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.