder, repression or cruel and unusual punishment upon one group of people for the sheer benefit of another community of people under these principles. Quite contrarily, Romantic sentiments lead us to conclusions of peace, a shared love between all neighbors and a determination to better the lots of those more unfortunate than us. Though I will continue to explore these thoughts in relation to broader means of human connectivity I wanted to begin with the very inter-personal example below.
The popular Jim Carey film The Truman Show perfectly exhibits Romantic ideas through Sylvia's enduring adoration of Truman and her supreme faith in her love for him. She has so internalized his imprisonment that not only has she made it her purpose to combat the immorality of Truman's predicament, but has voluntarily enclosed herself in her home, a cell of her own making. It is telling that we never see her leave her abode until Truman finally escapes the confines of his own fabricated world. Without even being told we know she is headed straight for his arms. What better allegory could we hope for to understand how we can seek to act along Romantic guidelines?
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2 comments:
In regards to your comment about romantic ideals and the truman show,(a good movie) though, how realistic is it for a love to be that strong and shared mutually between two people, unfortunately, it isn't, which is what created the notion of romantic ideals to begin with, the longing that seems associated in part with great love.yet, if we set our standards or expectations on finding and experiencing such an ideal, aren't we really setting ourselves up for tremendous heartache? Even though I have always beleived that there must be some pain in order to appreciate love, how much is tolerable? if in the end you are only left with the pain? and if your lucky, a good memory
I realize this weakness in my argument, though I do believe that two people can love each other that strongly, it's just that such an occurrence is extremely rare (at the most, a handful of times in a lifetime).
As far as the danger of setting ourselves up for disappointment, we cannot ignore the risks, but at the same time I believe it is an even greater risk to never open ourselves up to emotion of that level (and if we were to discuss the unrealistic standards that society dictates we are supposed to use in setting up and evaluating a relationship, believe me, I would have a lot more to say on the subject).
The question of how much pain it is appropriate to put up with in a relationship is one of the utmost importance and one that I am still trying to answer. But I do know that we are never "just" left with pain, there are always the good memories you mentioned as well as knowing that through that experience you have learned more about yourself and what you want (or just as importantly, what you don't want) in a relationship.
Oh, and one more thing, I think it is important to note that Truman went through a hell of a lot of pain, lies and disillusionment before he managed to escape his "cell" and find true love, one of the reasons why the love story in the film is one of my favorite love stories of all time.
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