"Then It's Not The End." | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post

"Then It's Not The End."

Pondering the wise words of Oscar Wilde.

318
http://www.quoteambition.com/best-oscar-wilde-quotes/
Quote Ambition

"Everything is going to be fine in the end. If it's not fine, then it's not the end."

Oscar Wilde, author extraordinaire, is known to many in this world as a very witty man. Endless publications and written masterpieces aside, Wilde filled this world in his everyday life with some of the greatest quips and quotes known to man. "I can resist everything except temptation." "Be yourself; everyone else is taken." "I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying." He had a knack for simply speaking the truth in such ways that you'd chuckle a bit before proceeding to profoundly agree.

As far as his quote above is concerned, I am thoroughly convinced that it was simply waiting on the tip of Wilde's tongue one day for the chance to make an entrance. He thought about the world at large, considered both the good and the bad, and in an instant decided that the bad was simply a speed bump to the good to be found. Just around the riverbend, light at the end of the tunnel, along the silvery lining of a cloud, there is a path to take out from beneath the weight of what one is going through.

Now see, here's the thing. Regardless of what he may have spoken, Wilde's own life is not a traceable series of ups and downs with ups completing his time. His story, particularly the end, is fiercely marred with tragedies in his personal life and drama that followed him all the way up until he died. I don't know who would consider his end to be fine or who would argue that he didn't have to trudge through the worst of the world simply to get to the end at all.

But I don't think that expecting a traceable series of ups and downs was what Wilde meant when he said this.

One of my favorite quotes from Oscar Wilde, aside from the one above, is simply this: "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." When Wilde said that if life isn't fine, it's not the end, it was not a PSA to expect the upswing any day now. It was not a relaxed announcement to kick back and wait for the storm to pass, as you'd be guaranteed it would. Wilde saw firsthand just how ugly the world could be. He took every punch, every fall, every mistake, every loss. He went into a life of tragedies and pain and chose, above all else, to live.

Wilde realized that life is precious and finite. It is a gift to be treasured and used to the utmost. He did not gloss over the bad in the world; he simply charged the world not to let the bad bring everything to a stop, to bring it all crashing down. What Wilde meant with this quote was that the worst possible moments in life do not last, nor can they define what life is.

When a person chooses to live, they choose to view the bad as merely a speed bump, stripping it of its power no matter how large in one's life it may loom. They refuse to allow the bad to stop them from seeing the good, from being alive. This quote isn't trying to diminish the value of someone's suffering - the struggles of this world are painfully valid. But Wilde wanted a rich life for everyone. He wanted people to see just like he had, where there was good even in the midst of the bad. He fought to see the brighter side of life.

Wilde's last words were "The wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. Either it goes or I do." In his very last moments alive, he saw a brighter side to being where he was and sent his final bit of wit into the world, likely with the hopes of making someone else smile. Oscar Wilde realized that a person could find their own "fine." The raging storms of life can't keep down a person who knows what fine means to them. Fine, despite all of the world's bad, is choosing to do more than wait through existence. Fine is seeing life come at you with everything it has and choosing to live.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

149657
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

38433
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

34109
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments