August 30, 2023
Is it really just vomit? Dogs return to their vomit. So I am told.
Sometimes a bowl of soup spilled in the grass the night before looks like vomit after a night of precipitation. It is hard to tell for sure but who really wants to know the true nature of the pile of mishmash? Are you willing to lean in close and figure out what ingredients make up the pile in the grass by the road?
No one wants to look at vomit. Any time you look at it you risk smelling it which is the true danger of the vom. We want to look at things of real substance which will definitely please us rather than risk a wretch.
We want to watch movies that mean something. That tell an actual story.
Is that too much to ask?
C.S. Lewis has an interesting quote about looking at art. In gist, you can't know if an artwork is vomit until you submit yourself to it. What an odd requirement. I get what he is saying. You have to sit down and pay attention to the movie to figure out if it is any good. You have to get close and observe the painting otherwise who knows if you will actually see what it is worth. You have to crack the spine and parse the words to see if the story book has any bearing on reality.
That is demanding. That requires attention. It demands it.
How do you know if the thing that looks like vomit is vomit? Perhaps you should avoid it but it might be a pearl of great price. It might be a treasure. Oddly tarnished, but treasure no less.
How much vomit are you willing to suffer before you find a gem though?