Why does writing stuff like this always make me cry?

Life and Literature: A Reaction

This essay struck a chord in me. Pearl Buck mentioned the search for philosophy and meaning in life in the American society. She said that all that can be found in literature, but that all the great books are tragedies, and we are afraid to face tragedy. That is where her words really got to me, because I know I am like that. Americans as a whole like happy endings�what movies have you seen with tragic endings that soared to the top of the charts? I think it might be because the world is so full of sadness already that we long for something else.

Pearl Buck and others, I know, say that we must read tragedies to acquire the depth of knowledge we need to be able to face life. I assume for the typical American that that is a hard concept to grasp. It certainly is for me. I believe that diving into philosophy and tragic literature make a person more mature, but I am afraid at the same time that it will destroy the hope I hang onto so tightly. To be without hope, to me, is to be without foundation, without purpose, without life. But Pearl Buck�s essay and classes in which we discuss philosophy have made me think in a way I have never have before. They make me realize that, at some point, I am going to need to put on courage and face the unhappy facts of life, and find who God is in the process, and who I am.

I have a lot of soul-searching to do.

-Stephanie

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