NP - Kubrick Interview

[David Morris]

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_making_of_a_myth_the_story_behind_stanley_kubricks_2001

In an interview with Playboy in 1968, Kubrick gave an answer on the
meaning and purpose of human existence, which could almost be a
description of 2001:

“The very meaninglessness of life forces man to create his own
meaning. Children, of course, begin life with an untarnished sense of
wonder, a capacity to experience total joy at something as simple as
the greenness of a leaf; but as they grow older, the awareness of
death and decay begins to impinge on their consciousness and subtly
erode their joie de vivre, their idealism – and their assumption of
immortality. As a child matures, he sees death and pain everywhere
about him, and begins to lose faith in the ultimate goodness of man.
But, if he’s reasonably strong – and lucky – he can emerge from this
twilight of the soul into a rebirth of life’s elan. Both because of
and in spite of his awareness of the meaninglessness of life, he can
forge a fresh sense of purpose and affirmation. He may not recapture
the same pure sense of wonder he was born with, but he can shape
something far more enduring and sustaining. The most terrifying fact
about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is
indifferent; but if we can come to terms with this indifference and
accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death – however
mutable man may be able to make them – our existence as a species can
have genuine meaning and fulfillment. However vast the darkness, we
must supply our own light.”