The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Reflection

“Wow”. That was my reaction to The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. It was all I could think of. It was just so amazing! No offense to any of our past English teachers, but the books they have chosen haven’t been all that popular among the students. But this book was different. I actually really enjoyed reading it. It was a really moving piece about how this poor man had to endure locked-in syndrome for months on end, not able to move or take care of his own self while his mind was still free as a butterfly. I really enjoy reading books like this. Memoirs of people who have really full and wonderful lives, and then have months to think about things like their life’s philosophies. They tell us that we have to make every moment count, and to not let our lives be ruined by bad mistakes and choices. Well, how are we supposed to know what a bad mistake or choice is if we haven’t heard any examples of lives like this. Jean’s lifetime seemed like a waste to him. He didn’t do things that he realized were really meaningful to him. He realizes in his last months that the important things in life are bigger than being rich, important and famous. Even though that may seem like the most important things, they really aren’t. We have to treasure everything we do, or we’ll feel like we never did anything important to us. I think that a second point Jean-Dominique Bauby was trying to tell us about was how you can be having a wonderful life, and then have it all be gone in a flash. What happened to Bauby could have happened to anyone. It really could have, even though it might not be the most common disease people get. At the moment, no one can do anything to prevent it from happening. We don’t know when it could happen. Things that are good come to an end too soon. One of my favorite quotes is, “the people we love the most are taken from us too soon”. I believe that this quote is extremely true. Because taking the people we love the most is always too soon. We will never, ever be ready for it. This quote can apply to the things we love the most, too, not just the people. I loved this book. It really makes you think. It’s not just about things happening to some person that we’ll never know. The things that happen to this certain person actually make us think about us and how it affects us personally.