A series of provocative questions: Part 1. Comedy vs Tragedy and the cycle of life


There is a base question at the heart of the film Melinda and Melinda by Woody Allen. That question is whether life is inherently comedic or tragic. The film explores a singular story but tells it from the vantage points of being a comedy and then being a tragedy. I thought the movie was one of Mr. Allen’s better works and it definitely got me thinking about the essence of life and to which side mortality truly shifts. I am aware that this is a “big” question but I am also sure that it needs to be further explored. In this blog I will take the position that life is inherently tragic. In essence, from its basic design, the human experience is one of perpetual disappointment and unfulfillment. Some would argue that it is a pessimistic viewpoint to see life through this stained window but maybe it is the more realistic perspective. Some would argue that it is a naive to think that life is a series of comedic events, strategically intertwined to create a landscape that is both creative and enlightening. I don’t know. I don’t have any definitive answers. I’m just hoping to give each side its proper due and try to be reasonable in my theories.


Let’s start with birth. Everyone sees birth as the glorious occasion of bringing a life into the world as a momentous occasion, but examine the event in more detail. The second we are born, our life cycle begins to expire. Some people are more genetically advanced than others and live a longer lifespan but that still does not negate the fact that one day, each and every one of us is going to expire. That is a scary realization and one that many people don’t spend enough time thinking about. Also, think about the birthing process. In order to bring a “bundle of joy” into the world a mother has to be ripped in half either vaginally or intestinally. The only solace for potential mothers is if they are so drugged up they don’t know what the hell is going on. And what kind of jacked up way is that to welcome your new son/daughter to this planet. “Hey kid, thanks for showing up. Your delivery was so brutal I couldn’t be fully conscious during it. Thanks for the memories.”


As we move on to adolescence, the world becomes more and more jaded. The previous scenario with being born was really under the best conditions. Let’s just suppose, for the sake of argument, that the baby is not a healthy, bouncing boy/girl. Let’s say the child is mentally retarded or physically handicapped. These are possible scenarios for children. What kind of existence will these kids have? I cannot imagine that it would be one that would be easy and carefree. And those situations are ones that inspire pity. What if a child is born just being “inferior”. They are relatively normal except for the fact that they measure just below the average grade in all the measurable: intellect, physical gifts, etc. I know to label any person as “inferior” is exceptionally cruel but that is unfortunately the label that that individual would carry with them like an albatross. Our society is one which rewards those that are most apt to succeed. If a person is not academically proficient their life options are very limited.


When a child is young, their potential is vast. Their slate is clean. There is no such thing as anger or aggression or prejudice. What about a child who is a victim of circumstance? What about children who will exude a negative behavior just because they are programmed by someone with a flawed set of morals? Is this fair? No, absolutely not. And it is very tragic. Racism is a pattern of ignorance and fear and the cycle is one that starts at childhood. What if that bigot’s parents were not prejudiced? Or if a sexist person had grown up in an environment that did not establish gender laws as a guideline to superiority? This all means that way are subject to an environment that we cannot control. The entire notion of “good” and “bad” could be shifted based on someone’s socioeconomic status. How tragic is that that our existence and livelihood is predicated on events we cannot control and our entire personality could be permanently altered because of said chance events?


Puberty is the cruelest series of biological effects since the US bombed Japan. I mean for men, the changes are embarrassing enough; unwanted body hair, untimely erections, a voice that never seems to hit the right pitch, and all that nervous sweating. I cannot imagine how difficult it is for girls. All that bullshit pressure to exude an unrealistic image of beauty, and to do it by wearing makeup and covering up who they really are. Having man boobs was bad enough growing up, I can’t imagine that having real ones could have been easy. And having a period seems like it would be mentally devastating for multiple reasons. First, the loss of innocence is literally sealed in blood. Second, bleeding out of the holiest of holies would freak my shit out. To quote Mr. Garrison from South Park , “I don’t trust anything that bleeds for seven days and doesn’t die.” Third, the entire process of tampons and douches seems like a terror. And what is the point of this metamorphosis? To enable both genders to successfully overpopulate the planet and co-habitate in misery.


I don’t mean to sound like the institution of marriage is fundamentally flawed. It’s not, like communism, it’s a great idea. But the idea when gathered with the supercilious bullshit attached to planning a wedding and going through the entire ceremony sullies the entire idea. Why can’t two people just be in love and decide to live together and hopefully have a good life? Oh no! First, one has to properly ask a young lady for her hand in marriage. And to do so properly requires a ring, and not just any ring. It requires a ring whose monetary value is often equated with the affection that a man has for his beloved. The economics of marriage are devastating and kind of ridiculous. The clothes are completely gregarious, particularly some of the bridesmaids dresses out there. Paying a minister and a church isn’t that unreasonable, but spending $500 on photographs to document the occasion is. And I won’t even address how much people spend of feeding the fleet of family, friends, and casual acquaintances out there. And this entire process of wooing and spending isn’t even guaranteed to last. Despite the fact that people take solemn vows before God, the marriage can dissolve for a multitude of reasons. Boredom, infidelity, infertility, health problems, money problems, or a plethora of other issues that have been known to separate two people who pledged to be with one another until “death did them part”. I wish whoever preformed the ceremony was more realistic and said “until one of you quits on the other”. When there are better chances of surviving a shark attack than of going the distance, something is wrong with either the ethical makeup of modern society or marriage has been reduced to a charade of casual intimacy that masks itself for convenience and desperation.


I will end part one of my argument with the inevitable demise that awaits us all. This crazy ride that is called life leads people to all different places both physical and metaphysical. I just find it so sad that for all the accomplishments that people can achieve with their time on this planet that it all can be taken away and forgotten about once you are deceased. And for those who don’t reproduce and have a family to carry on your legacy, whatever that may be, when you die that is it. Your existence is relegated to a dash on a tombstone. I always wanted my life to be something representative of something more than just the amount of time I existed. If all that was remembered of me was when I was born and when I died, I would consider myself as having lived an inconsequential existence. Some people are ok to not distinguish themselves but I am of the opinion that life is in fact a gift and those who are of sound mind and body have a profound responsibility to not allow the sum of the parts of our existence to equate to mediocrity. That would be truly tragic.