“When I looked at you, my life made sense. Even the bad things made sense. They were necessary to make you possible.”
In this quote by Jonathan Safran Foer, the speaker expresses a deep sense of purpose and meaning in their life that is derived from their connection to another person. The speaker suggests that even the challenges and hardships they have faced were essential in shaping their path towards meeting this individual. This quote beautifully captures the idea that sometimes, the struggles we endure lead us to the people who bring the most meaning and joy into our lives. It emphasizes the idea that love and connection can give purpose and clarity to even the most difficult times.
In his quote, Jonathan Safran Foer speaks to the idea that everything in life, both good and bad, has led to a moment of clarity and understanding. This sentiment can be relevant in modern times as we navigate through challenges and strive to find purpose in our lives. Whether it's overcoming obstacles or experiencing moments of joy, every experience contributes to shaping who we are and the relationships we form. It is a reminder to cherish the journey and appreciate how each part of our story has led us to where we are today.
"When I looked at you, my life made sense. Even the bad things made sense. They were necessary to make you possible." - Jonathan Safran Foer.
Reflecting on the quote by Jonathan Safran Foer, consider the following questions:
“I pull the skull off my head. Even though it's made of papier-mache it's really hard. I smash it against Jimmy Snyder's head, and I smash it again. He falls to the ground, because he is unconscious, and I can't believe how strong I actually am. I smash his head again with all my force and blood starts to come out of his nose and ears. But I still don't feel any sympathy for him. I want him to bleed, because he deserves it. And nothing else makes any sense. Dad doesn't make sense.Mom doesn't make sense. The Audience doesn't make sense. The folding chairs and fog machine don't make sense. Shakespeare doesn't make sense. The stars that I know are on the other side of the gym ceiling don't make sense. The only thing that makes any sense right then is my smashing Jimmy Snyder's face. His blood. I knock a bunch of his teeth into his mouth, and I think they go down his throat. There is blood everywhere, covering everything. I keep smashing the skull against his skull, which is also Ron's skull (for letting Mom get on with life) and Mom's skull (for getting on with life) and Dad's skull (for dying) and Grandma's skull (for embarrassing me so much) and Dr. Fein's skull (for asking if any good could come out of Dad's death) and the skulls of everyone else I know. The Audience is applauding, all of them, because I am making so much sense. They are giving me a standing ovation as I hit him again and again.”
“When I was nine, I had a babysitter who didn't want to hurt anything. She put it just like that when I asked her why she wasn't having chicken with my older brother and me: "I don't want to hurt anything." [...] What our babysitter said made sense to me, not only because it seemed true, but because it was the extension to food of everything my parents had taught me. We don't hurt family members. We don't hurt friends or strangers. We don't even hurt upholstered furniture. My not having thought to include animals in that list didn't make them the exceptions to it. It just made me a child, ignorant of the world's workings. Until I wasn't. At which point I had to change my life.”
“What about guns with sensors in the handles that could detect if you were angry, and if you were, they wouldn't fire, even if you were a police officer?What about skyscrapers made with moving parts, so they could rearrange themselves when they had to, and even open holes in their middles for planes to fly through?”
“Grandfather interrogates me about you every day. He desires to know if you forgive him for the things he told you about the war, and about Herschel. (You could alter it, Jonathan. For him, not for me. Your novel is now verging on the war. It is possible.) He is not a bad person. He is a good person, alive ina bad time. Do you remember when he said this? Everything is the way it is because everything was the way it was. Sometimes I feel ensnared in this, as if no matter what I do, what will come has already been fixed. For me, OK, but there are things that I want for little Igor. There is so much violence around him, and I mean more than merely the kind that occurs with fists. I do not want him to feel violence anymore, but also I do not want him to one day make others feel violence.I parrot: Grandfather is not a bad person, Jonathan. Everyone performs bad actions. I do. Father does. Even you do. A bad person is someone who does not lament his bad actions. Grandfather is now dying because of his. I beseech you to forgive us, and to make us better than we are. Make us good.”
“I made up my mind that nothing,, nothing was going to stop meNot even me.”
“I pointed at, Something.He pointed at, Nothing.I pointed at, Something.Nobody pointed at, I love you.There was no way around it. We could not climb over it, or walk until we found its edge.I regret that it takes a life to learn how to live, Oskar. Because if I were able to live my life again, I would do things differently.I would change my life.I would kiss my piano teacher, even if he laughed at me.I would jump with Mary on the bed, even if I made a fool of myself.I would send out ugly photographs, thousands of them.”