YOU ARE WHAT YOU LOVE NOT WHAT LOVES YOU

ADAPTATION (2002)

"YOU ARE WHAT YOU LOVE, NOT WHAT LOVES YOU."

It could be flowers, birds, nature, wind, humans, books. Anything.

Anyway, everything is connected.

This movie is worth watching if for nothing else but for the sentence above.

Loved the final quote.

Here goes the entire quote.

Charlie Kaufman: There was this time in high school. I was watching you out the library window. You were talking to Sarah Marsh.

Donald Kaufman: Oh, God. I was so in love with her.

Charlie Kaufman: I know. And you were flirting with her. And she was being really sweet to you.

Donald Kaufman: I remember that.

Charlie Kaufman: Then, when you walked away, she started making fun of you with Kim Canetti. And it was like they were laughing at *me*. You didn't know at all. You seemed so happy.

Donald Kaufman: I knew. I heard them.

Charlie Kaufman: How come you looked so happy?

Donald Kaufman: I loved Sarah, Charles. It was mine, that love. I owned it. Even Sarah didn't have the right to take it away. I can love whoever I want.

Charlie Kaufman: But she thought you were pathetic.

Donald Kaufman: That was her business, not mine. You are what you love, not what loves you. That's what I decided a long time ago.

Watched this movie a long time ago. Of course I don't remember anything. Now, on October 17, I can see I have grown. I am 45 years old and can understand certain aspects of Charlie's character, like social awkwardness, shyness, in a word being maladaptive in the wild world we live in, if you will. 

My point is I am not comparing or identifying myself with the character, but I can understand all that self-loathing, lack of self-respect, etc. I am mesmerized by the fact how little we change, and yet we do change. 

Charlie Kaufman wants to write about people who do not change, no big arcs, drives, desires. Like in real life. Exactly my thoughts.

 Many of us seem not to have any specific  "passion", so desired, so hyped in the Wester society. It is as almost you are considered an outcast, a cripple or a downright loser if you don't advertise to everyone around you your life-coaching wisdom or some crap like that how changed you are, mature, how you've grown to be a better person just because you volunteer somewhere or bend your back to hand out some money to a street bum from time to time.

We change but ever so slowly, you wake up one day and see you are calmer and don't give a fart about the things once yanked your chain. Some would say it is because we are getting older, some would say we are getting wiser.

Anyway, have you discovered your pot of gold or the seed of love? Shut up about it. Or else you'll lose it.

And who cares what McKee says!