You might have heard about an interview that Guy Ritchie did where he said Madonna was “retarded.” It’s a polarizing statement that taken out of context appears to be a nasty insult of sorts. Somehow after reading the entire interview the polarizing statement is lost and has little to no meaning whatsoever other than an ex-husband said it about his former wife.

Big deal. We’ve all said worse, just not to Esquire’s entire audience. To be frank, Guy is interesting. I don’t know that I’d want to hang out with him as much as I’d like to be in the same pub listening to him go on about whatever because he has, in my humble opinion, a brilliant take on things. He’s very abstract in his thinking and I like that. I’d love to read something he has written that is more just streaming his own consciousness than an essay, screenplay, or some other sort of crap that is supposed to be something.

Coming to the point, he has three “lines” he “lives with” as he puts it. I don’t suppose you’d call them rules or principles or guidelines, just sort of thoughts to keep in the back of your mind as you are rattling on about whatever it is you think you are passionate about.

Kind of like the bullshit I’m spewing right now. Which is really more just an exercise in putting my thoughts out into the electron oblivion than making any kind of point or impact or impression.

“Here’s the second line: It’s okay to have beliefs, just don’t believe in them.”

“Oh,” I say, glancing out the window. “I get that. That could be my line.”

“You get it?” Ritchie says. “Tell me an example.” I appreciate the challenge, and I’m unafraid of his reaction, even if I have it wrong.

“Well, belief starts out pretty sweet,” I say. “But eventually beliefs must be defended.”

“Right!” Ritchie says. “It’s just a path to the absolute.”

“To fanaticism.”

“Exactly!”

Full article here, I think it’s worth the read.

It’s okay to have beliefs, just don’t believe in them.
I love that. I really do. It’s simple enough and almost sounds a tad pessimistic, but rolling it around a bit and considering it – I think it’s pretty bright and on the mark.

I find it kind of fascinating because because it can be taken a number of ways but I like interpreting it as the idea of just living in your beliefs, existing with them, just being. Certainly not that I’m considering Guy Ritchie to be a life guru or something. But, I think that at any time an interesting thought could come from anyone or anything and then your own mind just kind of plays on it. Sometimes you hear things that make you think a little deeper than you might normally.

This was one of those times for me.