About Buying the Farm
Post 254:
There comes a time in every person’s life when they must choose…
Indeed there does. But what choice am I referring to?
I’m talking big picture here, the choice every adult has to make, the one about staying the course or listening to that waning voice that’s still longing to be heard in one’s head.
Call it the midlife crisis. Call it anxiety. Call it whatever you want, but I bet that most people have this choice either thrust in their face all at once, or, more likely, they have it sitting there next to them all day every day for years, like a piece of unwanted furniture.
So let’s talk Field of Dreams. Both feet in the river, no time for fancy segues.
I watched it the other day without wanting to, but it’s been a long time. I couldn’t resist. It really is a masterpiece. There are no explosions. There are no huge moments of high Shakespearean drama. The world is not on the line.
And yet it’s a colossus. A massive story with mass appeal. Watching it as a guy in his thirties is a totally different experience than it was when I was a kid.
Because it’s about that time. You know, the one I mentioned above.
The main character is worried about time slipping away, living a mundane life. He’s a farmer. And then, as you probably know, he hears a voice. It’s specific and vague all at once. The voice reminds me of scripture in a sense, moving and frustrating all at the same time.
But here’s what I think gets overlooked. In the intro he talks about how he’s thirty-six and he just bought a farm, and now, in the prime of his life, he’s starting all over. Kind of a stupid thing to do, considering he has no experience and that’s a lot of damn work.
So I’m told. Cause I asked some farmers.
So Ray buys a farm. He’s a pretty decent guy by all accounts, just going along, doing the best he can to raise his family.
And then the voice.
So the rest of the story entails Ray dancing to this voice’s tune, trying to figure out what it means. The details almost don’t matter (besides the fact that it’s an awesome journey) because I want to make a point about the start.
Does Ray ever hear the voice if he doesn’t buy the farm?
Uh. No. And no voice told him to buy a frigging farm. He just did it.
He’s called after he makes this epic life decision. Ray’s done most of the work before the movie’s story even begins. There was another voice, but it was the one we all have.
And then the magic happens.
And it’s wonderful.
So I’m betting if you want the magical experience, you have to buy the farm. Take a chance and get down in the dirt, making something your own. And then comes the magic. Or not. But at least at that point, you’ve got a freaking farm.
See you after.
