The Lush Life Chronicles - - Volume 9: The Big Fish

We've arrived at the final third of the Lush Life. The first third featured tangible things and skills that one should have in their life in order to be living The American Dream. The second third focused on people and relationships that were necessary to live The Lush Life. Well, now we've reached the third that will focus on a few far more intangible and nebulous set of needs. These are concepts and lifestyles that one should possess in order to live their best life. And I'm here to tell you what they are because Oprah is leaving a void in that department. And who am I if not somebody to fill Oprah's void? The Big Fish is something that is essential for anybody who wants to enjoy life to the fullest. It meets a fairly shallow need for many people and some of the more nuanced and independent amongst our number might feel that they don't need The Big Fish. And they might not need it for the reasons that most people do...but they need it all the same. If you have The Big Fish, you can use it as you see fit...but there is a right way to use it. And that reason just depends on you. Whatever you need The Big Fish to do in your life, it is capable of doing.

The Big Fish is, to my knowledge, the only Pillar of the Lush Life that is named after a film. At least until Oliver Stone releases The Bubble, that is. The Big Fish was a Tim Burton film starring Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney that dealt with father-son relationships and the lost art of story-telling. Story-telling is something that has been valued for centuries as a gift and a talent possessed by those who are able to masterfully blend style and substance into entertainment and education. We still value great story-telling as a valuable asset in America, it's just that less and less people are adept at it. I don't know what's to blame. I could blame the educational system or social networking or fast food. Maybe it has to do with the fact that what makes a good story has changed. It's called Big Fish because stories about catching large fish used to be immensely interesting. However, ever since that guy on Youtube tackled and wrangled a marlin with his bare hands...well, that's kind of hard to top. Fish stories are incredibly boring now. But the truth is that I really don't know what's to blame. What I do know is that the ability to spin a captivating yarn is tangentially  important to your happiness as a human being. Most people want to be the life of the party. 90% of people are whores for attention and approval. And even if you're in that 10% that I described earlier as being more "nuanced" and "independent", The Big Fish still has value for you.

The Big Fish can be explained on three different levels. The Big Fish is an ability, it's a person, and it's a lifestyle. At it's most basic level, the ability, The Big Fish is just what I described above. It is the ability to amaze and impress others when you regale them with your stories. In America, being entertained is a multi-trillion dollar industry. We are well-taken care of and with survival not constantly on our minds, they are allowed to turn to leisure. However, within most of us there is a strong desire to be the entertainment. We see the celebrity that comes with being a famous actor, singer, athlete, or author and we want that for ourselves. Realizing that widespread esteem is rare and unrealistic, most of us would happily settle to just be the life of the party in our own lives. We're fine with being a big fish in a small pond. We only really care that those around us find us interesting and amusing. When we gather with friends and family for dinner, we want them to hang on our every word. Everybody likes to be made to feel like they are important. This is why birthdays and graduations are cause for such excitement: you get to be the center of attention. But nothing draws positive attention to oneself on a daily basis quite like being funny and interesting. People want to talk to a great communicator and listen to a great story-teller and that's why The Big Fish is an invaluable skill to have.

However, what makes The Big Fish trickier is that no matter how charismatic, charming, or seamlessly dramatic you are when you talk...you can never seem to please everybody. That's what makes The Big Fish so elusive. It has to be tailored to your audience. Some stories will fly with certain crowds but not with others. In order to be fully dynamic as a storyteller, you must be extremely versatile. You see The Big Fish is also a person. Whoever you are communicating with is The Big Fish and it is your job to hook them with your wit, humor, or intrigue. But the most important people for you to try and impress are the people who matter. Who those people are depend solely upon your wants and needs in life. Some people want to impress people that they idolize. Others want to impress that cute boy or girl that they have their eye on. Some people are just seeking their parent's approval. No matter who you are there is somebody who's opinion matters to you. Only a fool cares what everybody thinks. But an even bigger fool doesn't care what anybody thinks. And the easiest way to gain esteem and favor with people is to have them find you interesting. The more interesting and intriguing that you can make yourself appear, the more people will want to be around you. If you're the kind of person who can regale them with tales of all of the magical happenings in your life, then they'll think that hanging out with you will make their life more interesting by association. Adventure is something that you can rub on other people.

The allure of The Big Fish is never more evident than at the dinner party. In any gathering of eight or more people it is not always possible to be within convenient conversation distance of all members of the party at the table. You can chat with the people next to you. You can chat with the person across from you. And you can chat with the people at your diagonals. But if somebody is across the table from you, it is unlikely that they will be your primary conversation partner during a given meal. This is why the table jocking at a large group dinner is one of the most interesting social dynamics that one can observe. Everybody wants to sit next to the cult of personality at the table. It's silent but it's there...and it's on everybody's mind. What the Last Supper must have been like I can only imagine...all of those sweaty, bearded Galileans scrambling to get a seat next to Big J. Everybody wants dinner and a show and the best place to get that show is to sit next to The Big Fish. At dinner The Big Fish even supercedes The Hot and Bothered Effect, which isn't just the name of this blog...it's a thing. I'll explain it at some point in the future.

However, I wish I could say that just being a terrific story-teller were enough to attain The Big Fish. In reality this is less than half of the equation. The trickier part is that you actually have to have interesting stories. You have to lead a life that people will find interesting. You could just make shit up, but that will come back to bite you in the ass eventually. Just ask Greg Mortensen. No. In order for you words to have any weight, you're going to have to live through some righteous experiences. Nobody respects a liar and if you're branded as one then The Big Fish could be gone for good. Or at best you'll be expected to show photos as you regale associates with your exploits. Living a life that is enviable is more important than being able to interest people with the stories. So, now you can see why The Big Fish is a lifestyle. It's really about living a life that is interesting. The Big Fish is about carpe diem. A wise man named Tracy Jordan once said, "Live every week...like it's Shark Week." So true. Sharks are among the biggest of fish and that kind of seize the moment attitude is what The Big Fish is all about. This is where those "nuanced" and "independent" people come in. They might not care to impress others. But I'll bet they too long for adventure.

The Big Fish is the reason that I have my Bucket List. In the interest of being comfortable, I could just waste my life away without every trying new things or having adventures. I won't let that happen. I try and wake up every day and say "What will I do today that will make for great dinner conversation?" That can be hard to do with a job and bills and chores and the such. But it's the only way to think about life if you're serious about living it. I'm actively trying to make life my bitch. I'm trying to take life by it's suspenders, turn it upside down, and shake every last nickel of lunch money out of it. And this blog is my means of trying to tell you about...hence the story-telling aspect. Am I succeeding in living life to the fullest? Not really. Am I succeeding in my quest to be a great story-teller? Not so much. But I hope I'm improving. I'm trying and eventually I'll hook The Big Fish. And I'll move from fishing spot to fishing spot trying to catch as many as I can because each new The Big Fish is an adventure which brings me closer to The Lush Life.