allow the unknown
embrace life’s great mysteries
don’t spoil the ending
When it comes to plots of movies and television shows, many people don’t like “spoilers” — information that tells them what’s going to happen before they’ve reached that part of the plot.
I’m sure some people don’t mind them, some even want to know what’s going to happen. I haven’t done a study of this. But if you read articles about television or movies or even book reviews, any that reveal plot developments will give you a heads-up with a “spoiler alert.”
If your friends are talking about the latest binge-worthy series at a party, and you haven’t caught up yet, you might walk away for a moment to avoid having the plot twist ruined.
This behavior stands in contrast to how we approach our own lives. In real life, we want to know everything:
- what’s going to happen
- when will it happen
- how will it unfold
We tend to treat mystery and suspense as the province of fiction. On the screen, we tolerate it, even desire it.
But in our lives, not so much.
Of course the reality is that the fictional realm is the only place where we can ever know what’s going to happen. We may seek to avoid spoilers there but spoilers are only possible there.
There are no spoilers in real life, because there’s no way to know how things will unfold.
Learning to embrace the mystery and being comfortable with not knowing are crucial skills to master.
Perhaps, then, remaining unspoiled when it comes to the plots of our favorite fictional dramas is good practice for life.
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