Zorba the Greek
It is always interesting to me what part of an old movie I saw long ago stays with me. In this movie, Zorba, played by Anthony Quinn, becomes friends with a young American (not sure the actor) who, unlike Zorba, is rather timid in life. The young man is attracted to a woman in the village where he is staying. Zorba says to the American: “Why don’t you go see her?”
The American answers. “No, there could be problems. I don’t want any problems.”
Zorba exclaims with astonishment: “Problems? You don’t want any problems? LIFE IS PROBLEMS!”
Calling life problems might seem contrary to what God tells us in Heavenletters, but I don’t think so, not in this context. No one enjoys life more than Zorba. He lives it to the hilt, and he helps so many others love life even if it is only for a little while with him. What I get from Zorba is the message to love life and enjoy it, which certainly supports every word of God’s.
Interestingly, Niko Kazantzakis, the author of Zorba, the Greek, is quoted as saying the following. Sorry, I don’t know which book of his this is from, though it could be from Zorba:
"By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired."
Do you agree that last line of this quote sounds like it could have come from a Heavenletter?