This (photo above) was my view from one of the library’s inner balconies as I was taking a study break.
I took my phone out for some mindless scrolling and came across a random reel of Jeff Goldblum on The Late Show. Colbert asks him, “How does Jeff Goldblum stay inspired?”
“Well in many ways, I like to play music, of course,” says Goldblum, “but I do find myself coming back to this quote by George Bernard Shaw. Let me see if I can remember it, he says:”
(He then proceeds to recite the quote almost perfectly.)
“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.
I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
(Yeah, he remembered.)
I usually avoid internalizing statements about how a life is to be lived—I think each person should have their own unique take on this—however, I might make an exception for the quote above. This one resonates and hits deep.
I’m playing the reel again and again as I’m standing here looking at floors on top of floors of students deep in their textbooks and laptops. A humbling reminder of what this whole effort is for.
I would always tell myself that it’s perfectly OK to forget. Getting lost in the everyday, without the constant reminder of the much larger “why,” has its upsides.
After all, there is magic to be found in those moments of being lost and being found again.
This was one of those moments.