There are so many reasons why I have a deep appreciation for The Sopranos. First, I grew up in New Haven, Connecticut during the 1970's; a chaotic period in the Elm City's mob history rife with car bombings and undercover FBI agents. I personally knew men like Silvio Dante, Paulie Gualtieri, Johnny Sacrimoni and Richie Aprile--so the general storyline and the situational conflicts surrounding these reappearing characters bear scrutiny (e.g. New Haven had its own version of garbage and construction racketeering.) Second, I admire that the writers of the series amplified Tony Soprano's psyche by introducing viewers into his contemplative inner life through his sessions with Dr. Melfi. Using this approach, the audience is invited to examine the life Tony lives episode after episode. In this installment, Tony addresses and tests his resentment of "happy wanderers" -- people that appear to move through the world carefree and happy -- initially through discussing Davey Scatino's sunny disposition with Melfi, then later leading Scatino through Hell after he isn't able to pay his gambling debt(s).
Over 2,000 years ago before Tony arrives in Dr. Melfi's office, Socrates stated at his trial that "the unexamined life is not worth living." One could say that the discipline of psychology and philosophy drives us "to examine our lives by questioning what we think, what we believe and what we claim to know. By challenging our ideas and beliefs, demanding that we reflect on them, philosophy makes us more aware of why we have them." (Currow, 2018).
I've called this blog The Happy Wanderer: Traveling Through Memory as a reflection of the examined life I find myself living, whether voluntarily or not.
1. Curnow, Trevor (2018). See the Bigger Picture: A Practical Guide to Philosophy for Everyday Life .Icon Books Ltd, London, UK
