Ambiguity

It's sort of a quiet turbulence right now. Of course, a lot of contemplation towards where we're going. Personally I've always loved the uncertainty - to put it better, uncertainty has always loved us. But this, this phase, has been remarkably sordid but as they say, character-building. It always feels good when we philosophize about an event or concept BEFORE or AFTER it happens - but WHEN it happens, DURING the event - it's something of a vortex. Pulling you in deeper and deeper with no understanding of what, how, why and when. After that, an ambiguity sets in, like you are murky waters, submerged-floating, in a slow current, drowning but not quite yet...trying to find that glimmer of light that lets you know where the surface is - to get a breath of air, a big gasp and after that - a semblance of sense, sanity in this wide world.

Nothingness of the Other kind

What do you write when you got nothing to say or write? How do you put that 'nothingness' onto the paper or onto this....screen, when you know that it's not the 'nothingness' you got in there, but something...and that something just wouldn't come out. On the one hand, that something is either too small to manifest itself because it seems so insignificant or (on the other hand) too huge that you cannot possibly contain it in words. The most usual thing/s that you would do typically consists of the following. 

You wait a little. You take long pauses. You stare at something so long that it blurs out in your vision. Then you fix your gaze at something else. Blur out again. Then you make a feeble attempt at voicing out something which turns out to be crap. Then you erase it. You start all over again.

I guess this is that stage of nothingness of the 2nd kind - the nothingness that's loaded with that huge something which couldn't possibly be contained...ergo...can't be written about. So, as I contemplate on this and life's other meaningless shit, we, the collective, are working towards giving closure to the project that needs one. Can't really tell if this closure would be a definitive one...yet!

Dazed & Confounded

So what's new other than being sucked up into another vortex of life? I warn you, before you go on - this is a bit of a philosophical/existentialist rant(like many of my other ramblings). There's enough things in this world to really throw you off balance just when you think you're figuring it all out. I sometimes really can't fathom whether to laugh at the absurdities of life or marvel at the irony of existence. On the one hand, I love this thing called 'life' because it offers you a perspective of the world that no one else can see. On the other, I hate the concept of it, because it's packed with affirmatives and negatives that are often juxtaposed together and gives you the feeling that life just doesn't fuckin' make sense. I mean, why? Why, for gosh sakes, are we really here? I mean, who cares? Say something happens to me or you, like right now. Other than the people to whom we really matter to, our existence is totally vacuous. Ok then you might say since there may be a few people who do care about your absence, it should make some sense. But then, they are gonna keep living on, maybe with you in their memory. So I feel like, why the hell should I be attached to things and people in this reality? But then, however objectively I look at life, the subjectivity of it all just screws up the knowledge and wisdom you've gathered. How much ever I feel like detachment is the way to go, there's something so strong that pulls you in the way of attachment. But then again, attachments don't matter eventually. So there, see I've put myself in this thinking-time loop. I think I get it and the next second, I don't get one bit of it. These days my cynicism seems to get the better of me. But something just keeps gnawing at your insides that I should be doing this or that. I feel good when I save a dog. Why? I jus' don't know. So despite all the negativity and chaos, I feel there's some purpose but can't put a finger to it. And that angers me, because there seems to be no focus. And you have to fight the good fight to live the life you want to. So I guess the only thing that gets me off is purging out these thoughts that get churned out by my thinking-time loop. And until I strike a balance and get off the chronos, you gotta put up with this existentialist crap. Have fun!

What really is Real?

Shucks, this has gotta be out there. I often wonder what is it that makes or describes reality or the concept of what is real. And then...just came across this quote from Margery Williams' 'The Velveteen Rabbit' and damn it, it can't get more profound than this. Seriously, think about this as you read it.

"Real isn't how you are made," says the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you… It doesn't happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. Generally by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Whew! Can feel it...or should I say 'really' feel it. And something about the storyline of the V. rabbit catches you by the throat. Anyways, now that I've opened the can called 'Real', here's an all-time favorite by Da Man Morpheus in The Matrix - who defines real to Neo:

"What is real, Neo? How do you define real? If you're talking about your senses, what you feel, taste, smell, or see, then all you're talking about are electrical signals interpreted by your brain."

 Classic...Maximum Awesome! Someday I'll come up with my re-loaded, redefined version of Real and then you'll all probably quote it and have gooseflesh all around ;-) Thank you very much! (And the pic above is one from our photographic light art collection.)

Fusion of Contradictions- Part I

Artificial-Natural

It would not be an exaggeration that on all the efforts in defining and redefining the conception of ‘living’, a great importance had been endorsed upon one of the most significant aspect known as ‘soul’ in the great course of human history.

There had been the emergence of distinct schools of thought exactly opposite to each other and opposing philosophies and opposing ideologies in the conceptualization of ‘soul’ and the objective realities of existence.

The emergence of such exactly opposite values and the equal recognition they could attain in the course of development of mankind, it is evident that the quest for truth is inherent in the mankind that expresses an innate feeling for harmony.

In the search for truth there is inevitability for the correct inference of ‘untruth’, only which would distinguish the ‘truth’ with clarity.

The search for truth is mostly associated with the concept of ‘soul’; that accommodates in it also the objective realities of the world, which in turn encompasses the subjective contradictions in the objective world.

In the search for defining ‘living’ and realization of ‘soul’, human mind crosses several contradictions; one fundamental among which is the contradiction between ‘artificial’ and ‘natural’ in the mind and practices of people.

The mankind in its course of growth has an inevitability to be compatible with nature to retain the very existence.

But in the course of growth an attitude of haste and aggression infiltrated in the mankind that is a tendency of opposing nature, both in the practices and also in the mind set of the people. This tendency is known as ‘artificiality’.

But on a generalized stand point, man is nothing but a product of nature and in this view whatever man does must also be natural.

But it has been widely recognized that whatever man does is artificial.

We recognize the nest of a bird as natural; a termite mound as natural; a bee hive as natural; a spider’s web as natural. But if a man builds a house then we normally say it as artificial.

In such a state of affairs it becomes necessary to distinguish the line of division between the artificial and natural, with lucidity.

In the struggle for survival at first man had made attempts to understand nature to adapt himself and also for protecting him for ensuring his survival. In the due course he became better comfortable with nature and started using it for his further comforts and also realized his inadequacy in the understanding of nature, when he formed groups towards organizing the search for solutions for various problems, when a tendency of fighting the insecurity in life became primary focus towards monopolizing the so called natural resources, which paved way for betterment of living standards and also productivity, focusing on trade and commerce. Abundant methods and means of production instigated various autonomous and isolated institutional structures while greatly curtailing human freedom due to the fetters of the so called institutional structures.

In the due course, the institutional structures became the depiction of authority, direction, regulation, guidance and so on when all the practices of the human race became focused towards strengthening the so called institutions, essentially economically, which had been assumed as the only means to attain the so called authority, thus getting far deviated from humanity, when the individual humans had no other option but to become slaves for the institutions of various forms and at times even countries turning out to be institutions.

The so called institutional structures of various forms oriented towards security, authority, power and economics did not permit even several heads and the members of the institutions to practice humanity, love, compassion and all those great virtues of mankind but to get involved in various acts against the conscience crossing various ethical and moral barriers with reduced sensitivity and increasing ignorance, while coining a tricky word known as ‘duty’ for obstinately justifying such ignorance. It is also a bitter fact that man is forced to compromise and overlook even his self respect on various occasions due to the institutional compulsions.

That is human invented institutions for his own alleviation to get organized and he got trapped with his own invention towards destruction of ‘self’.

On the other hand mankind invented a lot of means to enhance and betterment of living and the so called comfort ability. With all those inventions and various means for hurried usage of nature towards more and more comfort ability and establishment of authority, almost all the practices of man got focused towards exploitation of nature in a hasty manner.

That is, mankind invented a lot of technologies and gadgets to improve living towards more and more sophistication resulting in a very big question that, ‘where exactly are we heading towards?’

It is obvious that mankind is heading towards self destruction.

Now on the view point of the knowledge and practices of the human society, ‘artificial’ could be defined as something which is invented by man as the product of ignorance coupled with selfishness to get himself trapped in the due course towards destruction of ‘self’ and on the human society as a whole towards ‘self destruction’ and pseudo living.

In the same sense, ‘Natural’ could be defined as something which is invented by man as the product of awareness of the ignorance coupled with selflessness that elevates him towards an upper plane of consciousness and realization of ‘self’ and on the human society as a whole towards ‘existence’ and true living.

With such an understanding of natural and artificial when both of these prevail in the mind and practices of the society, a normally justified and accepted notion through the scientific perceptions is that, whatever materials invented by man that do not decay on natural course are known as artificial.

To be continued...

A Part of the Whole -1

A moment captured - of the wild - on the way to Melur, a place in Madurai, TamilNadu...this place is called AzhagarKovil...the palm trees, the sky, the rock, the grass....co-existing...where is my place in all this?? I wonder if I have alienated myself from all this...what do you think??

A few quotes your way...

Your Thoughts Build Your Life

What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday,
and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life
is the creation of our mind.
The Buddha

Stay Positive

I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.

Rabindranath Tagore

Positive Action

Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail. Og Mandino

One Positive Thought

It takes but one positive thought, when given a chance to survive and thrive, to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts.
Robert H. Schuller

Courtesy:Lucy MacDonald

Don't misinterpret Nature's art !!

Autumn is here...
you might just mistake this piece of Naure's art for a disastrous forest fire!!
Take some time out and enjoy the art...instead of sitting amidst four walls of your house or office!!
and for the humans who have evergreen trees around them...well, i will fill you in with the moments as much as i can!

Francis Bacon (1561- 1626)

I was reading this book called ESSENTIALS OF PHILOSOPHY by James Mannion and I wanted to share this topic about Francis Bacon.
Francis Bacon was a British politician and businessman who took a scientific approach to philosophy. He studied the world as an empirical observer would and attempted to avoid bringing his preconceptions and prejudices into the proceedings.
Bacon proposed that, in order to truly understand the world, we must first be aware of the various obstacles and distractions that prevent us from seeing things clearly. He identified these impediments as IDOLS.
IDOLS OF THE TRIBE
This refers to the sense of self-importance that people have about their place in the grand design of things and their penchant to take at face value the observations of our senses. In other words, everything may not be what it appears to be, and we should be aware of that.
IDOLS OF THE CAVE
This speaks about our tendencies to make generalizations about the world at large based on our limited experience in our little corner of the world. Put in simple terms, never assume anything.
IDOLS OF THE MARKETPLACE
This deals with the imperfections of language as a means of communication. By attempting to understand the wonders around us and describing them via the limits of language, we do not do them justice nor are we fully able to comprehend them.
IDOLS OF THE THEATER
These are the inherent flaws of Philosophy itself. Great thinkers devise and put forth lofty notions about things, but these are beliefs built on the shaky foundation of our own faulty perceptions.
He also said that once we notice the effects that these Idols have on upon us, we will be in a position to avoid them, and our knowledge of nature will accordingly improve.
For more Click here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon

There arise a lot of questions in my mind when I think about all this...What then is truth?? What do we believe?? Isn't there something called Instincts that drive us?? Well, if we start to doubt everything, then won't we be at the edge of insanity?? Isn't there a reason why things happen around us and to us in a specific way?? I can agree about prejudices and preconceptions...but whatever we know, we know from this world around us right?? And whatever we perceive is a creative manipulation of whatever was already there right??
or..or maybe Truth is Intangible...or the fact that Truth is Intangible is Tangible...??

Kannitverstan by Johann Peter Hebel

A very interesting short story...happy reading...!!
Man indeed has the opportunity every day, in Emmendingen or Gundelfingen as well as in Amsterdam, to speculate, if he wants to, on the inconsistency of all earthly things and to become satisfied with his fate, even though there aren’t many roast pigeons flying about in the air for him. But, through an error, a German artisan in Amsterdam arrived at the truth and its recognition by the strangest roundabout way. For when he had come to this great and rich commercial city full of splendid houses, swaying ships and busy people, his eye was at once caught by a large and handsome house, such as he had never yet experienced on all his wanderings from Tuttlingen to Amsterdam.
For a long time he contemplated this luxurious building in astonishment, the six chimneys on its roof, its beautiful cornices and its tall windows, larger than the door of his father’s house at home. Finally he could not refrain from addressing a passer-by. “My good friend,” he said to him, “couldn’t you tell me the name of the gentleman who owns this wonderfully beautiful house with its windows full of tulips, daisies and stocks?” But the man, who presumably had something more important to do and unfortunately understood just as much of the German language as the questioner of Dutch, that is to say nothing, said shortly and brusquely, “Kannitverstan” and buzzed past.
Now this was a Dutch word, or three if you want to be exact, and means in German as much as “Ich kann Euch nicht verstehn.” (“I can’t understand you.” ) But the good stranger believed that this was the name of the man he had asked about. He must have been an awfully rich man, this Herr Kannitverstan, he thought and went on. Out one street, in another, he finally came to the bay they call there Het Ey, or in German, the Y. There stood ship beside ship and mast beside mast, and at first he didn’t know how he would manage to see and contemplate his fill of all these marvels with his two eyes alone, until finally his attention was caught by a large ship which had recently arrived from East India and was now being unloaded.
Whole rows of boxes and bales were already standing on and beside one another on land. But more kept being rolled out, and barrels full of sugar and coffee, full of rice and pepper and, pardon the expression, mouse droppings too. But when he had looked for a long time, he finally asked a fellow who was just carrying a chest on his shoulder for the name of the lucky man for whom the sea was bringing all these goods to shore. “Kannitverstan” was the reply. At this he thought, Aha, is that it?” No wonder, a man for whom the sea floats such treasures ashore can well afford to put such houses into the world and such breeds of tulips in front of his windows in gilded flowerpots.
Now he went back again and began a really sad speculation in his mind, what a poor man he was among so many rich people in the world. But just as he was thinking, if I had it as good as this Herr Kannitverstan, only once – he turned a corner and saw a long funeral procession. Four horses, draped in black, were drawing a hearse, which was likewise draped in black, slowly and mournfully, as if they knew that they were taking a dead man to his rest. A long train of friends and acquaintances of the deceased followed, pair by pair, enveloped in black coats and silent. In the distance a lonely bell was tolling.
Now our stranger was seized by a melancholy feeling, which never passes a good man by when he sees a corpse, and he stood there devoutly with his hat in his hands until they had all passed by. However he went up to the last man in the procession, who was just then calculating silently how much he would profit from his cotton if it went up ten guldens a hundredweight, gently took hold of his cloak and innocently begged his pardon. “That must have been a good friend of yours,” he said, “for whom the bell is tolling, that you are following the procession so sadly and pensively.” “Kannitverstan!” was the reply. At this a few big tears fell from the eyes of our man from Tuttlingen, and he suddenly felt heavy and then again light about his heart. “Poor Kannitverstan,” he exclaimed, “what profit do you get from all your wealth now” What I will get from my poverty some day too: a shroud and a sheet, and from all your beautiful flowers – perhaps a sprig of rosemary on your cold chest or a rue.”
With these thoughts he accompanied the corpse to the grave as if he belonged to the party, saw the supposed Herr Kannitverstan lowered to his rest and was more moved by the Dutch funeral oration, of which he did not understand a word, than by many a German one to which he paid no attention. Finally he went away with the others with a light heart and ate a piece of Limburger cheese with a good appetite at an inn where they understood German, and whenever he was again threatened by the sad thought that so many people in the world were so rich and he so poor, he merely thought of Herr Kannitverstan in Amsterdam, of his great house, his rich ship and his narrow grave.

Johann Peter Hebel (1760-1826) was a clergyman and educator. He published many anecdotes and didactic tales under the title Schatzkästlein des rheinländischen Hausfreundes (Little Treasure Chest of the Rhenish Family Friend). The book has remained a classic because of Hebel’s narrative power and his dry wit.

Courtesy: http://evans-experientialism.freewebspace.com/hebel.htm

Designing an alternative SOCIETY?

We have endless talks and discussions about how demoralized and desperate our present human society is!
When someone asks you the simple question, What would you do to change the society and help make this world a better place?
What would be your answer?
I came across this SCHOOL FOR DESIGNING A SOCIETY. It is disappointing in the sense that we all have time to complain about how incorrigible the current system has become but never have the time to sit down and note down changes that we can actually make - to make it better!
Check this School's site and get an idea as to what you could be doing instead of just sitting and discussing what is wrong. The idea is not to get you enrolled in the school but to think of taking some action towards creating a change which could actually make a difference in some small way!
Check their blog site HERE
Check their PDF book on ALTERNATIVE NECESSITIES

Also check the blog PASSIONS AND SURVIVAL.BLOGSPOT.COM for the interview with ROB SCOTT on Beyond Available Alternatives.

Simplification #1

A PRIORI	POSTERIORI
BELIEVE THAT IT ALREADY EXISTS IN THE MIND	BELIEVE THAT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE LEARNED THROUGH EXPERIENCE
REASONING DOES NOT DEPEND ON EXPERIENCE	REASONING THROUGH THE SENSES
SOMETHING I CAN KNOW WITHOUT HAVING TO EXPERIENCE… For Eg: PARENTHOOD… I’M AWARE THAT IT INVOLVES TAKING CARE OF KIDS AND PROVIDING FOR THEM. RATIONALISTS	SOMETHING I CAN KNOW ONLY THROUGH EXPERIENCE… For Eg... LOVE…I CAN SAY HOW IT FEELS ONLY IT I HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OF LOVING ANOTHER. EMPIRICISTS

I have tried to simplify two concepts from a broad perspective...I am trying this for the first time..
More to come..
:-)

Reality & States of Being

Of late, I've been having random thoughts, very ambiguous, ecstatic and weird even. Sometimes I wonder where all this really comes from. I mean, does me saying I'm happy or sad or confused or angry mean that I'm all those at different points of time. What is the reality then? That is, if 'reality' even exists.
Well then if I feel those at different times, aren't my thoughts always subjective to that 'reality'. So those random feelings - are those just states of being(emotions) depending on various situations. So if we can control our thoughts or situations can we control our subjective reality? Our states of being?
Which brings us to an important school of thought - Subjective reality.
Here's an excerpt from Steve Pavlina's theory of subjective reality.

Subjective reality is an integrated belief system where consciousness and awareness are primary. They are the container in which everything else exists. And I do mean EVERYTHING.
In a truly subjective universe, there is nothing outside your own consciousness — no world, no bodies, no brain. Suppose I ask you the question, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” With an objective belief structure, you might say yes, but you might also say no, depending on your views on quantum physics. However, if you believed in subjective reality, you have to reject the question entirely. You’d say that there’s no such thing as a tree outside your awareness. That tree doesn’t even exist. Nor does the forest for that matter. If you are not there to observe it, it doesn’t exist at all. Without consciousness there is no existence.
A secondary element is that within a subjective universe, thought is the primary creative element. All thoughts manifest in some form, whether conscious or unconscious. So the physical universe is like a giant computer, crunching your thoughts into reality. Thoughts are waves, and the physical universe is the summation of all those waves. Hence where there is no thought, there is no physical existence. If a thought does not exist, its physical manifestation does not exist either.

In spite of all this, we have objective reality which obviously is a departure from subjective reality, but again it is one that is under the realm of subjective reality. Here's an article on transcending subjective reality from http://www.martialdevelopment.com/blog/transcending-subjective-reality/
Do check out the quote from the blog on the Persian philosopher Ibn Sina which I think makes sense as far as understanding objective reality is concerned.
My point is, in order to understand reality, we have to be aware of both the subjective and objective realms and act accordingly. Sometimes it may not seem to make sense but we wanna cope up with our reality a basic understanding is definitely essential.
(picture courtesy - http://home.wxs.nl/~brouw724/enlightenment.html)