“There’s something very important I forgot to tell you.”
“What?”
“Don’t cross the streams.”
“Why?”
“It would be bad.”
“I’m fuzzy on the whole good bad thing. Whaddya mean, bad?”
“Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.”
This dialogue takes place between Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) and Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) in the first Ghostbusters movie. They’re talking about their proton guns that are used to weaken ghosts so that they can put them in containment using their portable ghost traps. Typical ghost hunting conversation. We’ve all been there.
Don’t cross the streams. Seems like some good advice. We wouldn’t want “total protonic reversal” now, would we?
Some things feel that way, don’t they? They seem so paramount that the thought of their natural essence being contaminated makes you feel like the universe might unravel. Sometimes it’s just things that we believe shouldn’t go together. This could be as innocent as the mixing of certain flavors in food or as powerful as integrating cultures.
It’s true that some things are just better by themselves. But sometimes they’re not. Sometimes, the very things that you fear shouldn’t combine, are the very things that redefine your pursuit when they do. Like adding a little hot pepper to chocolate. Or becoming the father of a nation.
Everyone’s looking for the secret ingredient. The piece of magic that will surprise and delight. It’s obvious when you see it but elusive to discover.
Perhaps crossing the streams might be the trick. What doesn’t belong but when it’s added simply fits?
Of course, you know that at the end of Ghostbusters it’s the very thing that saves the world. When the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is about to bring NYC to its knees, the Ghostbusters decide the only way to reverse the terror is to cross the streams.
And it works.
You never cross the streams unless you’re supposed to cross the streams.
Or,
Never do the thing you’re not supposed to do unless it’s the perfect thing to do.
So, when do we know when the moment of truth is upon us?
That’s a great question.
Photo credit : fanpop.com
