The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Thanks to my clingy sissy Tricia Mae who "forced" asked me to buy this book, I was drawn to a beautifully-written piece of Milan Kundera.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is about passion in all possible aspects of life --- self, relationship, craft, country, and the list goes on and on.

I love how Kundera created the characters which complemented their individual struggles. I particularly admire the persona of Sabina --- strong-willed and ardent in arts. She was committed solely to her artistry, but at the same time maintained deep bonds.

I held this book for almost a month. It's one of the pieces which I didn't want to finish because I wanted the plot to unravel slowly while I devour the story being told. The ending is very interesting. I vividly imagined how Tomas and Tereza lived their lives happily at the countryside. It was a mutual decision that strengthened their desire to be together until Kundera ended his novel with a peaceful and timely death. (oops! spoiler! :p)

Let me share some direct quotes from the novel:

"Putting it negatively, the myth of eternal return states that a life which disappears once and for all, which does not return, is like a shadow, without weight, dead in advance, and whether it was horrible, beautiful, or sublime, its sublimity and beauty mean nothing."

"In the world of eternal return, the weight of unbearable responsibility lies heavy on every move we make."

"If eternal return is the heaviest of burdens, then our lives can stand out against it in all their splendid lightness."

"The heaviest of burdens is therefore simultaneously an image of life's most intense fulfillment. Conversely, the absolute absence of a burden causes man to be lighter than air, to soar into the heights, take leave of the earth and his earthly being, and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant."

"Metaphors are not to be trifled with. A single metaphor can give birth to love."

"The word compassion generally inspires suspicion; it designates what is considered an inferior, second-rate that has little to do with love. To love someone out of compassion means not really to love."

"Necessity, weight, and value are three concepts inextricably bound: only necessity is heavy, and only what is heavy has value."

"We all reject out of hand the idea that the love of our life may be something light or weightless; we presume our love is what must be, that without it our life would no longer be the same."

"Necessity knows no formulae --- they are all left to chance."

"When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object."

"The mental states can be inferred from actions."

"History isn't the lies of the victors, it's more of the memories of the survivors, most of whom are neither victorious nor defeated."

"History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation."

"Because love means renouncing strength."

I also watched the movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis. It was faithful to the book, but major parts like that of Tomas' son, and Franz' life after Sabina left him, were not communicated in the film. I understand that as it is, The Unbearable Lightness of Being is already packed that turning it to a motion picture would be the hardest of all.