Albom's Law

Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet In Heaven is a brilliantly tight-weaved piece of work. It does lean towards romanticism, but thankfully not to the Coelho extent. Having read it in less than 24 hours brought me back to my One Night Stand with By The River Piedra I Sat and Wept. Once again, thank God for the absent mysticism, forgive the pun.

So, romanticism. I don't just say that for snobbery's sake. I can understand the significance of the four people Eddie met in Heaven, except for that one. I mean, okay, the Blue Man saved his life (by getting killed), the Captain saved his life during the war, Ruby indirectly caused his death (seeing as how the whole amusement park business wouldn't've been made had it not been for her glorious self), and then there's the little Filipina (might I add) girl he "killed".

So where does the wifey come in? I think she only served as the mood-light to set the tone of the story. She was the focal point of love, that phenomenon without which the world would not 'go round'. Hey, I love romance. But I abhor sentimentality. Even more than that, I abhor sentimentality disguised as romance. It's like when the unreal parades itself as the surreal. Thin lines, people. Thin lines.

So what's a good book (or movie, or any work of art) without a one-liner, eh? The less it makes sense, the more profound it seems. The more contradictory, the more meaningful it becomes. Some highlights:

"All parents damage their children. Neglect. Violence. Silence."
I can write a book on this one. You know, do a La Toya Jackson.

"Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them."
I can write a sequel to the one above with THIS one.

"We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the people who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. ...Forgive."
So much easier said than done. To forgive someone would take incredible strength. We see it as a sign of weakness, a symbol of giving up and submitting oneself to the enemy. Pride has a vise-like grip on people's subconscious. I have a long way to go before I can even think of forgiving certain people.

This novel can be likened to a single piece of embroidery picked out from a huge pattern; it's not the beginning of a story and it's definitely not the end. It continued from five people and it will continue on to five more people. Very not unlike Friendster and MySpace.

It might be a good idea to start taking notice of the people you meet on earth, to stop taking things and people for granted, and to stop complaining.

Life is good.