On Saturday night we wandered out to see Cirque du Soleil and it must be admitted that when we heard that it was in town… and tickets were available… all four of our eyes got as big as saucers. There are some things in life that are greeted with a “phffttt… they’ll be back” or a “eh, whatever” but Cirque was not one of them. We hastened to obtain tickets (at the last minute) and betook ourselves unto the show.
So, to start, I will admit that I wasn’t nearly as awe-inspiringly impressed as I would have liked to have been. Yes, the acrobatics were beyond any criticism. Yes, the show was immaculately prepared and with only a few exceptions, flawless. Yes, I enjoyed it immensely but I’ll admit that I fell victim to the curse of expectations. In our over-indulged American lives we see so much and we have so much placed in front of us on television that when the real thing presents itself… well, we’re desensitized. Like a magician who has many of his tricks telegraphed to the audience ahead of time, Cirque made me internally say, “cool” but at no time did my mind say, “wow!” Well, ok, with one exception. I still don’t understand completely how those trampoliners managed to defy physics in quite the specific and indescribable way in which they did. If you want the details on that you’ll have to actually go.
So during this interesting but not awe-inspiring show, I felt my mind wandering, as I often do. I couldn’t help but ponder to myself… why is it…? What is it about these shows that enthralls us so? Why do we care so much about the men who can run and jump flawlessly through two hoops? Why is it important to us when a person can grab a long ribbon of silk and dance with it into the air suspended above the stage as if they were born there? Why on Earth do we give a damn about any of this impractical crap that they do? The answer, I think, comes down to the simple matter of control.
When we look at these people, so obviously and completely in control of themselves and their movements, we have a certain and undeniable sense of envy. It is this “envy of control” that keeps us coming back for more. This group has dedicated their lives, their diets, their everything, to the simple fact that they have utter and complete control of their bodies. When they tell their bodies to walk gracefully on top of a large ball, their bodies do it. By counterpoint, our bodies can’t keep us from eating that last bite of hamburger at Applebees. The people at Cirque have something that we struggle with daily. They have dominion over themselves. They have control. And we… we do not. For this they are adulated, admired and revered.
And I would posit that this extends not only to circus performers. In general, I think that we can’t help but respect those that do things that are beyond our own capabilities, those who demonstrate a control and mastery of themselves that we can’t begin to fathom. Whether they are actors on the stage taking on a role or comedians fighting back the butterflies that we would doubtless feel under such pressure, we elevate those who control that which is beyond our control. Each of us looks up to the not-us. It is the not-us to which we aspire and to which we hope to some day ascend. The secret to life may very well be finding the not-us and figuring out how to bring that most vividly and completely into our own ourselves.
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