Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Why We Need Catharsis

 Some of us are snobs. I don't love musicals. Sondheim is not musicals. I don't love opera. Mozart's not opera. I don't love action movies. Spielberg's not action. High notes and big productions only mean something if they express something real and deeper. Some of us aren't in a secure enough position in life that we can wait for something else to give us the catharsis we need to keep going. There are moments when you see yourself in what you watch or listen to, and you feel less lonely. And some of us need it every day of our lives.

When Bobbi shouted 'who will take care of me' (and the line is usually 'who will i take care of') after a whole show of holding back and trying to minister to the problems of married friends, I exploded in tears and for the rest of the show. I probably rocked the seats of the whole row.
This is why some of us keep coming back, keep reading, keep watching, keep listening. Even when life doesn't work out, art can. It shows you what it means to be a fucking human being without you're having to go through it again yourself, which you inevitably do, and reminds you that other people have been and will always have been in that place even when you're not. You don't necessarily become a better human being, but it does open the door and give you the opportunity for improvement.
If you decide to take it.

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