more pirates!

Disney's already decided to make a sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean. I, for one, am already excited. You see, the makers of Pirates accomplished what they set out to do, make a campy, absurd, and raucously enjoyabl pirate movie. Seeing it was the most fun I've had at a movie in a long time. There were no pretensions of art here, they simply excelled at what they were going for. We should all be so lucky.

This ties into one of the ideals I think everyone should strive for: self-awareness. No one's (even close to) perfect, after all. Far better to recognize your strengths and weaknesses, play to the strengths, shore up the weaknesses and generally don't take yourself too seriously. If you're a photographer with a penchant for capturing the essence of the human experience, great, go out and do your thing. If you're an plumber who can fix a toilet in no time flat, great. And if you're a talented actor who looks good with gobs of black eyeliner, great, go out and play a pirate.

This isn't to suggest that everyone has some pre-destined, er, destiny that they (he/she for the pedants) should simply go out and fulfill. Nor is this a trite observation that all people are important and their contributions shold be valued. My point is that you figure out who you are so you can better understand how to make your contribution to the world and make yourself happy.

An analogy that, I think, works: suppose you're driving around and want to get to Philadelphia. You might know how to get there. Maybe you even know a few different ways (if you're coming from NY, take I-95 south, from Pittsburgh, the PA turnpike). But without knowing your current location, all you'll be doing is aimlessly driving. You might eventually stumble across a road sign giving you directions. But it's far better to just pause, look at a map, maybe ask a local... just figure out where you are right now.

Okay, trite analogy, I know. And trite thoughts, too. But to keep on this, I recognize that they're trite and wish I could come up with something better. Now I want to come up with a better way of expressing this idea (and refining the idea itself). And that's the point.

So, for once, thank you, Jerry Bruckheimer. Keep up the good work. Just no more Peal Harbor's, okay?