-“Doctor…We were always meant to be together again—it’s our Fate.”
Sally X. is a retired schoolteacher, widow and grandmother who has married her high school sweetheart after connecting back in a classmates’ reunion. Tom had left his native Miami right after finishing high school and went to work in Houston, Texas. Eventually he married and had two daughters, besides prospering in the oil drilling business. He always remembered Sally.
The “red string of Fate” is a Chinese legend that states that the Gods tie an invisible red piece of thread to the ankles of two people who are eventually meant to be together; it can be elongated to great length and can’t be broken. The goddess Yue Lao, is the lunar deity in charge of fixing marriages.
For the Japanese culture the red string is attached to the pinky fingers of the two persons that are meant to reunite. Unlike other amorous tales, that link is not only for lovers but for the persons we might share a common task with. They claim that there is a direct connection between the heart and the pinky; in other cultures, a promise is sealed by two persons crossing their pinkies.
Three modern films have used this legend as the basis of their scripts:
- “Dolls” by Takeshi Kitano
- “Sayonara” by Joshua Logan
- “El hilo rojo” by Daniela Goggi
There are many Japanese mangas that use this legend to propel their plots.
Sally X., exuberant with her newfound happiness, asked me point blank:
“Don’t you want to reunite with a special woman of your past? Come on.”
For a moment I demurred as I mentally scanned a line up of good memories.
-“ Perhaps…But I’m afraid that we’ve all changed so much over the years.”
What do you want me to say? Even with some kind of common thread, it’s better to let some memories stand as they are, without any scary updates…
What do you think? Please tell me.
Don’t leave me alone?
I respect you even more now that you mentioned Takeshi Kitano whom I absolutely adore.
As for the article, it’s a good one though I have to say I’ve never been a fatalist. I don’t even find determinism in literature appealing. I was never much of a fan of Dreiser for example.
I don’t believe things are meant to happen. Even when we meet somebody who turns out to be the love of our life, it only proves we were in the right place at the right time. Nothing more, nothing less.
Have a nice day, dottore.
AHA…So,I had to pull Kitano all the way into my writings so you could start respecting me a little bit more? Have a nice day you too, dear.
Respect was there already, but now there’s more.
Yes dear.
Super article!
Mais dis-donc tu ne perds pas ton temps? Merci beaucoup!
Bien sûr que non! Derien!
Oh j’ai trouve un petit joyeau dans le Sahara de la web. Je commence a te suivre( pas a te poursuivre, c’est different) Muxu ( bise en Basque, la langue de mes ancetres)
That is probably very true!
Thanks for your comment. Good night!