Picture a wave. In the ocean. You can see it, measure it, its height, the way the sunlight refracts when it passes through. And it’s there. And you can see it, you know what it is. It’s a wave.
And then it crashes in the shore and it’s gone. But the water is still there. The wave was just a different way for the water to be, for a little while. You know it’s one conception of death for the Buddhists: the wave returns to the ocean, where it came from and where it’s supposed to be.
-Chidi Anagonye (The Good Place, S4 finale)
This is a draft piece I’ve made as a reference to this quote, also inspired by the iconic great wave, do people think the dimensioning is a good touch or should i leave it out?? I’d appreciate any advice <3
The writing to the side is Eleanor’s response to Chidi after the quote, “Not bad, Buddhists”, pretty sure I have the translation right though I hear it’s considered a snarky response in Japanese.
Edit: PS if you wanna draw over this with your OTP go ahead, just make sure you credit me (link this post) if you upload it anywhere! Same thing goes for if you want to make edits with different flags :)
The Good Place really said “People improve when they get external love and support. How can we hold it against them, when they don’t?” and “We choose to be good because of our bonds with other people” and “What matters isn’t if people are good or bad. What matters is if they’re trying to be better today than they were yesterday” and “If soulmates do exist, they aren’t found, they’re made” and “That knowledge [that life ends] is what gives life meaning” and “The answer is friends” and “That’s what the Good Place really is — it’s not even a place, really. It’s just having enough time with the people you love” and I think that’s very sexy of them
no one wants to hear it but love is earned after the initial infatuation. commitment is something u both mutually agree to and then from there it’s work. it’s not work like it’s a chore it’s jus work like it takes effort. to get good at these things takes practice. it takes practice to learn to communicate better and it takes practice to learn to love each other in the ways u need to be loved.
And it’s also terrifying! Like it’s the kind of vulnerability you can’t do while being all cool and in control of things, you have to like open up the really awkward, ugly inner part of yourself and hope that the other person is still into you.
Like you have to actually say - with words coming out of your mouth or hands or whatever way you use to directly communicate in person - what you would like from the other person! You have to say stuff like “hey the thing you did made me feel some ways and we have to address this like adults” and hope that the other person says “I see, yes I also think we should address this like adults” (instead of “no I didn’t” or “you’re overreacting” or other shut-down-ing shit that ruins lives).
and when chidi anagonye said “i argue that we choose to be good because of our bonds with other people and our innate desire to treat them with dignity. simply put, we are not in this alone”
