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How do you cope with life when all your dreams remain just that, dreams? How do you convince yourself that "I have a happy life" when you know that what you long for will never come to pass? How do you manage to start each morning with a smile? How do you stay afloat in the face of such circumstances? Empire Falls is a tale of a small town where people dreamt less than they ought to, and of the few who did dream and suffered for it. It's a story of unfulfilled dreams, an unrequited love, and a failed marriage. It's about those who stayed, seeking something stable in a place where, as the name implies, everything seems to be in a state of decline. "‘Power and Control’ Mrs. Whiting repeated, a smile playing at her lips." The mantra of the most powerful entity in Empire Falls ultimately led to her downfall. Just as the great C.B.'s attempt on the Knox River failed, one cannot control the flow of life nor meddle with its power. Sometimes we think we can, sometimes we believe we can force our dreams to come true through sheer will, sometimes we imagine we can掌控 life, but that's not always the case. These moments are merely brief lulls in a river that rages with life. For if the untamable river of life can cause empires, like Mrs. Whiting's, to crumble, the same can happen to you and me. Life is like the River Knox, constantly running, ebbing, and each flow unique. "And I’ll tell you something else. What people around here like best about me? They like it that they’re more like me than they are like you. They look at me and they see the town they grew up in. They see their first girlfriend. They see the first high school football game they ever went to. You know what they see when they look at you? That they ain’t good enough. They look at you and see everything they ever done wrong in their lives. They hear you talk and maybe they’re thinking the same thing you are, except they can’t say it like you do and they know they won’t ever get credit. They see you and your buddy the principal with your heads together, deciding how things are gonna be, talking the way you talk and making your little jokes, and they know they’ll never get no place with either of you, not ever. But me? Maybe they might just get someplace with me, and that’s why they like me… They like my attitude, I guess you could say. And you know what? An attitude like yours? An attitude like yours leads to things." Of all the passages in this remarkable novel, this one had the most profound impact on me. I admit that I'm guilty of this particular folly. Having attended one of the top universities in my country, I often speak in a fancy or intellectual manner, even when I shouldn't. I see people furrow their brows, misunderstand me, and feel inferior. When I do, more often than not, I take pride in it. Now I despise this foolishness and the accompanying pride. With knowledge comes wisdom, the understanding of how to apply it. For knowledge alone is nullified by the stupidity of pride, and then boastfulness. Now I understand that I have no right to look down on people just because my dreams have come true. What if it had been otherwise? How would I have felt then? The truly enlightened know never to be boastful, lest the great waves of the river wash over you and carry your dreams away. One should not turn a good dream into a nightmare. "And there comes a time in your life when you realize that if you don't take the opportunity to be happy, you may never get another chance again." The truth is that unfulfilled dreams, like Miles', will always haunt you. They will always cast a shadow over your life. But you know what? Dream again. Yes, having your dream remain unfulfilled hurts. It feels terrible. But not dreaming again is even worse; it will sap your will to go on. Giving up is even more disastrous. Don't let the pain of an experience defeat you; let it teach you instead. So dream of a new grill for your diner, dream of losing weight, dream of sending your kids to college, dream of buying all those books you've always wanted. Dream of many things, because some of them are bound to come true. And it gets better. With your experience, you know that not every dream will be realized. You're less vulnerable, more mature, and as you age, your dreams tend to be less selfish. Because when you were younger, your dreams were more about wants, but now they're closer to hope. Maybe fortune will now smile upon you more often. So how do you wake up every morning with a smile? You do so because just then, you were dreaming. "After all, what was the whole wide world but a place for people to yearn for their hearts’ impossible desires, for those desires to become entrenched in defiance of logic, plausibility, and even the passage of time, as eternal as polished marble?" How do you tell yourself "I have a happy life"? Here's a little secret. You don't. There is no such thing as a happy life. Happiness is always fleeting. Sometimes you'll be happy, sometimes not. What people often do wrong is they search for this happiness throughout their entire lives; but the answer is not to look, but to feel. Sight will always show you what you don't have, what you didn't become, what you failed to achieve, what's better than you. But when you close your eyes and think about everything, every experience, every moment, you might just feel that little thing called contentment. And when you do, my friend, you're one of the luckiest people on earth. How do you keep afloat? You stop fighting the current and let the river of life carry you.
