Preferences - 2/21/11

Dead Like Me, a cable series revolving around death and present-day Grim Reapers, was an enjoyable concept that only suffered in its execution.  Regardless, Mandy Patinkin played a character named Rube in the show, and he was utterly fantastic.  Rube's job was to ensure that the Reapers did their jobs, which was freeing the soul of an individual before they died in an accident.  I don't know why, but something Rube once told the leading protagonist George has stuck with me to this day...years after it's cancellation back in 2004.  She was complaining about her job being a grim reaper, and she asked Rube why she had to continue working in this miserable job in her afterlife.  His reply struck me as quite upsetting, but worthy of exploration.  Here is his quote in full:     

Rube:  "You like spaghetti, George? I like spaghetti. I like board games. I like grabbing a trifecta with that long shot on top... that ozone smell you get from air purifiers... and I like knowing the space between my ears is immeasurable... Mahler's first, Bernstein conducting. You've got to think about all the things you like and decide whether they're worth sticking around for. And if they are, you'll find a way to do this.
George: And what if I don’t?
Rube: Then you go away, and you don't get to like anything anymore.

His implication here is obvious....that if the Grim Reapers don't do their assigned duties, than they won't get to exist in the afterlife.  But much more than that, he's also saying that the truth of who we are is nothing more than an amalgamation of distinct preferences.  Our desires dictate our personalities and truly encompass us individuals.  Our likes determine who we are.

Well, I don't LIKE this.  In fact...this seems fundamantally flawed to me.  While intriguing, it negates so much of life that has nothing to do with our ego, our wants, or our preferences.  How about the experience of life itself?  Stripped away of identity, robed of our ego through amnesia, alcohol, drugs, or meditation, we still experience life in all it's grandeur quite readily.  It's here, it's big and beautiful and horrible. . .but it's immediate and we all have access to it right NOW.  If one were to take away everything they know of themselves, including what they both like and disdain, well then this blank state would be MORE open and receptive to true experience.  It's BECAUSE we've accumulated so many preferences that we've come to limit ourselves from everything because we've either decided we don't like it or we're unsure about trying it due to preconceptions.

I think the reality of who we are has much more to do with the experiences we've lived through rather than the desires we've amassed.  And when I die, I certainly hope that my entire existence isn't relegated to a mere selection of preferences that I've become privy to during my tenure on earth.  Because although that may comprise the totality of my Ego, I feel that the truth of who I am is far greater.