All Those Days That Came and Went

[DISCLAIMER]

I enjoy discovering existential concepts from unexpected places. From time to time, I’ll draft blog content based on such discovery. Recently, I found a rendition of a quote credited to Swedish linguist Stig Johansson in the erotic drama film Lost Girls & Love Hotels.

While sitting at a bar, character Ines says to her friends Margaret and Frank, “All these days that came and went, little did I know that it was life.” According to one source, Johansson’s authentic quote is, “All those days that came and went, little did I know that they were life.”

The actual version versus the one depicted in the film is a distinction without a difference. What I appreciate about the message is that it emphasizes the tautological expression, it either is or isn’t the case that one’s existence will inevitably end – as expressed in syllogistic form:

Form (disjunctive tautology) –

p is true is equivalent to p is true or p is true.

Example –

Proposition: It is either the case that one’s existence will inevitably end or it isn’t the case that one’s existence will inevitably end.

Simplified tautology: It either is or isn’t the case that one’s existence will inevitably end.

While I generally try to explore other options when faced with binaries, the either-or inferred premise of Johansson’s quote doesn’t represent a false dichotomy. Regarding whether or not the proposition I’ve outlined herein is rational or not is another matter altogether.

That which is rational empirically must remain in accordance with both logic and reason. Depending on an individual’s spiritual, religious, or other perspective, a person may consider the fallible existence of human life to be little more than a transition to another version of existence.

Thus, such an individual may maintain that people don’t truly die. Rather, we merely transition from a physical death to a strictly spiritual existence. Personally, unfalsifiable claims are no longer as interesting to me as they were in the earlier stages of my life.

Therefore, I simply acknowledge that life as I currently know it – in organic form – will one day cease to continue in its present state. Ergo, I appreciate that Ines acknowledged this truth when stating, “All these days that came and went, little did I know that it was life.”

In closing, life is impermanent and uncertain. As far as I can tell, without evidence to the contrary, this life is all there is. All the days that will come and go from now until you die represent life. How you choose to spend your time is another matter altogether.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

Photo credit, fair use

References:

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RecklesslyPainlesslyNocturne. (n.d.). Calavera temptress tattoo, top hat [Image]. Neural.Love. Retrieved from https://neural.love/ai-art-generator/1edd6ccd-a603-643a-a20c-b7ea869632fa/calavera-temptress-tattoo-top-hat

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