As usual, this Friday night Pacey, Joey and I are sitting around my bedroom, ready to watch some movies. But tonight…I want to do something a little different…

“So guys, I was watching Stigmata the other day…” I begin.

“Oh Oh.” Pacey jibes.

“No…there was this reference to how people came about, how life was made. And I was thinking you know…what’s really something to think about, isn’t how but why? Why was man created? What’s our purpose? Is there even one?”

“No one delves as far into these philosophical questions as you Dawson.” Joey says sarcastically.

“Right, I mean who even cares man?” Pacey asks.

“Centuries ago Socrates asked these same questions and he was laughed at, even killed, but now we’re free to have our heretic questions and try, at least, to answer them. So why not take advantage of this freedom that so few throughout history have had the privilege of having. Let’s ask ourselves why man was created.”

“Why would we want to do that D? I mean, c’mon, we’re missing Survivor!” Pacey exclaims, reaching for the remote. Joey wrenches it from his fist.

“Pacey, it’s called an intellectual conversation, you may have heard of it.” she deadpans.

“I’ve heard of it Jo…just never thought I’d partake. I mean geez, when did you guys become so…so boring?”

“Oh why don’t you go out and get the new English teacher fired Pacey?” Joey smirks, referring to one of Pacey’s past…indiscretions.

“Jealous eh?” he raises his eyebrows tauntingly at Joey.

“Eww!”

“Guys, we are wandering a little off topic here.” I interrupt their repartee.

“Right…what was the topic again?” Pacey asks.

“Man’s purpose.” I tell him.

“It’s such a broad question Dawson. I mean, there’s so much to consider. We have all these scientific, biblical and even sci-fi explanations, but none of them really seems to ring true.” Joey says, thinking hard about the question.

“I don’t know Jo. I mean, I was thinking endlessly about this last night and I was going through all the Charles Darwin’s and such but something struck me.”

“What?” Pacey asks.

“One man once wrote that the whole world is a stage and people merely players, each acting their part.”

“Shakespeare.” Joey says, saving Pacey from scratching his head in confusion.

“But Dawson, he was hardly an advocate for this kind of thing, he was a playwright, I mean, to him the world really was a stage.”

“But it makes sense don’t you think. I mean, why else would so many people want to re-enact life on film.”

“Re-enacting life on film? That’s a bit of an exaggeration Dawson.” Joey tells me.

“Possibly. But where do filmmakers get their inspiration? It’s life. There are millions upon millions of people in this world all with a different story to tell. It’s cinematography in its sheerest form, in grandeur proportions.”

“Easy there on the film talk Dawson. I think you’re romanticizing what’s really very simple.” I say, reluctantly pulling myself into the debate.

“Life is simple?” Joey asks me.

“Yes. It’s very simple. We are but animals, destined to roam the world, talking about a purpose when we’re actually living it.”

“What do you mean Pace?” Dawson asks, seemingly interested in my explanation, while Joey just yawns, seeming acutely bored.

“Life is merely primal. We eat, we sleep, we reproduce and fight to survive. That’s all there is. That’s all there’ll ever be. You take away our technological, philosophical and artistic advances and what do we really have? Life. And what is lie? It’s a fight to survive. It’s a fight to live the longest, eat the most and have the most sex.”

“How romantic Pace.”

“Well what’s your theory then Potter?”

“We’re here to love. Everything in this world with any substance is primarily about love. The world revolves around it.”

“It looks to me like the world revolves around hate. Just look at the wars we fight, Hitler, Charles Manson, terrorists…”

“But why do we continue to fight the Hitler’s and Charles Manson’s of the world? Why do we fight wars, why do we fight terrorism? It’s all out of love. Love for our country, love for our fellow man, love for each other.”

“By God Jo, you’re right.”

“Right my ass. If our purpose is to love, then we’ve monumentally screwed it up.” Pacey says.

“Least you have.” I smirk at him, obviously hitting a nerve, as he talks no further.

“See…now wasn’t that better than survivor?”

“Oh yeah…it was just magic debating with you two.” Pacey says glibly, “at least in Survivor there’s a winner.”

“Not everything’s about winning Pace, sometimes it’s just about hearing different points of view.”

“Yeah…contrary to your little theory Pacey.” I add.

“And on that note, let’s call a truce and stick in a video.”

“I never thought I’d hear you say those words Pacey!” Dawson laughs; pointing out that Pacey is usually the one wanting live that watch the small screen. We put on a video and spend the rest of the night as each Friday night is spent, in blissful silence as the film rolls.

To be continued…