Mr Mascellani's Musings

When Will It (Ever) End

It was, I think, The French Existential philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre, who said, something like: The difference between good times

and bad times is that when one is experiencing bad times, one thinks:

'How long will these bad times last?'

Whereas when one is experiencing good times, one thinks:

'How long will it be before these good times end?'

That is to say, that just as one who is experiencing bad times cannot see the end of those bad times (and therefore cannot just 'snap out'

of' a depression). One who is experiencing good times, may not believe that these good times can last, because they have never

have in the past. (Which of course is the fallacy of arguing from tradition. 'It has always been like this so, it will always be like this')

No, not necessarily- possibly and probably but not definitely.

I mean, its just as logical (or illogical as the case may be) to assume that life is a continuos flow of good times that are momentarily

disturbed by temporary and fleeting times of bad then it is to assume the vice versa. It just seems, based on past experiences,

easier to believe that the vice versa is more natural, real, true and factual.

But, In fact, For most of us (And I, myself, am very much included in this) Our lives are pretty much, for the most part, banal. And it

is this very banality that (in comparison) make the good times seem so the bad times seem so bad. And, of course, bad

times seem (are?) much worse when they follow good times and vice versa.

'There is no greater hell than to recall good times in times of bad'- Dante

And there is no reason, even though experience tells us otherwise, that a person can't experience good times for the rest of his/her

life. (Yes, yes I am fully aware of the argument that says that one cannot truly know what good time is until one has suffered bad

times. I know that there can't be light without shadows I know about the Ying and the Yang. And I agree and that is why I said

that a person can enjoy good times for the rest of his/her life and not for its (one's life) entirety.

Although, such a scenario, that one can enjoy good times for the entirety of one 's life is imaginable and not impossible but relating

this to the argument that one can't know the good until one has experienced the bad, then one who experienced only good times

would not know that they are good times. So, would they truly be good times?

And, to finish up, let us say that our past experiences are true and that all good times have a shelf life, an expiry date then why

waste even one nanosecond worrying about the if or how or when the good times will end. Why not just accept that they might last

one minute or fifty years. And save your sadness for the time when they do end- and don't shed even one tear nor even one thought


worrying about the anticipation of their end. Just suck the marrow out of them as long as they last and consider that it may be that all

bad times have led you to these good times.


Marilyn: Remember, I said if any ever asked you what I was like, what Marilyn Monroe was really well, how would you answer
them? (Her voice was teasing, mocking, yet earnest, too: she wanted an honest reply) I bet you’d tell them I was a slob. A banana split.

TC: Of course. But I’d also say…
(The light was leaving. She seemed to fade with it, blend with the sky and clouds, recede beyond them. I wanted to lift my voice louder than the sea gull’s cry and call her back: Marilyn! Marilyn, why did everything have turn out the way it did? Why does life have to be so fucking rotten?)
TC: I’d say…
Marilyn: I can’t hear you.
TC: I’d say you are a beautiful child.

‘A Beautiful Child’ – Truman Capote (in ‘A Capote Reader’- Abacus,1989)