Far too many people want some sort of tragic ending, believing that a tragic ending is synonymous to a magnificent ending, with memories of grandeur and heroism left behind; a pleasant mask for a life filled with mediocrity. Well, not all lives with a tragic ending were mediocre originally, in fact, most of them surely were outstanding and perhaps we associate a tragic ending with an outstanding life and that's why many have some strange longing for it. I used to think to myself "I want to be the unsinkable Molly Brown, without the tragic ending" but then I thought, would I even know about Molly Brown were it not for her near tragic ending? Would I still study Socrates were it not for Plato's recollection of his valiant death? Romeo and Juliet's undeniable stature in literature stems from its tragic roots. Would we still study it the same way we do today had everyone lived happily ever after? We immortalize victims of tragedy and people begin to seek that. I could beat this subject like a dead horse. If you seek a tragic ending long enough, hard enough, you will find it. But unless you live a life that is worth-while there will be nothing to immortalize. We honor the dead, certainly, but some stupidities cannot be overlooked, even through the blind eye of death. Only the lives worth remembering are actually remembered. Sadly, I'm not sure this is entirely true, but is it not worth it to live a life worthy of remembering? Just in case? I would say so.

p.s. there is no image that does tragedy justice. and I refuse to post the greek tragedy masks. much too cliche. terribly sorry, just words.