Prije nego što vam kažem sve što vam imam reći o "Kad jaganjci utihnu", pala mi je na pamet jedna druga tema: ne ide li vam već na živce kad vam nepoznati ljudi pokušavaju reći kako da živite svoj život? Na takvo razmišljanje ponukao me tekst "Savjeti za dobar i kvalitetan život" kojega sam pročitala naPametnoj kuni u sklopu newslettera koji mi šalju u sandučić svakog dana (tehnički, i ovo je post o knjizi, jer autor teksta spominje slavnu knjigu Oga Mandina: "Najveći trgovac na svijetu" koja je praktički postala biblija moderne prodaje. I ne, nisam je čitala. Još.)
Ono što me pomalo raspigalo jest kako su rečenice poput "mi smo gospodari vlastite sudbine" ili "gledajte na život pozitivno" postale toliko izlizane floskule koje su izgubile svako značenje da već nesvjesno preokrećem očima kad ih čujem. Ne želim reći da one nemaju smisla ili da sam ja u konačnici cinična osoba (iako to možda i jesam), već da mora postojati novi način da se kažu stare istine. Ili još bolje, da moraju postojati individualni načini na koje ljudi dolaze do tih istina i na koje ih kasnije izriču i iskazuju. Vi znate da sam ja uvijek za individualni pristup.
Pa se onda vraćamo na onu (moju) staru misao kako iz nekog razloga second-hand iskustvo nije nikad toliko relevantno kao first-hand. Kad vam netko tko nikad nije imao ni zrna ozbiljnih problema u životu (iako neki tvrde da se problemi ne mogu rangirati i da su svakome njegovi problemi najteži na svijetu) kaže da i u najgorim svojim momentima morate razmišljati pozitivno (a vama dođe da ga nokautirate na Mars), ne djeluje li to nekako lažno i neuvjerljivo? Ne osjećate li se i sami kao velika lažovčina kad dijelite savjete koje sami niste imali prilike isprobati?
Ljutim se na Pametnu kunu i na tekst "Savjeti za dobar i kvalitetan život", doista. No iz ovih ću vam stopa preporučiti način na koji meni odgovara da mi se prenose stare istine. Radi se o stihovima Baza Luhrmana i pjesmi "Always wear sunscreen":
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '99...Wear sunscreen
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you' ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you cant grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked...You' re not as fat as you imagine.
Dont worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you
Sing
Dont be reckless with other people' s hearts, dont put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss
Dont waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you' re ahead, sometimes you' re behind...the race is long, and in the end its only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Don' t feel guilty if you don' t know what to do with your life...the most interesting people I know didnt know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don' t.
Get plenty of calcium
Be kind to your knees, you' ll miss them when they' re gone.
Maybe you' ll marry, maybe you wont, maybe you' ll have children, maybe you wont, maybe you' ll divorce at 40, maybe you' ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary...what ever you do, don' t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody elses.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can...don' t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it' s the greatest instrument you' ll ever own.
Dance...even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don' t follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you' ll never know when they' ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, price will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you' ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don' t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don' t mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85.
Be careful who advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than its worth.