After many days I found a book which I read through day and night without a wink of sleep or sense of fatigue. Milan Kundera has that ability to take readers on an imaginative trip while keeping them rooted in the reality of human existence. Immortality is a novel, but through it he has explored many philosophical questions which are unavoidable.
What I liked about the book is his ability to create characters and give them a modern life full of modern dilemmas. It is a novel within novel which is created out of one single gesture of a woman. So we see birth of Agnes, a very real but fictional character and her life journey becomes our own. People created around Agnes are interesting too because they are so real with real eccentricities, obsessions and fixations. This book is a meditation about life, death, being, love, sex, immortality, human memory, human mind and manipulations and human indulgences like music, literature, art and even war.
What I simply enjoyed reading was the conversation between Hemingway and Goethe in the other world. They are taking a walk in the other world long after their deaths and they discuss the images they have left behind. Images, which have made them immortal but over which they no longer have any control. We actually see a flip side of immortality.
Milan Kundera reduces great men and art to images and even imitations of themselves. All philosophy, literature, music, art is a mirror to view the human world but he also questions the validity of that very mirror and what it reflects. At one point, all the past understanding of human nature and life by great men actually looks like a baggage we can do without because it hardly comes to any aid when we face real existential dilemmas.
I also believe in what he says about importance of chance and coincidence. Isn't it a coincidence that when I was thinking about death and immortality I came across Immortality and Milan Kundera's reflections on the subject? The book made me laugh, wonder, ponder and observe human life from a happy distance.
It is also a happy coincidence and chance that I can share my ramblings without any inhibitions with some friends and strangers who chance upon it.Yes, please forgive me for my imperfect English, I am a bad editor with a lazy brain. I know, it is no excuse, but right now I want to ramble for no particular reason, maybe a time will come when I will start editing my sentences before hitting 'Publish Post'. Right now, the state of mind I am in, each blog is my momentary death, I have no wish to become immortal.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Facebook and Immortality
Recently I re-activated my facebook account after a gap of few months. This was the second time I was doing so. I like this control option of facebook because it lets me disappear from public eye and what I like more is every time I re-activate I hardly notice any change. Some 'friends' and their wall updates just remain the same which almost implies our social behaviour and the image we project to the world by sharing links, views hardly ever changes. This gives me a sense of permanency in the world where everything is so fleeting and transient.
Social media has made it possible to live out our lives in open. We can choose any mask to hide our ugly spots and create an illusion that we are what we project to be. But there are many brazen and bold people who just let their thoughts and ideas flow freely in public domain. I had one such 'friend' on facebook. A New York based blogger shared even little moments of his routine life on facebook. I was a not keen follower of his blog, website nor an active friend on facebook or twitter. I don't think i ever interacted with him except for accepting his friend request. But still through his regular updates he let me have a glimpse of his life, his thoughts and his amazing essays. It was extremely generous of him. His social media skills were awesome because he had more than 2000 friends and followers on facebook and blogs. He was one of the friends whose updates I subconsciously expected but didnt really look forward to. His presence was so distant that when I re-activated my facebook I really didn't miss his updates for few days, but someone really seemed missing from my facebook.
Two days ago I was 'editing' my friends list and I saw his name. Even when I clicked on his name I was thinking he must have put up link of his new essay on art, literature or an update about his daily walk to bookstore to read New York Times. But what I saw on his profile page numbed me. His wall was full of condolence messages and obituary links. It took me a while to comprehend that he had died. I went back in time to look for his last update and it was indeed about his regular walk for coffee and New York Times. After that there were messages confirming his death. It was so unexpected and I really wanted to reach out to know what had happened and I had no other option but to send a message to his facebook account itself. I really hoped someone had access to his account but now it seems highly unlikely.
It is a new reality that our virtual personas and identities will outlive all of us. There is no way to know about death in advance and we won't even get time to de-activate our accounts or put up a farewell note. These social media accounts and walls will be our tombstone and epitaphs, which we will not be around to see or read. Ofcourse human memory is short and a person does get erased but still we can leave behind our virtual footprint if we want to.
Now I have a non-existent person on my friends list and it really seems absurd to delete him. His virtual footprints on social media sites and most importantly his thoughts, ideas, writings have remained and they have made him immortal. I admire his family, friends and colleagues efforts to maintain his websites. Everything is there except him.
Social media has made it possible to live out our lives in open. We can choose any mask to hide our ugly spots and create an illusion that we are what we project to be. But there are many brazen and bold people who just let their thoughts and ideas flow freely in public domain. I had one such 'friend' on facebook. A New York based blogger shared even little moments of his routine life on facebook. I was a not keen follower of his blog, website nor an active friend on facebook or twitter. I don't think i ever interacted with him except for accepting his friend request. But still through his regular updates he let me have a glimpse of his life, his thoughts and his amazing essays. It was extremely generous of him. His social media skills were awesome because he had more than 2000 friends and followers on facebook and blogs. He was one of the friends whose updates I subconsciously expected but didnt really look forward to. His presence was so distant that when I re-activated my facebook I really didn't miss his updates for few days, but someone really seemed missing from my facebook.
Two days ago I was 'editing' my friends list and I saw his name. Even when I clicked on his name I was thinking he must have put up link of his new essay on art, literature or an update about his daily walk to bookstore to read New York Times. But what I saw on his profile page numbed me. His wall was full of condolence messages and obituary links. It took me a while to comprehend that he had died. I went back in time to look for his last update and it was indeed about his regular walk for coffee and New York Times. After that there were messages confirming his death. It was so unexpected and I really wanted to reach out to know what had happened and I had no other option but to send a message to his facebook account itself. I really hoped someone had access to his account but now it seems highly unlikely.
It is a new reality that our virtual personas and identities will outlive all of us. There is no way to know about death in advance and we won't even get time to de-activate our accounts or put up a farewell note. These social media accounts and walls will be our tombstone and epitaphs, which we will not be around to see or read. Ofcourse human memory is short and a person does get erased but still we can leave behind our virtual footprint if we want to.
Now I have a non-existent person on my friends list and it really seems absurd to delete him. His virtual footprints on social media sites and most importantly his thoughts, ideas, writings have remained and they have made him immortal. I admire his family, friends and colleagues efforts to maintain his websites. Everything is there except him.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sacrificial Lambs - A Quiet Journey to the Platter
Last night I took a tram ride with my son and as it passed through the old part of the city, under a flyover, we saw goats, lambs and cows in large numbers huddled together. The place was crowded and it looked like Sunday cattle market.
As the tram passed close to them, I saw their brilliant dark eyes and innocent faces. Did they know their fate? None of them struggled desperately to be free. Maybe they trusted their masters. Sometimes price of trust is too high!
I felt weird to be witness to their last moments of life. Some of them were fidgeting for no reason, others were calling out, some were looking for a tiny blade of grass on that concrete roadside. They were all very much alive, almost defining Life. My son wanted to bring one home as pet. I glanced helplessly at hundreds of them. Did I see or imagine fear in their eyes?
As the tram passed close to them, I saw their brilliant dark eyes and innocent faces. Did they know their fate? None of them struggled desperately to be free. Maybe they trusted their masters. Sometimes price of trust is too high!
I felt weird to be witness to their last moments of life. Some of them were fidgeting for no reason, others were calling out, some were looking for a tiny blade of grass on that concrete roadside. They were all very much alive, almost defining Life. My son wanted to bring one home as pet. I glanced helplessly at hundreds of them. Did I see or imagine fear in their eyes?
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Cinderella
These days I spin luxury blogs for some websites. It is certainly not easy to spin a yarn about luxury yachts, top fashion brands, top luxury hotels and all the extreme indulgences of the rich. But its work and a good escape too - I get to go on a virtual trip. I walk down fashion streets of best cities where brands open new stores and I can go sea faring too.
Yesterday I was amused to read and write about some super luxury shoe brand's plan of opening a new store in Beijing and not only that, they are planning to change designs to suit tastes of the east. Yes, China is opening doors to them all but it still has iron walls. Hong Kong, Shanghai are leaving Japan, US behind in luring investments and brands. What do we call communists in power with capitalist wealth? No wonder China is furious about Nobel Peace price being given to jailed human rights activist, even countries need to maintain brand images and reputations these days.
I often think about Cinderella story, there was a Prince who went in search of her, but I doubt whether these luxury brands, super rich will ever go in search of poverty stricken beauties like Haiti. Of course luxury world and celebrities do a lot of charity work, they donate money and they mobilize lot of funds but it never really reaches the distressed. Money circulates only in certain orbits.
I watch rich people's world which has both means and ends and I glance at Haiti's news where earthquake victims still don't have a shelter. Rich business houses are the true winners - they make money, they create means to spend more money and thus money is kept in circulation within rich and if possible they siphon off more money from wannabe middle class, neo rich and even poor farmers. There is very little scope of trickling it down ever thanks to geopolitical and economic state of the world. The only hope for uneducated poor are the reality shows which can turn their life around. Yes, fairy tales do happen in this world where billionaires are important than the billions.
Have you ever tried traveling from Haiti to China via US and Europe without moving an inch? I am sorry, I have turned into a bad tired rambler...I must sleep.
Yesterday I was amused to read and write about some super luxury shoe brand's plan of opening a new store in Beijing and not only that, they are planning to change designs to suit tastes of the east. Yes, China is opening doors to them all but it still has iron walls. Hong Kong, Shanghai are leaving Japan, US behind in luring investments and brands. What do we call communists in power with capitalist wealth? No wonder China is furious about Nobel Peace price being given to jailed human rights activist, even countries need to maintain brand images and reputations these days.
I often think about Cinderella story, there was a Prince who went in search of her, but I doubt whether these luxury brands, super rich will ever go in search of poverty stricken beauties like Haiti. Of course luxury world and celebrities do a lot of charity work, they donate money and they mobilize lot of funds but it never really reaches the distressed. Money circulates only in certain orbits.
I watch rich people's world which has both means and ends and I glance at Haiti's news where earthquake victims still don't have a shelter. Rich business houses are the true winners - they make money, they create means to spend more money and thus money is kept in circulation within rich and if possible they siphon off more money from wannabe middle class, neo rich and even poor farmers. There is very little scope of trickling it down ever thanks to geopolitical and economic state of the world. The only hope for uneducated poor are the reality shows which can turn their life around. Yes, fairy tales do happen in this world where billionaires are important than the billions.
Have you ever tried traveling from Haiti to China via US and Europe without moving an inch? I am sorry, I have turned into a bad tired rambler...I must sleep.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Daily Life
Big Fish, Tiny Fish
Moving behind glass
Going in Circles
Watching
Room
People
Going in Circles
Daily Life
Goes on
No Beginnings
No Ends
Only New replacing
Old
Planet Spins
Goes in Circles
Moon Spins
And Goes in Circles too
Just like Thoughts
All Meaningless
But they
Exist
Daily Life
Goes on in Circles
Even after
Exit
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