On Monday I went to see a performance of The Ugly American by Mike Daisey at the Manhattan Theater Club. Previously I had seen Mike's show 21 Dog Years : Doing Time @ Amazon.com. He has written a book by the same name.
Mike sat behind a table that held a glass of water and sheets of legal paper and related a story from his life. Aside from my personal feelings about the show's presentation (which are positive - Mike is an excellent story teller) he unintentionally confirmed something that I all ready thought was true.
Time spent regretting things you have done often obscures the acknowledgement that those things have helped make you what you are today, and often you are the better for them. We all are the combined products of every little moment, pointless argument, flat tire, missed plane, bad audition, stupid comment, dead end job, and wasted hour every bit as much as the big raises, contest wins, touchdowns, awesome dates, and heroic feats.
Biographies often condense a person's life into a "defining moment" when a crucial choice was made or a goal accomplished. While less dramatic, it may be better stated that every event in our lives forms our own set of defining moments with each event coloring every other.
That is not to say that I revel in the memory of every event in my life for in fact I've had my share of amends and confessions to make. But wishing those moments away is not only futile but a direct violation of the time worn principals of sage philospher Frank Capra and the excellent example of the life of King David.
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