Do we live a Faustian Life?

Have you ever wondered what your life would be if you took a different fork in the road? If you went left instead of right? If you went out instead of stayed in? If you chose one instead of two?

Have you ever thought what would it be like if you got everything you ever wished for?

That is Faustian.

Faust was a character in a German Folk legend who was very successful and well liked but was very bored with his life, so he makes a deal with the devil for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. However, there is a price, there is always a price, and that price is the devil would claim Faust's soul and he will be forever damned.

We can see the Faustian theme in many modern literature and movies.

Some examples of Faustian movies are: Bedazzled, 13 going on 30, Big, Ghost Rider, Can't Buy Me Love, Limitless and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith


But, what does it mean? Do people really want to "sell their souls" for "unlimited "anything"?

I think we do, and I think that in the day to day scheme of life people are constantly making deals with the devil to better their existence and to get one step closers to that human zenith of self gratification.

We look at ourselves in the mirror and think. If I could be this, then I can do that? If I looked like this, then I can be that? If I were as smart as this, then I can have that?

Face-it friends we think like that all the time right? I know I do. Why lie? That is the whole point of this blog to get the facts out on my life.

Yeah, I would love to be richer, smarter, beautiful, and thinner. To be honest with you, if someone were to offer me those things for an exchange of something I hold most dear, it would be difficult to say "no"

I hope that I would be strong enough too. I hope that if ever faced with the temptation of limitless bless verses with the result of eternal damnation that I would be strong enough to say "No thank you, I am happy with what and who I am and I will continue on as I am."

But seriously folks don't you just think about the possibilities? My favorite Faustian themes have to do with the characters going forward in their lives (Big and 13 going on 30) and see the consequences or the possible consequences of their actions.

In the movie Big, Tom Hank's character is a 13 year old kid in the body of a 30 year old man, and while Tom Hank's comedic genius made the movie one of the best of its time, the Faustian theme makes the more intelligent movie go take pause and really think. If I were a kid given a chance to be an adult for one week, what choices would I make?

I use to think about that as a child. I thought, if I could be a grown up for just one week, I could solve all of the world's problems.

Or, in the movie 13 Going on 30 our main character suddenly finds herself a 13 year old in her 30 year old body. This movie different from Big, is that in Big the character simply aged and everyone else stayed the same, he did not fast forward in time to his life as a 30 year old, where in 13 going on 30 our character fast forwards to her life at 30, and she sees the consequences of her choices.

But, like all good Hollywood movies, happy endings prevail and the characters are able to right the wrongs of their choices and move on with much happier lives.

We all know that in real life that doesn't happen, in fact in real life we can't move forward or backwards to correct or change our lives because we suddenly feel unhappy with them. No, we are stuck in the present forced to make do with what we have.

You know what I would love to do? I would love to go back in time as myself, but as myself looking like I do now (just younger) with this thin body. I would like to go back and see what would be different. Would I score with my crush? Would I be voted prom queen? Would I get the lead in the play? How would my life been different if I were different?

...and who wouldn't exists or what relationships and friendships will never occur if I changed the past? Would I be willing to give that up? That is a difficult question.

One that Faust may not have considered when he sold his soul.