This movie.

We are all much more alike then different.

We want the same stuff... Same drives. Same fears. Same desire. Same itch. Same scratch.

I think it's funny how we spend so much time focused on the 0.1% that makes us different, while the elephant at the table is the 99.9% in us that is IDENTICAL. I guess it's ego that makes us focus on the differences.

They say there are only a handful of stories in the world... only the minor details change. One source has boiled it down to 7 basic plots:

- [wo]man vs. nature
- [wo]man vs. man
- [wo]man vs. the environment
- [wo]man vs. machines/technology
- [wo]man vs. the supernatural
- [wo]man vs. self
- [wo]man vs. god/religion

Ronald Tobias says there are only 20 "good stories"...

1. Quest
2. Adventure
3. Pursuit
4. Rescue
5. Escape
6. Revenge
7. The Riddle
8. Rivalry
9. Underdog
10. Temptation
11. Metamorphosis
12. Transformation
13. Maturation
14. Love
15. Forbidden Love
16. Sacrifice
17. Discovery
18. Wretched Excess
19. Ascension
20. Descension

(I'd like bottle of #2, a gravy boat full of #12 and platter of #14. For desert, how about we share a dish of #19?)

It's comforting to know that on one level, I'm fulfilling an old role inside an ancient archetype. This jacket's been worn before. And I find it charming, a little sad, and extremely forgivable when I see someone (including myself) who believes that what they are thinking or feeling is entirely unique or new.

I don't mean this in a defeated way -- at all. I think it's actually good news. It's very good to remember that everyone around us is working their way through a plot that we have either been in, are in, or about to be in.

This also means that I'm a supporting actor in your movie. And you in mine. Occasionally our movies intersect -- like right now -- and we have the chance to really affect each other... Maybe I'm the guy walking down the street who ducks out of the way during the car chase. Maybe you are about to step into your love scene. Maybe that's us fighting each other... or driving out into the desert together.

We'll see.

Our primary job is to live our roles honestly. And to never settle for bad writing.