I just finished a book called Deadline by Chris Crutcher. You may remember me referencing Crutcher in a post last week from when I returned from the PATELA Conference. He is the author that despite winning YA book of they ear multiple times is often banned from schools due to subject matter. In short, this book is about a highschool senior who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and chooses to not only refuse treatment, but to keep it a secret from everyone: his parents, his brother, his girlfriend, everyone. He also decides he's going to live the final year to the fullest. The stories awesome and goes places you wouldn't imagine diggin deep into the pain and struggle each of us carries around day to day. Crutcher also makes alot of heavy statements about life, love, relationships, religion, trust and about every other human thing you can imagine. It's amazing that a guy with so much heart and wisdom could be banned from schools.
One of the major statements that struck me in the book was regarding love. Ben, the main character, has numerous dream interactions with Jesus (pronounced Hey-soos) who is definitely not the traditional Jesus we're used to, but possesses a lot of the same ideas. Ben asks Hey-soos about love and he says
“Love, in the universal sense, is unconditional acceptance. In the individual sense, the one-on-one sense, try this: we can say we love each other if my life is better because you're in it and your life is better because I'm in it. The intensity of the love is weighted by how much better.”
I think this is such a remarkable statement about love. It's interesting to me because as a college student I'm constantly finding myself in the "does true-love really exist?' talk with people. I've come to the conclusion that I don't know. I don't know if somewhere out there there is ONE person who is truly perfect for me. Even thinking about that is scary because what if I don't find her? How long do i wait? This passage really hit me because it's such a manageable approach to love. It broadens the sense of the word yet at the same time gives the capacity it deserves. The truth i I don't know if I'll find a "soulmate." I consider myself better off than most because there a lto in my life that I do love that a lot of people don't have. A loving family who always has my back, a best friend who's encouragement is the main reason I keep up with this blog, other friends who are always there for me to lend an ear, a hand or some money and a career path that grounded in passion. All that stuff makes my life a hell of a lot better and gives me a deeper unerstanding of life and love. I encourage you all to read Deadline it's a fast read and has more depth than I ever imagined. I definitely shed a few tears becasue as i read I ddin't just see Ben, I saw myself, and I saw all of you. So thanks for reading this and making me feel loved always. Now as great as you all are I think I'm going to go work on that girl friend thing...
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