I think I have figured out something about King. It will be interesting to see if our son agrees. As I read the last page of the book, I thought, "That's it? That's the end?" But, rather than true disappointment, I smiled at how much I enjoyed the story. That's when it hit me. Most of King's books seems to be like this; kind of anti climatic endings. I then realized (hopefully, accurately) that for King it is about the story, not the ending.
My mind then made this eye-opening leap. Perhaps this is what life should be. We put so much effort on the end: graduating from high school, getting a degree, getting another degree, getting the right job, marrying the right person. And, in evangelical theology, ending up in the right place.
What if the joy, the purpose of life is to enjoy the story? Rather than making all decisions to insure we get to the right place; what if we make each daily decision based on how it effects our story and the story of those we come in contact with?
One of the outcomes of discovering King's method is that the next one of his books I read I will read with sheer enjoyment of each page instead of hurrying to see how it ends. I want to live my life like that; to learn to enjoy each moment. If I live like this, investing in the world moment by moment I won't have to worry about the end.
2 comments:
Loved this post! I do think it is about the story and how we live each day. For most of us, the end of the story will be simple living as we grow old. I like that. Memories of the story can be shared and savored. Lessons learned passed on. Wisdom gained as we slow down.
Yeah, Mom. That is what it is all about. It's all about the Journey. King says that at the end of the Dark Tower. He knew his "fans" would be disappointed in the ending (but his "fans" are always disappointed because they feel as though the...y are owed something), and so he wrote the ending in two parts, and told people who were too concerned with endings to stop reading at the first one.
I think people should be far more concerned about the journey, and not the end. Isn't this what is meant when it is said that the kingdom of God is now? This is all we really know that we have. The end is just one point along the long journey, and who knows what the end is?
(From our son)
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