LUCY...and the connections I made in my mind...

So we went to catch Lucy last weekend...the trailer looked interesting, and we were all anticipation...but what struck us most about it was that it transcended its own premise of being quite the thriller, and opened up infinite possibilities of philosophical thought...how when, indeed if, we put our brains to full use, we become so intricately connected with all the aspects of our surroundings, that we are everywhere and nowhere all at once...our scope becomes so vast and limitless that we cannot be contained within the contraints of one body, within the temporal and spatial restrictions that would impose on us...that we are able to look at things from such an immense height of enlightened understanding, we begin to fully comprehend the bigger picture, and thereby control our emotions, by placing them against the grand tapestry of life...we become infinite and hence eternal...that which knows no bounds can never die, and never exist either...we become one with the world, and this both defines, ehances and yet weakens and undermines our individual identities...our idiosyncracies bow in the presence of the moods of the universe...we are liberated by this intricate and universal connection...how well Tagore had captured it, I couldn't stop myself from thinking as I left Golden Village, (the movie theatre), as the song which kept repeating in my head was "Tomaro ashimey prano mon loye..." My interpretation of this song is that for Tagore, the idea of God is embedded in this realm of the infinite, this heightened perspective which helps us moderate our many emotions and feelings in the light of the bigger picture, which is the vast and infinite universe...so, in the end, my conclusion is that the full use of our brain capacity has been predicted by the brilliant Romantic poet, William Blake, eons ago: “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.” ― William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

Somewhere over the rainbow

'Somewhere over the Rainbow/way up high/there's a land that I heard of/once in a lullaby...' Yes, a song of wish fulfilment, a wistful yearning for that one place where the troubles, little or big, of this worldwill no longer plague us, as George Orwell termed it in Animal Farm, the Sugar Candy mountain each of us secretly or perhaps even openly craves...but in Animal Farm, we see that the people who oppress others the most are the ones who promise the assurance of this paradise to those they put through torture...the idea that suffering eventually will liberate us from suffering...a problematic idea, because this can serve as a justification to continue oppressing others...but sometimes, though this statement is fraught with complexities, one can't help but close one's eyes and think upon that land... Alright this will be a rambling post...echoing the long walks my mind revels in taking...I am posting a poem by John Clare here, which I love: >I Am! BY JOHN CLARE I am—yet what I am none cares or knows; My friends forsake me like a memory lost: I am the self-consumer of my woes— They rise and vanish in oblivious host, Like shadows in love’s frenzied stifled throes And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed Into the nothingness of scorn and noise, Into the living sea of waking dreams, Where there is neither sense of life or joys, But the vast shipwreck of my life’s esteems; Even the dearest that I loved the best Are strange—nay, rather, stranger than the rest. I long for scenes where man hath never trod A place where woman never smiled or wept There to abide with my Creator, God, And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept, Untroubling and untroubled where I lie The grass below—above the vaulted sky. What strikes me in particular about this poem is that despite being dismissed or critically judged by elements of the world, Clare's own self-belief is largely unshaken as he firmly establishes his identity and asserts "I am!"

Flow

Off-late, I have been investing a lot of my emotions and a great deal of energy into teaching...pedagogy...the art and the science of teaching and learning...how do I transform all those years of education I received into 'good grades' for my students? How will my knowledge and the manner in which I transfer it convert itself into an alphabet of utmost importance on another's certificate...and that of course leads to the bigger, age ol question of whether education is really so quantifiable, methods of assessment and how best to guage learning... Besides which, life hasn't been a bed of rose petals, I've encountered the pricks of thorns, but the wounds didn't bleed as much as they infused me with some sort of unknown strength to persevere, to better myself, to bury any semblance of an individual ego into the soil of unimportance, and replace it with the bigger picture of commitment and service which I have set out to pursue...it is when one learns to focus deeply on the intent of the action, the true motivation for one's work, does some modicum of peace prevail, despite certai humbling moments... A song by Tagore peforms an act of inspiration every time...and propels me forwards, through this tempest called life... "Ami marer shagor paari debo..." Tagore If i may atttempt a rough and rudimentary translation, or rather transcreation of this song perhaps... "I will cross the tempest-tossed and difficult sea, At the pace of an enraged storm, As this is the way in which I can encounter and overcome my fears... I will put my trust in Divine assurance, And ride on a broken sail, My boat will reach your secure port, Under the shade of your sheltering tree I know my way will be paved, By the One whose purpose I'm fulfilling, I only hope that I may untie myself From my native shore And traverse the journey with courage... For when my day comes to an end, I will bear the blood-stained flower Of my hard, hard days And lay it as an offering To convey my acts of service At Your feet."