Vanishing wisdom

 It is expected in an ideal situation that as people get old they gather experience and with knowledge and insight through exposure to wide range of ideas and thoughts acquire holistic understanding, compassionate and mindful presence. Through scrutiny and critical thinking an examined life is deemed to possess wisdom (if not in the entire gamut of life atleast in some aspects that adds to collective wisdom). We are so much fortunate that wise thoughts over the centuries have been preserved through printing and now disseminated by internet and available at one click. Whether it’s simmering thoughts of Walt Whitman or talks and searing writings of Toni Morrison or an astounding expression of deep connection of remote tribe…all are available. Despite deluge of insights it has become increasingly rare to come across wise elders or perceptive views that gives deeper analysis into the quandary these days. Not that the elders hold the key nor becoming old makes anyone wise. The numerous, and kinds of perceptive thoughts available, can save lots of time so even younger minds can acquire insights previously impossible. Younger minds bring newer ideas but older minds are tempered with experience and emotions hence high probability of wisdom. However if society itself is evolved then possibilities of young minds achieving amazing insights becomes quite likely. There is a reason why breakthrough ideas and exalted subtlety emerge from very few diminishing spaces of the world.       

As it is the contemporary world has become much crude and louder with market crassness that has kept the crowd mesmerized over large public space. While anachronistic religions with juvenile compelling narrations have created herds out of insecure and pitiable humans who have become more than nuisance in recent times. Politics is a convenient intersection of market and religion for charlatans to ensnare herds as voters. Older these politicians get worse they propose. Hence these contexts can be negated to produce wisdom and perceptiveness to evaluate cascading existential problems that humanity faces. It was therefore such a pleasant surprise to come across fresh whiff of wisdom through octogenarian Sugatha Kumari in her talks and prose, without any characteristic arrogance or entitlements or positioning that this society relishes and traps people in. In the severe stampede for the loot in the name art and activism, the pecking order established through nepotism, blackmailing and fervent haggling in and around power center, decency is the first causality. She passed away the other day from covid infection without much ado. It is quite rare to have insightful people that too in primitive society reeling in overwhelming mediocrity.  A region of fragile ecosystem and biodiversity placed in crass consumerism of crudest of people self-assured in varying idiocity of religions.  

It is a significant loss to humanity when wise people pass away. And when one is middle aged it tends to expose oneself to uncertainties that are left behind. As a generation of amazing people is passing away suddenly a protective shade of assurance is being snatched. Insights to comprehensively understand and deal the challenges are being lost. They now live in their writings and talks. But then who has the time as the society without any ethical anchor or compassion bearing swirls in the entertainments of glittering golden shitpot waiting to be flushed out into gutter of puerile entitlements.   

Post Script:

Once, and no more

The dirty brown splotched caterpillar munch the last of the leaves

yawns and indicates that it’s to roll up into dried leaf pupa

The wonder that emerges as brush footed commander  

Surprises itself by flying to the top of golden shower tree to share its colors

That’s too many things in a life, I yell to the butterfly

So what’s the trick?

How do I know how to live, be alive?

He surely did hear me.

I could tell from the way he unfurled and furled his proboscis  

My life is too short for your queries.   

Once, and only once to be here

And no more.  

He spreads his wings as bed spread

And stitch dreams from one end to another

For a long long sleep

And connect the constellations to exchange his life

          For the atoms and all                    

To find meaning

Presence is most important understanding. That is, you as a sentient being connect to the reality with all the senses. This then links, slowly but deliberately, as conscious to what is not perceived. Over the years with dedicated work and scrutiny one attunes to the best that is to offer. Getting attuned to excellence –pinnacle of possibilities, takes lots of effort as much as getting connected to simple and common. It could be subtlety of sights epitomized through nature or efforts of art. It could be ideas or thoughts that one seeks through searing presences in books, talks or writings or sometimes through visual mediums or images, that connects to the best thoughts over the centuries and contemporary and points to fertile future and possibilities. Meanwhile the mind works through its own ways of assimilation and consolidation and evolves its individual conceptions and insights in this nurturing ecosystem. Internet has made the connection to excellence much easier and eclectic thoughts accessible. There is no need to walk to the library and spent time on searching though not denying that these were charming activities. 

It is in this rich tapestry that one encounters words. Words that consolidate meanings into ideas and possibilities herein. These words carry insights and understandings of thinking minds that deliberated. These words with rich meanings, subtleties of thoughts and ideas encapsulated are being wrenched and thrown into haggling and deceit of market media. Visual media is defining arbitrator of issues and topics to highlight and is influencing majority of unthinking minds into herds which is having severe repercussions. Debate, which is a serious degradation of sane discussion into neoliberal social Darwinian binary, is ruining interactions and articulation to act. It is reduced to show of absurdities that is sucking reality into farce. For instance words like liberal and conservative are being tagged, boxed, into narrow binary meanings devoid of any subtleties or nuance of deliberation or context hence is meant to indicate bearers as competing forces thus cleverly segregating people into warring camps. There is an ease of effort, a monstrous simplification, meant to land into deep recess of herds and keep them held there. Market media and greedy arbitrators are accused of dumbing down and reducing issues as spectacles for consumption.                     

Words are not dead. They live and thrive. They have rich meaning that are an intrinsic aspect of evolving minds, an elemental aspect of individual presence, social interactions and defining feature of society. All these assimilate the words into richer tapestry of communication and meaning. Words therefore must be assigned its nuance to hold the possibilities. When words are taken out of context and held into single restrain meant as identity it dies. And with it dies the diversity of possibilities and contexts. These attempts to convert words into staid transactional currency to please and trap the herd must be resisted. Herds must be jostled from their market festooned bovine comfort and religion supported relaxing swings into the chaos of life and possibilities of individuals merging and emerging from multitude. And for that to happen words must be alive.          

Evolving post modernism into synchronous world

Modernism was natural evolution of enlightenment. Indeed enlightenment period was the brightest phase in human history, atleast European history, emblematized by virile minds of likes of Leonardo da vinci. It had significant impact on humanity and decided the course of action. Modernism was built on triumph of reason that was essentially intertwined on liberty and freedom setting the foundation of democracy and modern world. It led to technological innovation and set the industrial revolution catapulting humanity into frenzied action. Somewhere in its enthusiasm it neglected the ambiguous. Ambiguity that veined through the nature and firmly rooted in human mind. There was a split from the very nature that sustains. Technology was seen as a potent instrument to remove ambiguity as it percolated into all aspects of life. Binary valuation gained significance. Digital media entered every home to occupy mind. Internet became source for interactive reactions and associations that consolidated binary. Meanwhile computer ran on binary, 0 or 1, and compete with the intelligence of human brain. This then permeated into social systems and mindsets. Certainty led to binary of thoughts. Yes and No. Us and Them. There was a constant push towards extremities in order to squeeze out the ambiguous. Issues were sought to be cleaved into neat halves, ostensibly for better understanding but meant for consumption. It became a preferred mode to deal the confusion and give the appearance of control. Indeed ambiguity was seen as something terrible. Admitting not knowing was weakness, and constantly admonished. This led to firming of binary while the ambiguous space (what Syzmborska refers as ‘I don’t know’) was usurped by certainties of religions and market. Knowledge, instead of creating awareness and understanding, was consolidating into utilitarian and focused on specific needs. This set in motion a dangerous value system that polarized society as it degraded debates and social issues. The binary narration taken into the absurdities of polarized politics is what you see in US, very much the culmination of these inanities that brackets everything and anything devoid of reason or compassion. A vociferous section of society constantly mainstreamed binary value system and had clear ideas of the world of what is good and bad. Since they were never confused they exude confidence and easily influenced masses with solutions to all their problems. (“…they ‘know,’ and what they know is enough for them once and for all. They don’t want to find out about anything else, since that might diminish the force of their arguments” -Syzmborska). They are abetted by certainities of market and religion. This gives transactional quality to relations and humbug at the core of interaction. While creative engagement i.e. art end up embellishing and pandering the majority or mainstream narration meanwhile constantly marginalizing the protest or vigilant interventions.     

Modernism no doubt reformed social institutions and evolved on the ideals of renaissance. But its fatal flaw was its undoing. It unleashed horrors of binary as humans slipped into pragmatism of flipside that compromised ideals. The deterioration was swift and led to world wars and amazing level of atrocities in the modern settings (alarmingly among ostensibly refined bearings of classical achievements of modernism, and to make it worse simulating efficiently run industry). Vandalism of modernism was brutally achieved while remnants were dealt by prostituting semantics to highest bidder. Words like liberty and freedom were casually used devoid of any meaning. Refined ideas of logic were stretched to its irrational limits. Art was made inconsequential entertainment that played on the binary to consolidate the narration into fantasy, the victory of accepted good, nationalism, mythical identities and regressive contexts. While fascists, demagogues, fanatics…had easy walk through altars of modern state. The happenings in the early 20^th century baffled sane people out of their complacency into intense soul searching. Post modernism was a backlash. It sought to rectify the mistakes of modernism by identifying the complexities of individuals and diversities of societies. Instead of clubbing humans into achievable and prescribed ideal state it sought to assert uniqueness of human experience. It set out to destructure the systems that were mortifying humans. It was meant to consolidate democratic ideals. The problem with post modernist experience is that it took it to the extreme of nihilism into human centric (ironic, since the deal was not to remove human from the center of discourse) irresponsibility -thus a conduit to hedonism, which was effectively tapped by market. What we see now is the worst of modernism and post modernism in a tussle. The binaries of debates, percolate as values, taking it to absurd extremes while on the other side there is assertion of regressive collectives and irresponsible careless selves.           

Agreed objective truth is difficult to arrive but what is true and sacrosanct is the identity of human beings as humans. This is a timeless and valued universal identity. What is also real is the reality of the world that we face, and nothing, nothing at all must be allowed to diminish this reality. The way we deal with the reality determines the future. There is no relativism in this reality. We have to restore faith in human reason. These cannot be always dismissed as mere rationalization but expressions of thinking human, of human consciousness. It is a potent cognitive tool to deal with reality of our existence. It’s an indelible aspect of being a human. Reasons are consolidation of human experience. For the experience to matter it must be attuned to the reality of existence. In a globalised world of 21^st century facing unique global challenges human identity has never been as significant as also as precarious. There are differences but there is also common humanity, aspirations and challenges. Instead of nurturing systems that seeks segregation and dehumanisation in the garb of differences a synchronous world is a conscious tango with post modern world. It respects humans as humans, and doesn’t assign identities or contexts that negate these. It accepts chaos and realize the absurd. A synchronous world has individual awake to their reality, are creatively involved to assert their uniqueness and synergically associate for global challenges and enlightened goals. This is paramount to consolidate the gains of post modern meanwhile correcting the mistakes that lead to impasse that humanity is in. Mistakes of post modern nihilism led to scattered world stuck in its self-fulfilling prophesies, and ironically, with egoistic humans self-absorbed at its centre. This hubris is responsible for human acquiring fantastic notion about themselves and seeking it as identity undermining humanity as also egalitarian values gained through conscious evolutions of society and subconscious assertion of liberty. It is ironic (indeed deeply disturbing) that post modern context is being flagrantly used to invigorate medieval identities and regressive value system. Sane people must resist this dilution of humanity. They must attempt to creatively involve in a deteriorating world. There must be greater understanding and sincerity in dealing while empathize with predicaments and contexts of fellow humans.

Sometime back I was reading about human brain signals and how it differs from signals from heart while heart exhibits repeated smooth pattern and erratic is a sign of alarm the brain works just the opposite. There were no pattern, it was determinately erratic, as if brain connect to the chaos for possibilities while any indications of repetitions was signs of stroke or seizure. Human mind is attuned to the chaos of the universe. Therein lay the possibilities. The other day I was reading Roger Penrose. It is impossible for AI to attain consciousness in the language of algorithms that is based on binary. Mind works on quantum possibilities. Consciousness is entangled in chaos to retrieve a synchronous world. As much as earth bubbles in the mind boggling concoction of chaos while it knits the beauty of life.

This is an incredible picture of a Malaysian moth that i came across few years back. It has murals on its wing delicately depicting two flies feeding on bird dropping. This evolution happens as life constantly attunes and synchronize with its surroundings. This synchronizing is achieved through constant exchange of information, some conscious, while mostly subconscious that gradually seeps into genetic material –the discerning witness and sensitive acquirer. It’s a closed loop of heightened awareness that keeps refining itself as it is passed on through hereditary material for better chance of survival. And very possibly in few million years in the chaos of quantum possibilities this moth could evolve into specie with as sophisticated consciousness as human being. This sophisticated consciousness is equipped to create sophisticated world but it has to hinge with reality, it will have to synchronize with life.           

 

Will of the herd and the rise of democratic demagoguery

Democracy expects individuals to be aware. It’s hinged on responsible citizens, who use security provided by the state, modern health facilities and opportunities through education, the technological innovation, to enhance their critical thinking and understanding of the world around them. It's only when the citizens are aware that the democracy can function as an optimal system. Otherwise it’s the will of the herd that votes for manipulative herd controllers based on primal fears and atavistic association who then pander to gain more control by undermining rule of law and severely degrading democratic institutions. It is the rise of democratic demagoguery. Authentication of dehumanizing system and rise of authoritarian values and regressive revivalism across the world is not at all a coincidence but natural extension of systems that is being nurtured in the garb of liberalism by manipulative elites who grabbed power after WW2, and set to work liberal democracies across the world. The liberal here was rarely about thoughts and actions but seeping into crony capitalism and nepotistic association. These had dire consequence in nascent democracies. 

Democracy is an evolved thought to associate human into a thriving system that safeguards individual liberty and strives for equality. It therefore provides space for humans to evolve into better selves while synergizing to create a better world. But as Socrates warned more than two thousand years ago that it needs people to be skilled to vote and not be based on their emotions or random intuitions or birth right. Voting is an intellectual right that checks the reason and persuasion, and it has to be earned. It has to be earned by making an effort, being responsive to society and by educating oneself. The reason why education becomes such an important parameter for the survival of democracy. Education therefore is a birth right of every child. Education must be necessarily be attuned to exposing all the ideas and thoughts to encourage inquisitiveness and logical rational choices based on empathetic awareness and philosophical predicaments (and a possibility for wisdom). A civilized society will necessarily invest in education on a priority basis. It will be concerned about education system, and will keep refining it while continuously augmenting the infrastructure. Future of humanity is dependent on it. Primitive societies and its conceptions are therefore assault on humanity and constantly seek to degrade. Education produces the wherewithal to be vigilant. Hence quality education should be wrenched out of religion and market frame as these plays to ineffectual efforts and creates pliant human that works to mindlessly enhance the system. It seeds potential to herd. Contemporary problems can be pointed to these mindlessness.          

  An ideal society is an egalitarian society that effortlessly rationally self govern in a grassroot level participation. In such society systems of dealing will refine itself as the participants. It is not a surprise despite shortcoming some societies produce best of human endeavors whether in science or art, and these hold future of humanity. It is but expected that conscientious objectors like Greta Thunberg can only arise from Scandinavian countries. For liberty to assert individuals must be free to think and associate, education therefore provides the necessary skills for discernment. Any system that pulls an individual away from this possibility therefore is a threat to liberty hence to democracy. It stifles the possibility of human hence the chance for thriving society. It becomes a violation of being a human. It’s an abuse of human rights. Two systems that pose such a debilitating threat to humanity are Market and Religion. Market because it exaggerates and manipulates need while asking to compete and consume. It creates a superficial world and dealings that constantly assaults human mind and converts it into constant craving, an unthinking consumers. It seeks to monetize everything and creates meaningless choices in a diminishing world. It nurtures humans who are least bothered about their surroundings except as investment for returns. It’s a dangerous system that has severely undermined individuality while exploiting nature and giving impression of liberal companion of democracy. While religion has been discussed umpteen times herein so will not be going into the details except that it is a serious threat since it isolates sentient humans from their surroundings into herds with fantastical vision frozen in time. It is not only a loss to humanity but a constant source of nuisance and source for most contemporary problems and strife.           

There are deep entrenched group that nurture these at the expense of humanity. This then ensnare the human minds as consumers and followers making it ineffectual. These “sweetshop owners” (as Socrates so rightly evaluates) nurture herds by pandering them with sweet talks and dire consequences. These herds are threat to democracy as they are incapable to make choices since they lack faculties to discern. They lack what make them human. What can be more tragic than this?        

Lacking common sense for common good

A society that lacks even the basic definition of engagement is incapable to handle crisis. They may show some responsibility if it becomes matter of survival otherwise they will seek to capitalize or exploit. In a hierarchal mindset people who are facing crisis are automatically valued below oneself hence fall into the matrix of exploitation (while those who get lucky make sure to showcase blessing –tawdry being the preferred mode, hence are ideal for sycophantic attention). The only tenuous possibility herein is patronizing for good omen. Being socially responsible and concerned about common good can be seen as weakness as it is against all the valuation of market success. Individuals in such beleaguered society live in constant mistrust, afflicted with prisoner’s dilemma, and are constantly in lookout for opportunity to secure themselves. With sanctum squatter’s moral vacuum spreading through family units and normalized as dealings the ethical context is absent or at the most works in the heuristic of the situation. Meanwhile effete elite are busy building narration of grandeur to awe the west (Castetva was quite sensitive on these matter so as to showcase as uber liberals –the kind the world is yet to encounter) recruited charlatans to work the narration, many have used nepotistic connections to settle in holes of West and frantically place their litters in gravy positions while emerging as local guardians, as blessed beings, to guide common Indians like gods showering petals or strike lightening as situation demands. What are the compelling reasons that made them settle in west is kept unclear. I gather these presences are automatically deemed as harbinger of competence. And for a society that is constantly seeking validation these are blessing. 

Literacy and health achievements provide a frame for humans to find their potential and function as synergic members of society that strives for excellence. Kerala model has limitations of primitive society, a limitation that Indians face. It really cannot and doesn’t have the capacity to use the opportunity. It doesn’t understand excellence nor capable to pursue it. Understand that a mindset that is deeply enmeshed in an empathetic connection to the surrounding is firmly hinged on critical valuation and inquisitiveness hence responsible. It’s a framework that nurtures open minded engagement to strive for possibilities. A society churning in putrid pit is incapable to produce such mindset. Indeed cannot have basic decency of engagement that forms the basis of community. Hence cannot form the foundation, nor has any possibility, of egalitarian society.

Kerala was hailed as a model to fight covid-19. Initially Kerala did well, and the investment on social health infrastructure helped to ward of the infection. Again, not entirely unexpected, it failed to work beyond the basic. As is the case with Kerala model which plateaued during 1980s –incapacitated by humans to capitalize, so is the case of pandemic. When society was expected to play its part, when individuals were asked to show responsibility and be concerned about others, it failed miserably. There seems to by no understanding of common good whatsoever. The data here shows that infection rate in Kerala is much worse than many bigger state with low literacy or health standards. The way individuals behave in society needs to be closely scrutinized to understand the spread. India is second only to US. The infection is set to rise exponentially. It can be prevented by following some basic simple rules. And that precisely is the problem. Blessed don't even have basic decency then what damn they will give about basic rules? People are aware of the mask, and how it prevents the infection, but there seem to be ego working that makes them believe that these are minor matter. Blessed as citizens of god’s own country with hundreds of temples, mosques and churches and what not –indeed waste land, there is a primal arrogance and matching sarcasm that becomes a toxic combination for pandemic to spread. Literacy is incapacitated to evolve into education as the primitive mind find solace in infighting of putrid pits that is elevated by charlatans as signs of vibrant democracy. That these are hollow engagements meant to satisfy primal urges of primitive society and only function to degrade any possibility that democracy presents, nor these have any connection with challenges of reality, is not realized. Then there is this bewilderment of blessed of not able to find the cure for virus and have to wait for the west to produce vaccine (meanwhile any link even a whiff to India is meant to be used as blessed Indians working to save humanity). There are always more than enough local “treatment” and “cures” against the virus that emerge in every street corner that is sought to cement blessed Indian’s connection to forces of universe which the world is yet to know indeed incapable to even perceive. Such is the audacity of the mediocres. This has given false sense of hope hence lackadaisical dealings in the public space, this amazing lack of responsibility towards fellow humans. Ofcourse to add, the obsessive eternal pursuit for purity without understanding basics of hygiene is defining characteristic of this society.  

Blessed narration has given hallucination of invincibility, special protection from guardian gods, hence exaggerated self worth, grandeur similar to white racist/trumpsters. They already know everything hence they needn’t know, indeed for some it is below their dignity to even read or understand about the virus. Although all the risks and details of virus, and all updates, are available on click they find it unnecessary. They could very well be living in medieval times. I am reminded of the Bergman’s The Seventh Seal where atrocities are committed to ward off spread of pandemic. They may be forgiven since they were terrified while the charlatans working the religion found victims to blame. We now live in a world that understands quite clearly what virus is and how it spreads. Attempts of anachronistic religion cannot be tolerated though politicians/market may try to humor the herd. This society lacks the foundation to take on the challenges of future. In a crucial juncture of humanity with catastrophic effects of climate change is being felt, and India is very much vulnerable, it doesn’t seem to be equipped with even basic nuances of dealing. We are looking at a scenarios where the blessed are set to abandon the unblessed as anthropogenic disasters start to hit with increasing ferocity and regularity. This seems to be a real possibility. The level of cruelty will be astounding. 

As the infection spreads it eviscerate the hallowed Kerala model as incapable and failed by humans. Only a year back these primitives were fighting to keep women out of temple (cannibalistic society is quite keen on dictating who to enter, who not to enter, what to eat, whom to eat with, where to go, where not to…) and now the same wasted temples are bereft of people due to fear of infection! Such disgraceful lives. Incorrigible bunch of buffoons incapacitated to evolve. It is precisely where India is heading. Castetva is trying to blame Hindutva, and is constantly in look out to trigger its nepotism built contact in international media to work the narration, but that is just a sham to wrest back power. It is the framework that was nurtured, undermining egalitarian value system and degrading terms of dealing, that were cemented which makes Indians incapable to fight the pandemic. A society that doesn’t even have an understanding on community cannot fathom social responsibility. Individuals nurtured in primitive values of hierarchal minds are incapable to understand common good. Pandemic has become a metaphor for cannibalism.                                         

Death of a bee

It must be the chemical that messed with her brain

They call it pesticide, she was a pest 

She is disoriented, exhausted and lost 

She collects honey from flowers on the sidewalk 

Flowers signaling a color spectrum that only she could sense 

There are quaintly suggested landing sites, markers to nectar 

Meanwhile electrostatic pluck pollen to gift 

She flew back to hive recollecting every turn on the waggle matrix 

To do her own dance for a new template 

But today she just couldn’t as if memories were wrangled 

She flew low on the street, rested a while on the table of roadside restaurant 

The noise, the commotion she created 

They yelled and swung at her 

She still had some reflex 

Before hit by the vehicle 

She slid on the windscreen and tumbled on to the path

Convulsed in the memories of her dancing sisters  

A clockwise step and a anticlockwise sidestep to tango 

Jingle that mean move for the move     

The sun was bright and sky was blue 

And then it was all dark.

Shadow etched on stone 

8.15am Bright explosion, searing heat 

Man waiting at the steps

for the bank to open 

gets incinerated to shadow 

etched as guilt

 forever on humanity. 

Minds work for centuries

to conceive neutrons 

to strike fissile molecule 

to create miracles. 

Instead it’s the guilt 

that grows in every mind 

And try to dream 

the simple dreams that lived till 8.14am  

Energy of whirlpool, and stagnant pit

 Nature faced the fierceness of the elements for billions of years, it strives to optimize precious energy and material use meanwhile conserve the system that sustains. Water flow is a study on natural force's algorithm of effectively working out path of least resistance. Aesthetics that channelizes life’s energy to synergize the system. It's a template for freedom while aware of the limits. Spiraling whirlpool is consciousness of nature negotiating space and time. It's a channel for consciousness of humanity to find its way. In the beginning they copied what they saw. They enjoyed replicating on the walls. Later they painted with the play of light and made the realism striking. It was appreciated. Then they evolved to paint the impression, as to how they caught the movement of the moment. Everything is in flux, there is no exact, it’s the movement. Impressionism was evolving on realism. Meanwhile society too developed as thoughts and dealing nuanced with greater subtleties of sight and insights herein. Mind found impression not enough to sustain the reality so it evolved to contain the emotion; the expression of the witness. So as the mind gained insight greater truths of the times became obvious truths hence too small to contain the emerging reality therefore became stepping stone in search for the nature of things. What was once a joy of discovery lacked the nuance so they searched for the next milestone of enquiry. Meanwhile much of society too seeped in these amazing insights, ideas spread wider to consolidate into art, interactions and expressions. Society was beginning to synergize with individuals to find the balance. In the background as humans enlighten nature commune with the mind to explore, intuit and spread. The mind sought abstraction, the collapse of reality into its essential essence. The face of absurd, anxiety of nothingness and chaos was to be dealt, expressed to satisfy the soul for its momentary control. The existential horror of human life can only be depicted in abstraction of nothingness.

Form and colors were created to impact the feelings of observer. A new form of realism sought to take it to a deeper level of reckoning. Life isn’t linear nor the experience of time and space. At the quantum level life is random and abstraction is realism. Concomitantly it was natural for evolved mind to seek minimalism. Minimalism is quite the way nature functions to save energy space with multifunctional elegant forms. Ofcourse surrealism as exploring alternative reality, the bizarre and dream state of life. Then we have street art as vivid representation of Bansky as protest, as rejection. Much can be contained in abstraction, its interpretation is personal. Art as interaction. Art that responds to presence. It changes as the audience change. Free mind, the spiritual freedom, is anchored to the present and respond to the flux, dealing each question that is posed by life. The nature of question changes with the audience. It’s individual, and it is evolving with audience’s life. There cannot be any standard or prescription or reference to deal only how much the human is alive that determines the response. In this scheme there is no success or failure except lessons for survival and evolving to survive.

This not to say that incisive minds have not delved into these. Every era had its wisdom. But these never really percolated, and if ever, were isolated and limited in its impact, reduced to stray sterile mutants. But in the last few hundred years we have seen movements that tapped and consolidated these evolutions. It has much to do with faster and wider percolation of ideas. In the last decade or so this has reached a level that was never seen in human evolution. Sights of advanced world we see around is necessarily byproduct of these evolution of mind supported and nurtured by synchronizing progressive social system. Also the primitive world we see around is the glimpse of the collapse, the inability to tap in the advance. This regressive presence is a constant threat and a reminder of the cave origin and reptilian mind that resides. And when primitives use their cave man insights and reptilian logic into modern setting it can only be catastrophic. This paradox has become a threat as every philistine is given a right but no responsibility. Ideally right to vote need to be earned, or else rules of engagement stricter.  

The way we imagine the reality determines how we react to the moment, our effort, feelings and hopes. This therefore determines the future. There is a reason why highly evolved and nuanced creative expressions mostly arise from few regions of the world. It’s a comprehensive movement that touches every aspect of life from music to science, as is the way of nature these can only be interconnected and intertwined. These societies provide the framework for excellence and threshold for unique contribution as humans. In the meanwhile some societies waste and wallow in their own pity and become burden on humanity. Excellence here is matter of chance, this therefore becomes occasion to authenticate their blessed way of life. Their ideas and creative expressions dredge in mediocrity of obviousness, excitement of familiar and agreeable thoughts, circumstances and expressions devoid of nuanced sensibilities. They find profundity in recognizable and insights in primitive associations. While the world has long evolved away from realism into realm of abstraction these are stuck in mediocre, indeed cruder, versions of realism –a degraded obvious, to establish their emphatic incompetence. “The sensitive can only wince and avert their faces, blushing with a kind of vicarious shame for the whole of humanity” (Aldous Huxley). Their whole venture is to live in debasing obvious into everyday meaning of their repellent world and in odious denial of subtle. These philistines need to constantly assuage the reason for their miserable existence and validity of their obvious truths. Their art and expressions are towards this end. For instance, take the imperial loud narration of triumph of goodness (indeed truth), incompetently worked over humanistic concerns or any form of subtlety so much so this triumph becomes a metaphor for evil –for denial of evolved sensitivities. They gaudily beautify dead habits and regressive values as tradition, culture and faith to segregate humans and barricade society. Average humans find these assaults on sensibilities as their acceptable homes and set out diligently to create narrations of their miserable life quite unaware of any deeper meanings. Ofcourse with printing, and in recent times with internet, this contained isolated conception of society is waning substantially but nevertheless unless one is determined, and is actively present, to entrench to the best thoughts and idea from across the world it is possible to be stuck in stagnant pit and sucked in by cunning arbitrators. Onus is on the individual to create this space of excellence and connect to the evolved society and egalitarian frame that values human and assertion of free mind. Internet therefore provides opportunities to connect at an entirely different scale never achieved anytime in human history. In this Chekhovian delight we choose to be member of evolved humanity bravely pushing into new realms and possibilities, a spiraling alive stream of enlightening ideas finding its natural strength -life defining vital force, than putrefying putrid pit that rots in its own exaggerated worth.  

It is very likely that in foreseeable future mind face limitation of body and may seek to evolve out of human body. Also the limitation set by increasingly vociferous primitives can be overwhelming if the societies in general refuses to evolve and get trapped in insecurities and delusions of grandeur that anachronistic religions so fantastically nurture. This therefore can be reflected through elected representatives, consumer media and general atmosphere that works and authenticate regressive values. In such stagnant pit free mind stifles.         

Idea of identity

 The idea of identity must be necessarily based on humanity. It can therefore only come out of free mind. A free mind anchored on free thoughts nurtured on egalitarian value system and evolved ideas that constantly aid human race to progress and thrive. This idea of identity respects each individual as a sentient being alive with faculties of senses and potential to connect to deeper truths which lights a responsible participant aware of his/her surrounding and implications of his/her actions. An awareness that he/she is indelible but minuscule part of ever evolving deeply connected system that sustains life. A witness, participant and creator of the reality, a comprehensively involved human who therefore isn’t trapped in narrow versions of self and is diminished by the overwhelming present (indeed the overwhelming nature of reality defines the human identity). An identity that carries all the promise of life and potential of individual. An identity that asserts liberty of soul and appreciate the freedom to associate and express the wonders of being a human.          

Any idea, system, tradition or culture that diminishes this idea of identity is therefore an assault on humanity hence must be vociferously and persistently resisted and rejected. Association based on fear, primitive insecurities and primal anxieties seeks to contain free mind and surrender the individual.  Feudal structures, entrenched power brokers, ego driven sociopathic herd controllers and world view aligned to these therefore becomes immediate threat. Identities that is sought to be chiseled out from these premises therefore tends to diminish human being, hence are meant to be manipulated. The identity of being a human is denied, and the potential herein negated. This is a tragedy of colossal scale. A diminished human being is an enthusiastic member of herd, incapable to think for himself or herself, lacking critical thinking faculties, they wait for savior meanwhile are easily manipulated. It’s the beginning of deterioration that has detrimental effect on society and severely negates humanity. Religion poses such a threat. There are posers using pointers of liberal to segregate humans while insidiously keeping them trapped in medieval setting. They, for their selfish reasons, inflated egos and wanton greed use these as pawns. They cunningly seek to authenticate these segregatory value system based on juvenile miracle driven anachronistic notions as human identity. This is a serious assault on humanity. It seeks to negate evolved thoughts and egalitarian gains of societies. It encourages regressive revivalism based on fanciful notions and seek to negate the potential that the better understood reality and insightful perspective presents. It creates herds enmeshed in fantastical ideas devoid from realities and mulishly immune to clear contrary evidences. It seeks to negate brilliant human achievements and amazing evolution of mind over the centuries. In a self-protective irony it disproves centuries of misery and assault on free minds, the extreme tribulation of logical human attempting to use their mental faculties –to assert their humanity, their identity.            

 This performative allyship of feudals, herd controllers and patronizing fattened fluffs in West using lip service to hard earned and precious liberal values is reflexive trap meant to assuage their moral angst over wanton consumption and loosing grip. It is dangerous and has the potential to substantially derail gains over the centuries. The challenges of 21^st century cannot be solved by primitive frameworks nor minds working on the premise of 20^th century. Human identity is precious. It has taken about two hundred thousand years of struggle to attain this identity. Any threat to thinking human is a threat to humanity itself. Any system that attempt to silence critical thinking is an attempt at soul of humanity.            

Correction: he/she doesn’t imply that gender is necessarily binary.

 

Stillness of the forest 

In between the rustling of leaves 

At the end of long intonation of cicadas calls 

Just before the hornbill wings break the afternoon 

If you still yourself 

A sincere self 

Emerge from long forgotten recess 

Beckons a strange spectacle 

Colors break free and whirl in the air 

A vital force surge through the space 

To settle the colors lightly in precise proportions 

You will be astonished where you arrived

 54.5 Degree Centigrade 

Regressive, not unexpected

In a putrid pit it is impossible for literacy to become education. Primitives in Kerala are where Indians are heading to as they become literate. It’s about deviant value system that seeks to accrue money, power and prestige. All means are for this end. It’s about showcasing blessing. Squatter scums authenticate these without any irony whatsoever as faith is thriving business meant to cannibalize people. Ego driven bunch of buffoons who have had rarely any contact with any reality live in fantastical fiction. These fictions also see intellectually challenged as the blessed entitled with insight into unknowable that the world cannot even conceive. Meanwhile the best from this region have been effectively marginalized by market driven ruffians and power controlling uncouths.

Other societies have egalitarian space in varying degree. In regions ruled by religions this space gets limited as primitive norms tends to get precedence over humane. This barren land thrive as religion tighten its control. Monster mullah and racist uncouth Christians create dead souls who move around as zombies insulated from realities. It is however cannibal caste Hindus who take it next level, a pernicious set up that deviously simulate humane world. Whether it’s US or Iran there is always creative space that brings out the best in humans despite soul numbing presence of religion and its binary poser -the market. A space for humanity and reality to work its magic. These seek common values of humanity, and evolved space to thrive. Though one must add these are being increasingly threatened. The Indian deep state though is a rot that seeks to infect common people on every conceivable occasion. The Supreme Court’s decision today to uphold rights of ex-royal (not “royal family” as is being reported by market slave posing as media) over cash rich temple is deeply disturbing and against egalitarian value system. It is an attack on foundation of democracy and an assault on equality and liberty.

To start with Hindu temples were/are horrendous space that nurture arguably one of the most dehumanizing form of human dealing and meaningless hypocritical rituals that seeks to degrade. Like all hideous religions that still survive through ancient and medieval times stalking on human insecurities while capitalizing on miseries these have prevented evolution of mind. In the garb of faith it’s a racket that seeks to converts humans into sinister herds incapable to value human life. Temples are also space for untold riches that were mercilessly sucked from people, and as the people suffered and were dehumanized these spaces thrived by firmly aligning with and authenticating nincompoop rulers (“royals”) who were easily defeated and subjugated by invaders. With these deviant self-defeating systems, and herds emerging out, it is not at all surprising that the Indian contribution to humanity remains embarrassingly limited. Ofcourse there is always a counter narration conceived in putrid pit that showcase scientists and mahatmas walking the earth and guiding the humanity thus assuring the herd riveted to narration of their special place in universe. Even today there is always self usual congratulatory flourish in this construct. The examples of posers heading Google or Microsoft are nothing but market recruits. Creative ability, to think and conceptualize something evolved, arises out of value system that cherish excellence in every aspect of life, indeed even in what is considered as insignificant since there is nothing insignificant. The primitive thoughts of classifying insignificance comes from mindset that seeks hierarchy and categorization. Excellence is essentially deeply connected to reality, it’s about being present, hence expresses in forms that inspires evolved thoughts and nuanced expressions.

During medieval times heightened creative expressions involved people who used religion as medium (and I am quite sure there were much nuanced non/anti religious expressions that were silenced by the power structure). Even during these period much subtlety were found in non-religious expressions for the simple reason that excellence necessarily connects deeply to reality. It helped in developing nuances that responded to the reality that searched the deepest strands of life. These expresses in art, science and every aspect of life. It’s a way of life that merges with all life form. Religion denies these, and in the contemporary world the kind of awareness we have of the world around us makes religion and its expressions as fantastical juvenilities that can only be pitied, any other response is an insult on humanity and indeed basic sensibilities.

SC has erred badly to grant temples to wasted feudal structure. Considering that this is a degraded society, also that the source of degradation is very much emerging from sanctum and wasted lives existing as blessed squatters without any hint of any morals. Diseased mind that is greedy of gold, silver and money. The same they have inoculated into the herd who too salivate for money and riches, and see these as good omen and blessing. The deviance is much deeper. Charlatan gurus, sprout at every street corner, to trick the herd minded and use these to accumulate wealth and power. The buffoon at puttapurthi had room filled with gold and riches as he serenaded the compliable powerful seeking herd controller. Such is the despicable level to this society has fallen. Raiding temples for riches was the easiest thing to do during medieval times. And they raided routinely while the herd collected and deposited riches again to seek better blessing! Bunch of nincompoops didn’t have any means or caliber to deal with the reality, and now these are posited as characteristics of peace loving society! The same template still thrives as the country languishes at worst end of HDI as also contributing nothing substantial to world community with ever increasing population that is essentially perpetually consuming carbon units readying to be exploited.        

Agreed that state is secular (as also when communist are ruling) hence instead of handing it to state they could have attempted to create association or group of stakeholders. By presenting it to feudal remnants et al royal (whose reason for existence is d*ck/c*nt arrangement parasiting on people, ofcourse as humble servant of god). It is a failure of society and education, it is undoubtedly failure of legal system, that produces and nurtures such judges at highest level. Those who lack historical understanding and any awareness of contemporary reality least humanist values. It’s the extension of values nurtured by castetva that consolidates hindutva. The only redemption, as always, is to create fiction of narcissistic grandness so as to keep the herds hinged so that they are happy in their misery. This wretched society has array of fantastical fiction describing itself, as “golden bird” to assuming moral authority of the world thus keep itself in collective hallucination. I am sure such grandness is an affliction of most societies around the world but atleast they have some space for excellence. The uniqueness of this society is the complete insulation from any form of excellence while striving its amazing inbred mediocrity into some likeness of grand. It’s an embarrassing venture doomed from the word go. Dustbin case.

Post script: the other day I was out on a walk. While returning I sat next to a shop that had its radio running. These are little charms of small town: the loud radio and thatched shop reeking in musky wood. Ofcourse hot tea and steaming savory would have worked well if it was not for the virus. The state run AIR was blaring carnatic music, an unusual choice wherein most people really don’t prefer these considering that these are not in local language (Malayalam) makes it an imposition. Some herd member have got used to it hence show signs of enjoyment. I, myself, find it tedious and devoid of any charm (except few renditions that are agreeable). It probably is an expression of art that doesn’t seem to touch my soul in any form. I must add the one in “Life of pi” was right there, deeply moving, probably because it was removed from its degrading context and raucous paraphernalia into something ethereal.

Radio communicates to mostly the weaker section of society hence very susceptible to manipulators. The deep state is quite active, and you can see many obvious and subtle pointers as you listen to these. Sinister section known for manipulation find these as easy venture, it can be conjectured that these have been happening for decades as castetva forces used all means to consolidate its deviant value system onto society. The speaker through the radio was earnestly elaborating an incident in malayalam. He explains the infamous doping scandal involving Ben Johnson (in 1988 Seoul Olympics described as ‘dirtiest race in history’). The depraved speaker compared this to an incident in Mahabharata (tedious story of violence, deceit, ego driven sick people…family fighting for power and property from which herd are to scrap moral in what is essentially immoral premise. That this should have any connection with any idea of faith shows amazing level of depravity) wherein “sootputra” (son of chariot driver hence "low born") Karna participates in bow arrow competition thus breaking what was essentially the discriminatory rules. He was therefore disqualified. Believe it, this discrimination is the point of comparison to doping our speaker in the radio conceived! Imagine the kind of value system that this society nurtures, his deviant family cherishes, his wasted education creates…and conspired to produce this wonder (and he is just another proud blessed showcasing his talent as speaker in state run radio). It doesn’t end here. The intellectually challenged despicable (ofcourse nurtured by deep state) found it necessary to quote the autobiography of the disgraced athlete (I though don’t find the necessity to name it). The disgraced athlete had the audacity to redeem himself by doing “past life regression” (BS that finds favorable audience among demented Indians). The narcissist cheat fancies himself as Egyptian pharaoh while Carl Lewis (a talented and admirable legendary athlete) is the plotting villain. This BS was the essential reference for our speaker in state controlled radio, and he concludes in his characteristic expansiveness with hint of ancient Indian superiority on these matters of BS by saying “the truth is difficult to perceive”. This small anecdote defines what this society is all about. Right wing Christians and monster mullahs are easily identifiable and perceived as threat but caste cannibal Hindus are difficult to track, as they pose as blessed benign overseers of world. They scout to normalize depravity under the garb of high moral. They have aligned with fattened fluffs in west, and are preeminent threat as savior.               

Being present

Being present

Sieve the mess, take all the conversations that you hear, listen.
What it means? What it doesn’t mean? What it say? What it doesn’t say?
Listen carefully.
Like arched humans panning the creek bed in hot humid sun for days and days for few specks of gold dust, if lucky a nugget.
Search for the strand of truth.
Read whatever you can.
Choose what is passed unquestioned as culture, tradition, faith, rational, fiction and non-fiction.  
What does it means? What it doesn’t mean? What it say? What it doesn’t say?
Read carefully.
Search for the strand of truth.
Watch. Watch carefully for what is presented, and not presented.
Keep a keen sense on what is mainstreamed. What is news? What is not news?
What is entertainment? What is not entertainment? Who decides? What decides?
Watch carefully.   
Pound day in day out like miserable humans eviscerating e-waste from noxious landfill mounds for few grams of copper or brass or whatever that fetch food.
And when you find that nugget of gold, that piece of precious metal
That strand of truth
That is unique to your being on this planet.
Declare it.    
Shout, scream, yell. Louder.
Take that strand of truth
Stitch the fabric to uncover the universe.   


Firefly

In the darkest of night a soul with lantern knocks
I let him in with a noiseless breach and warmest smile 
Like a comet from the sky he fires into the room with abandon gaiety
Propelled in his own delight to corners, up the cupboard and under the bed
His rear flickering the brief sight while he ponder the dark in rapid stride
Exhausted he sat on my palm ever pulsating the lively warmth
The embers setting a primal crypt that synapses decode in blooming script
A planet of colors in faraway space, arranged in patterns and waves of shifting shades      




At the border
So they stand facing each on the rugged mountains
With stones and sticks, fists and barbed hate
They squint to get a clear view of the enemy
Unaccustomed like lost spirits in the whistling night
They grope in the hypoxic air of the altered world
To find their own shadows fighting its own survival
In the barren land of imaginary lines
Devoid of reason and love.  
 

The thuggery of history

I happen to see this video this morning in which a British white man standing in front of Churchill’s statue admonishes those who were tarnishing it by scribbling racist. He says if it wasn’t for Churchill it would be Nazis ruling. This brings into light an important aspect related to controlling the narration and presenting a benign patronizing history with chosen protagonists as saviors without whom the world would be hell hole indeed bereft of morals and that is: if history didn’t happen the way we think it did then we were doomed. This ofcourse is problematic, and these are people appropriated by the system to protect itself. Facts would help. Churchill was an unabashed racist. If he was being ‘practical’ in the context of time then it is workable but if he is being projected as carrier of high morals then he will be demolished and smithered into pieces. Second fact is that he represented a colonial nation, necessarily racist, despite the counter narrations as benign force of goodness occupying to civilize people. Indeed native feudals in the occupied countries who benefited from the exploitative arrangement and were conduit and facilitators created narrations of colonial benevolence. Third fact is to demolish projection of history into future. There is a devious attempt to seep in narration through fear of unknown. This must be resisted. If Churchill wasn’t there somebody else would be there, and that somebody else would be equally racist or may be not. If he or she wasn’t racist and firmly took stand against colonialism then there is something to admire. Further, what if Nazis won? It also is very much conceivable that as they would have collapsed in their own weight or local would have arranged resistance to weaken or that Nazis would have split in an ensuing fratricide or resistance within. Anything can be speculated or even logically extended.

This dominant assertion of history that without a chosen racist representing a colonial nation the world was doomed is sickening, indeed laughable if it were not for the hold of the history that normalize and valorize these. This victory of allies that is celebrated as historical victory against forces of evil is also problematic. During 1940s US was viciously racist nation where blacks had no rights while USSR was ruled by Stalin –a brutal dictator known to have executed and incarcerated millions of people. Britain was to hold colonies for few more decades. If it was question of defeating bigger evil this estimation of bigger is from the stand point of historical convenience. Who decides what is the biggest threat? What is immediate is always the biggest threat. For Indians it was colonizers (and native caste feudals stampeding for power), for blacks in US it was white racist Americans, for exploited Russians it was the state agencies controlled by dictator. Britain left Indian subcontinent with arguably one of the worst human tragedies, millions were killed, maimed and displaced. Most of the contemporary problems around the world can be traced to colonialism. There are word defecators, gainfully recruited by feudal state controlled by coterie who profited from colonialism, who despicably argue that if colonialism wasn’t there India as country would be not be existing (there wouldn’t even be administration, or hold your breath, railways!). It is possible India would be smaller countries. So what is wrong? It is also possible that India would be a much bigger country. So what is wrong? The point here is speculation cannot be justification for past, nor can it be reason to allow the control of history. What is much saddening is the settlers from erstwhile colonial nations in Britain who are appropriated as representing the example of benign narration of history. It also extends to contemporary set up to add inclusiveness and multicultural.           

Colonizers have morphed into civilized nations, and it is good to evolve, but this attempt at controlling history to create narration of civilized into past will be resisted. Repressed histories will find its way out. Scribbling of racist onto statue of racist is part of that assertion. British PM (direct beneficiary of colonialism, and characteristically represents all the entitled buffoonery) may spew his bile on this “subverted by thuggery”. Ironical, the word thug got into English from Hindi. The word finds its origin from “organized gang, professional robbers and murderers”. If history was written to represent the truth then the word used would not be thuggery but britishery. Subverted by britishery. That is how history is written.

The audacity to play high morals.

(Painting herein is Paul Klee’s Angelus Novus (1920) from where philosopher Walter Benjamin’s derived ‘angel of history’)

Creating history. Wrenching the narration.

History is not attacked. History is created by wrenching the narration from those who seek to control past. From those who use brutal narrative powers of past to hide the memories from the present. Those who seek to alter memories of atrocities in the memoirs of nonviolence and trophies of tolerance. Entitlements of atrocities is presented as benign version to fatten on misery. There comes an occasion when reality is excavated and flagged by dislodging the statues of horror and stamping the semantics into forgotten meaning. There comes an occasion when reality is forced to be pushed down the throats as a lifesaving tonic against illusions.

What is happening in the streets of US and UK (as also in the campus of Ghana few years back) is the expression of people who have been oppressed for too long, who have been forced to adhere to normalized narrations of atrocities as history while hideous protagonists celebrated and pedestaled. There is no reason why these symbols of racism (and caste) should exist. The reason why they exist point to tacit acceptance by powerful controller of narration, an attempt to put common people in their place. It is also opportunist benefit from the system by playing for the entrenched values. That this obnoxious slave trader’s statue find a place in public space is gross, an insult on the memories of people who underwent unimaginable horror. These presence shows moral vacuum and inability to be even decent to the memories. Manipulative fattened fluffs who manufacture high moral angst by playing local guardians to herds (the worst the better) are very much complicit. These lazy patronizers look easy references to latch on for gains. They adhere to feudal structure, and work out their increment gains by normalizing these while pointing to save the different “other” (the more the “other” plays different, indeed uncivilized regressive, better chance that they be herded into narration of benefit). The elite section who vehemently and vociferously position as liberals on every passing occasion are very much complicit. These kind of symbols of horror wouldn’t exist in public space if they valued people, if they were concerned about their pain. They celebrated festering wounds of discriminated, marginalized and exploited as representation of their reality and even have the audacity to patronize these as their benevolence. The way colonial feudal legacy is being presented in UK is a study on how barbarism is sophisticated into the garb of democracy. Monarchy is being humored as royals. It is the same structure that orchestrated colonial loot and atrocities all across the world. They nourished native nincompoops who promptly created narration of colonial benevolence as history. They also meanwhile worked to replace their own horror in the garb of democracy. 

History is always rewritten. History as continuous narration of war, megalomaniac kings and kingdoms and destruction, as a source of revivalism to assert herds into religions and a space of jingoistic fiction to work herds into nation, is creating much problems.  The apt version is the one that create understanding as part of humanity as also create a sense of humbleness and unique fortune as member of humanity. It’s the democratization of history. It’s essentially the beginning of history. It is being written by people. With their own hand. Their own version in social media without any need for any arbitrators. It can no longer be ignored.