Remembering Through Art

I would like to quote something truly beautiful that I read in G.K. Chesterton's Ethics of Elfland from his book Orthodoxy, and I believe that Professor Leeper read to us in class. Chesterton writes,

"We have all forgotten what we really are. All that we call common sense and rationality and practicality and positivism only means that for certain dead levels of our life we forget that we have forgotten. All that we call spirit and art and ecstasy only means that for one awful instant we remember that we forget."

I think back to my favorite stories and wonder why they are my favorite. There are a lot of reasons, of course. The character development, the story arc, the music are all good reasons for a particular story to stand out to you. I think these are often what we remember about the story after we have finished reading it, or watching it, or listening to it. However, I remember re-watching my favorite television show with my sister. I was anticipating my favorite scene to come up because I couldn't wait for my sister to experience it. However, when it finally did come up I realized that I was the one who was experiencing it for the first time. I forgot. I forgot the feeling this scene gave me, which was why the scene was my favorite in the first place. I forgot what was so fundamentally important about that scene. It made me sad, to say the least. It was an aching feeling that gave me so much grief and at the same time joy. Why? I think it was because I remembered what it was like to feel that way, what it was like to be human. It seemed clear through watching that scene that someone else remembers, too. All I could think of was, "I have to remember this feeling. I want to remember it." I think that feeling is why we make art. I didn't exactly understand what I was feeling or why I was feeling it, but I remembered that that feeling was there, was true, and that I had forgotten it. That is truly something that can bring you to tears.

If you are interested in what my favorite story is, by some chance, then check out Cowboy Bebop. It's an animated Japanese television show and one movie that together tell a beautiful story. Above is the opening song for the show.