The idea of disturbing the universe is an interesting one depending on which ‘universe’ you consider. That word is loaded, for it has several connotations. Of course, the idea of disturbing the planets in space is probably the furthest definition away from reality; however a person could do something on such a small level that eventually, that action could affect the universe in a tiny unnoticeable way. But the poster in Jerry’s locker is more localized. The universe that Jerry speaks of is his world, school, home life, and of course social circle. At that level, the smallest decisions affect the universe in an enormous way. For Jerry, the decision to continue to not sell the chocolates, symbolic of him standing up for himself and being an individual will have consequences. What those consequences will be are unknown, but the idea is that it will disturb someone and something. All of the players in Jerry’s universe will be called into question when Jerry decides to ‘rock the boat’ so to speak. How they handle themselves and what their actions will be could cause changes that are so destructive that there would be no chance of returning to the world Jerry once knew.
Change is inevitable in this world and as people, we are the vehicles of those changes. The question then for Jerry, and maybe all people, is what changes- what disturbances – are worth the consequences? Does standing up for oneself against social majority add up? Does going against tradition make a good change or a bad change? Does rising up against authority open up a can of worms or does it make the future brighter? With so many unknowns, it is hard to determine which risks are tasks worthy of ones time and ultimately, one’s life – the actual living part and then the actual life itself.
Jerry needs to make a huge life changing decision. Does he throw a wrench into all that seems to run as is, or does he hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign around his neck and just follows the sheep to the slaughter.
Friday, November 23, 2007
"Disturbing the Universe"
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1 comments:
It's such a hard subject to judge. I agree with what you said about how it's impossible to know what changes are worth the consequences, or if going against tradition made a good change or a bad change. However, if we lived in this sort of fear, and stayed in our shells, we'd never get anywhere in "our universe". This reminds me of "A Lesson Before Dying". Despite how large the thing is you're fighting for (in "A Lesson" it's the whole black community), if nobody does anything, then how can anything change? Somebody has to step up instead of thinking "How can I do anything to make a difference?". The only thing I'm questioning is if Jerry's doing this for all the right reasons. Regardless, as Einstein said, nothing happens until something moves.
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