July 15, 2005
Week 12 - Impossible Dreams 1
Episode 5
Harry talks with Celeste.
“Feeling more centered in the universe this morning, are we now?” he asks.
“Don’t mock me, Harry,” Celeste says, “I’m in no mood…”
“We needed you here yesterday! You can’t keep taking off every time you have an anxiety attack!”
“It’s not an anxiety attack. It’s a profound philosophical crises provoked by the unbearable realization that life is inherently pointless.”
“Life is pointless, I’m with you, you’ll get no argument from me there... Now we have to get to work on a cover about that Coyote Man psycho. Guy dresses up like a superhero and now he’s terrorizing kids! Powell’s working on an article…”
“The difficulty is… Our place in existence… There are no good choices! For instance, perhaps the laws of physics are exact, with no exceptions… In that case, we’re all robots acting out parts that were written during the Big Bang.”
“I was thinking of putting Batman on one side of the cover and Coyote Man on the other… just drawings, you know, based on descriptions. We’ll print ‘verses’ between them…”
“Or perhaps the quantum mechanics are correct and randomness is built into reality. If that’s true, our thoughts and dreams are the consequences of little more than dice rolls. Somehow that seems even worse…”
“Then underneath we can write something like ‘The Winner? Coyote Man, because he’s real!’ What’d’ya think?”
“The only other explanation is the traditional one. We’re actors in an unchangeable plan that has been preordained by some sort of omnipotent divine being. That strikes me as most horrid of all. It reduces us to pathetic puppets!”
“Listen! You’re an artist! Art gives your life meaning! Now I need you to focus on what we’re doing here and now. Otherwise you can do all your Frenchy existential whining on the unemployment line!”
Celeste sighs. “There’s no need to threaten me. I agree with you. If there is a refuge, it is to be found in my work. Under any scenario, art is ennobling. It provides me with at least a measure of dignity.”
“Great! So what do you think of my cover concept?”
“It could work… I have just one question… Is ‘Coyote Man’ spelled with a dash?”