On Friday, I watched Rivers students perform Man of La Mancha. The performances were captivating, and the young Rivers thespians earned a standing ovation. The play presents the struggle with the age-old conflict between delusion and hope – the romantic vision versus the practical reality. In the end, despite the misguided, fanciful antics of Don Quixote, hope seems to win. Quixote's romantic vision softens the heart of Aldonza/Dulcinea, almost erasing the grit and grime of her soul so she can find compassion and reach out to the man who believed in her.
"Hope is a good thing." Remember that line from the Shawshank Redemption. The pragmatists wrongly believe that hope is about the future, about a misguided, unfounded prediction of what will happen. Hope is about the present; it's about finding ways to sustain ourselves when life goes terribly wrong. And it works, not always in the way that we intend, but it works. Aldonza became Dulcinea because Don Quixote saw her and treated her with respect and even reverence. It was his romantic vision that changed her. Once she accepted that vision – in essence once she accepted his love – she could rise above her self-absorbed life to find meaning.
A friend of mine once said of hope: "Act as if it's real, and see how your life is changed." A big thank you to the Rivers actors for reminding me of this lesson.
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