"Next"

"Here's the thing about the future. Every time you look at it, it changes....because you looked at it. And that changes everything else".

I enjoy watching Nicholas Cage and Julianne Moore. Here is a movie which does not insult the intelligence of the viewer, and the final line of the script -- delivered by Cage -- has an almost Zen-like quality to it. In it is the essence, as I understand it, of Quantum Mechanics. It can be taken metaphorically and applied to anyone's life, or can be seen simply as the literal summation of the plot of this story.

Cage plays a man who is able to see events two minutes into the future. Therefore, he has almost infinite power to change what is about to happen at any given time. While the plot is somewhat predictable, the twists and turns are just uncertain enough to keep you guessing throughout the story.

I have seen this film several times now, and the final line always sends chills down my spine. Although we may -- none of us -- be true prophets, we are all engaged in thinking about the future most of the time.

And so it is a common impulse here which propels the story and action forward. We can relate. However, none of us can actually "see" the future as depicted in this movie. But I think that is partially the point. I find the summation to be incredibly hopeful on several levels, not the least of which is my own individual fate. As I mature a little more each day, I have more days now to look back on than I do to look forward to. I see all the past "forks in the road" that collectively led to this very spot.

But I contemplate what is "next" all the time. Doesn't everyone? It is a blessing as well as a curse. Each day's events are predicated on those of the day before. The Arrow of Time only goes one way, at least in our minds and awareness. It is our reality and our fate, whether it happens to be "real" or not.