| Yesterday I had the privilege to see Wagner's Tristan | | | | If you think carefully, how would you know and value |
| Und Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera House in New | | | | happiness if you didn't feel sadness? How would you |
| York City. It was a 5-hour endeavor (it started at 7 PM | | | | have the pleasure to sigh on relief if you hadn't felt the |
| and went on until a little pass midnight) that brought me | | | | pain? How would we aspire for heaven if we didn't |
| to places of wonder, feelings of beauty and in contact | | | | recognize the bit of hell that exists in our own story? |
| with the true reality of human existence. | | | | Today, we tend to blindly yearn for goodness and |
| Now, if you are not familiar with opera, you might be | | | | reject any hint of grief and sorrow. In an age where |
| wondering what in the world I am talking about. I know! | | | | for every pain there is a pill and where comfort must |
| Although opera singers were once as in vogue as | | | | be achieved at all costs, we are pushed into the false |
| Britney Spears is today, the genre has lost its popular | | | | assumption that a fulfilling life is synonymous to |
| appeal. I would guess that most people nowadays, | | | | experiencing happy feelings all the time. The simple |
| would shrink with the idea of going to the opera. | | | | suggestion of a melancholic feeling becomes a trigger |
| However, it certainly didn't feel like that yesterday. | | | | to desperation, dissatisfaction and concern. |
| Even though we were in one of the largest opera | | | | A fulfilling life is a complete life. And life is everything. |
| theaters in the world, the performance was completely | | | | Unhappy feelings, distress and pain are inevitable. They |
| sold out. Even after we had been sitting on those | | | | will happen. We will all experience them one way or |
| chairs for almost the same amount of time as the | | | | another. And if we keep denying them and so eagerly |
| average American spends sleeping every night, we all | | | | refuse to accept them as a fact, the more painful they |
| stayed for an extra 15 minutes giving a standing | | | | will become. |
| ovation to all singers and musicians. We couldn't get | | | | Not that we should simply give up when the pain |
| enough! | | | | comes. This is no way to live either. The secret is |
| If you've never seen Tristan, I say: This is certainly | | | | balance and the humility to understand that not every |
| worth a Saturday afternoon and a Netflix rental. If you | | | | moment will be perfect, not every situation will be |
| have an opera house close by, go purchase a ticket | | | | pleasurable. |
| and indulge. But when you "take the plunge", make | | | | M. Scott Peck starts his best-seller book The Road |
| sure you don't simply spend the time hearing the music | | | | Less Traveled with the phrase "life is difficult." He goes |
| and noticing the singer's funny faces. Instead, I | | | | on saying that it is only when we accept this idea and |
| encourage you to dive a little deeper. This work is | | | | stop fighting against it that we are able to understand |
| called a masterpiece for a reason. If you listen closely, | | | | fulfillment and joy. |
| don't be surprised, you might find yourself moved and | | | | As you would imagine, in the opera, both Tristan and |
| touched by a raw depiction of humanity. | | | | Isolde were never able to accept the contrast of life -- |
| Wagner's opera is all about contrast. As the story | | | | of course. This is a romantic opera. What else would |
| develops he brings us closer to our own real | | | | you expect? Instead, they end up choosing death in |
| contradictions -- day and night, light and darkness, male | | | | the hopes that it would give them eternal peace and |
| and female, friendship and betrayal, love and death. | | | | love. What they didn't know was that relief was |
| Even the set of yesterday's performance was half | | | | imminent. Their nemesis, King Marke was closely |
| black, half white. And as I journeyed through this story, I | | | | approaching to pardon and unite them. Life had been a |
| couldn't help thinking about the importance of this | | | | struggle for them, but peace was just round the |
| contrast in our lives. How life would be without its ups | | | | corner. I hope you will remember this next time grief |
| and downs? | | | | comes your way. |