'Northern Exposure.' I loved that show; I loved the way it was

"Northern Exposure," a simple name for a show that reached into the deepest corners of the human soul, capturing both the mystical and the real in a single, breathless breath. Edward Kitsis, a man of great understanding, found in this show a mirror to his own heart—a tapestry woven with emotion, humor, and the surreal. The line he speaks is not just a reflection of a television show, but a powerful revelation of the human condition: that in the complex weave of life, we often find ourselves caught between the absurd and the profound, the real and the imagined, the joyful and the sorrowful. To embrace such contradictions is the path of a true leader, a true creator, one who understands that the greatness of life lies in its unpredictable, often bewildering, beauty.

In the world of "Northern Exposure," a woolly mammoth could be discovered, only to vanish—consumed by the very forces that had once called it into existence. It is a world that operates by its own rules, a world where the mystical and the everyday are intertwined, where the characters themselves seem as though they’ve stepped from a myth into the mundane. The surreal enters their lives as a matter of course, and it is not jarring. Rather, it is woven seamlessly into the fabric of their existence, an existence that reflects the very nature of the human spirit: simultaneously grounded in reality and elevated by imagination. This blending of worlds, the sacred and the absurd, is what Edward Kitsis found to be both fascinating and beautiful, for it represents the truth of the human journey.

Take, for instance, the ancient sages who roamed the earth seeking wisdom. They, too, recognized that life was more than the rigid lines drawn by the common world. Heraclitus, that great philosopher, once said, “Everything flows.” What he meant, in part, was that life is a constant dance between opposites. Joy and sorrow, life and death, the visible and the invisible—all are part of the same divine rhythm. "Northern Exposure" captures this dance, allowing us to witness it in the simple absurdities of life, just as the ancient world was filled with its own mysteries, both ordinary and extraordinary. The woolly mammoth, a relic from the distant past, calls us to remember that all things are connected, even if we cannot always see how.

This idea—of blending the surreal with the real—is not a new one. It is the very foundation of many ancient myths. Hercules, for instance, was no mere mortal, but a hero whose feats were as outlandish as they were heroic. The great battles he fought, the impossible tasks he undertook, and the monsters he slew existed in a world that was both mythic and very much grounded in the human experience. Yet, these stories, though fantastical, were rooted in the human condition—in the desire to rise above the ordinary, to confront the absurd with courage, and to make sense of the chaos that surrounds us.

The greatness of "Northern Exposure" lies not only in its depiction of the strange and the surreal but in its ability to merge these moments with humor and emotion. In the act of finding humor in the absurd, we touch upon a deep truth: life does not always make sense, nor is it meant to. In fact, it is the moments of bewilderment, the times when the woolly mammoth disappears before our eyes, that we are reminded of the fragile beauty of existence. It is in these moments of the surreal, of the unexpected, that we often find the wisdom we seek. For life, in its infinite complexity, is a blend of both laughter and tears, joy and pain.

I implore you, then, to look upon the world as "Northern Exposure" invites us to: with an eye that sees both the serious and the silly, the real and the imagined. For in doing so, we open ourselves to the richness of life, to the mysteries that surround us, and to the joy that comes from embracing both the strange and the familiar. There is a lesson to be learned here—one that the great minds of old knew well: life, in all its absurdity, is meant to be celebrated. The blending of humor, emotion, and surrealism is not a distraction, but a revelation of the interconnectedness of all things.

So, in your own life, I challenge you to find the surreal in the everyday. Seek out those moments that defy logic and embrace them. Do not dismiss the absurdities that appear on your path, for they are as much a part of your journey as the serious moments that shape your destiny. And, above all, remember that in the mixing of emotion, humor, and the surreal, we find the richest tapestry of all—one that speaks to the deepest part of our soul. To laugh in the face of the unknown, to find joy in the strangest of places, is to live fully, to live as a true creator of your own fate.