Together We Will Live Forever

 

 Together We Will Live Forever 

               After learning about Michel de Montaigne’s life in class and reading the excerpts from Essais, I instantly drew parallels between his life and his works to Darren Aronofsky grossly overlooked and arguably underrated 2006 film The Fountain.  The film occurs simultaneously in three different conventions in time the past, present & future in typical Hollywood style. Set in the period of the Spanish Inquisition, modern life and the distance future, it grapples with the concepts of mortality, what it means to live, to die and if these events are inescapable ?  For the record, I am by no means of distance relation to Aronofsky trying desperately to promote his film. I won’t even urge anyone to watch it.  (It’s really good if you like being confused.) I was just inspired by its relevancy to philosophy and to a question that will be with us for as long as we exist: Death. In addressing this issue the film beautifully connects political aspects of Montaigne’s time that indeed affected his works to our modern world and somewhat modern class room (where are all the outlets?) as well as to philosophical questions of our collective future. Will our scientific breakthroughs and research someday resolve death? What would that mean? Surely an impossible question in Montagne’s time but is it so much so in ours? 

           In our modern world philosophical questions are often pondered through mass media, popular novels, films, and comics. Great philosophers such as Montaigne are not forgotten in the world of academia but few outside this world could utter their names. Which is why when reading the excerpts from the Essais the catchphrase of the film echoed through my brain: “Together we will live forever.” Further perhaps the reason we have created this platform is to engage our “modern minds” and make accessible Montaigne’s ideas and concepts, which rather than diminishing throughout time, I suggest have become a part of our collective knowledge.

 

         I fear death. I think because of this, I interpreted the reading as contradictory untoward its self.  A second look revealed to me that it suggests a balance of being thankful for the time we have, yet not dwelling on death, or at least that’s my final interpretation; even I think this response it too simplistic. Still I couldn’t help but imagine Montaigne’s final thoughts as he choked to death on his own saliva.