We need spaces that offer us a break from the rigorous routine of everyday life and facilitate a reflection on being. We need a culture that reads Camus and Sartre as much as JK Rowling or Nicolas Sparks. We really need to get over our obsession with sentiments and beliefs that have been thrust upon us through generations, and attempt to rediscover the meaning of our personal heritage. The long legacy of our biological and intellectual evolution must not end in a passivity of human awareness. Rajit Roy
French philosopher Rene Descartes made the first daring attempt to question the basis of human existence. What defines a person’s being? In his personal quest for understanding the meaning of human life, Descartes arrived at a remarkable proposition- "Cogito, ergo sum!" I think, therefore I am. This established philosophy as the most fundamental of human pursuits, academically or otherwise, and triggered a new wave of introspection. Auguste Rodin, another great Frenchman, visualized this doctrine into his famous “Thinking Man” and personified human thought as a vital cultural figure. Today, however, in a world full of chaos and anxiety, philosophy, or in fact simple introspection in our regular lives has become largely obscured. Attempts to face the questions of life and existence, which had defined a progressive society in the golden age of renaissance, have been condensed down to regressive and old fashioned textbooks in universities. The new-age industry and glam culture argues that we have become more practical and any endeavor to revive contemplation in our overflowing lifestyle is a waste of effort. Despite the fact that not so long ago, the 20th century gave us some great geniuses like Neitzche, Camus and Sartre, our culture today has largely failed to grasp the universal appeal of their brilliant ideas. How do we justify philosophy then? Do we really need all this intellectual masturbation in a world plagued with grief and suffering? I would say that the answer is as ironical as Descartes’ famous doctrine. I think, therefore I am, but if I don’t think, am I still there? We need to address this dilemma first before taking any leaps of faith. In a society which is inherently based on collective ignorance- our political system thrives on deceiving the masses, religion teaches cognitive passivity as a virtue, and even our education system propagates humble submission to established knowledge systems with no scope for intellectual evolution. Are we still human then? Haven’t we been lured into an illusion of consciousness when we have actually lost our ability to think freely to mechanically functional brains? How many times do we sit silently alone and attempt to perceive the greater depths of our seemingly obvious environment? How many times do we dare to ponder on our existence? The questions of life and death seem distant, but isn’t that a myopia we have constructed for us to escape the effort of thinking? Sufi mystic Shams Tabriz once said- “The summary of the advice of all prophets is this: find yourself a mirror.” We need that mirror today more than any other time. We need spaces that offer us a break from the rigorous routine of everyday life and facilitate a reflection on being. We need a culture that reads Camus and Sartre as much as JK Rowling or Nicolas Sparks (not to trivialize their great literary works). We really need to get over our obsession with sentiments and beliefs that have been thrust upon us through generations, and attempt to rediscover the meaning of our personal heritage. The long legacy of our biological and intellectual evolution must not end in a passivity of human awareness.
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But I’m not in it for the glory. My purpose is to deliver a warning: beware of closed spaces. Beware of color red. Beware of all colors. Beware of comfort. Beware of sanity. I am patient # 983645 at the Meadow Creek Psychiatric Hospital. Whoever finds and reads this letter, I urge you to destroy it immediately. The rats are onto you. Source: www.letterpile.com
This letter was found in the archives of the Meadow Creek Psychiatric Hospital, many years after it was closed. The identity of the author remains unknown. "I checked myself into a psychiatric hospital out of fear for my sanity, even though I secretly wished to be insane my whole life. Madness meant liberation from the wretched tyranny of the mind, and deep down, all I ever really wanted was freedom. I figured, if I loosen my mind enough, it will break someday. So here comes the acid. And the weed. And the booze. I wanted to push every limit known to man. Sounds insane already, n'est pas? Everyone told me: "You are your worst enemy." Finally I took it to heart. Since I am my worst enemy, I must destroy myself to save myself from myself. Then the death of reason will become the birth of true reason, freedom and spiritual enlightenment. I'm sure it sounds idiotic to all you proper law-abiding citizens, but to me the only salvation was a total extermination of every natural impulse I had. Upon checking-in, I’ve examined my new comrades: a paper-thin toothless creature talking to her hair, a comically serious man in a wheelchair masturbating with both hands, a smiling pleasant-looking gent, the kind that always turns out to be a serial killer... Although I was still sentimentally attached to my sanity, I envied these people. They were the ones who made it out of the maze, the maze you’re all running blindly, led only by your reptilian needs that scream: Food! Sex! Safety! Entertainment! Comfort! The temporary satisfaction at the end of the maze is all you’re ever going to get in life, just like all the other rats running the same maze, so run you fucking rodent! Run! Until the day you drop dead. These people were free. In the world of primitive obedient rats and big fat rats that were smart enough to build the mazes, they found a loophole: insanity. I wanted to be them. I wanted to be human, for what’s more human than madness? So I gave in to it. Now I know why they want all the nutcases locked up. Because madness is unpredictable. In a society made entirely of mazes, unpredictability is dangerous. What if instead of running the maze some rats start asking questions? What if they get organized, eat the big fat rats and then stick their big fat heads on pikes? That’s what I was thinking. In lunar year 6698 I wrote the Madness Tractate. I wrote it in saliva on the walls of my room so the rats in white coats can’t read it. Oh they’re dying to read it! After the revolution takes place, the future generations will call it the greatest document of the century! Of the millennium! Of all times! But I’m not in it for the glory. My purpose is to deliver a warning: beware of closed spaces. Beware of color red. Beware of all colors. Beware of comfort. Beware of sanity. I am patient # 983645 at the Meadow Creek Psychiatric Hospital. Whoever finds and reads this letter, I urge you to destroy it immediately. The rats are onto you." Our long standing preoccupation with the universal ideas of love and mating has been a result of a fundamental necessity for survival and fitness in a world filled with competition and danger. We celebrate our emotions through art, literature and music, as always obsessed with the good old Romeo and Juliet, but in all this catharsis, the voice that echoes has ever been the same- Rajit Roy
A few million years ago, the human species was at its infancy. We had just emerged from our ape ancestors and were learning to be man. Human community was a community of savages on the hunt for food and shelter. However, another aspect, perhaps the most vital one in our evolution, was sex. Natural selection was a direct result of sexual reproduction that gave rise to new and genetically diverse individuals. Our ascent from the pre-hominids came as a result of intermixing between populations that were uniquely adapted. Lust has played a prominent role in our story. But as human population grew, another kind of selection further intensified the role of carnal desires in our development as a species. It was sexual selection. Biologically, the rate of human evolution has been fast, terribly fast. No other animal on this planet made it this way through their lineage. It all goes down to this elegant phenomenon of sexual selection. For humans, unlike other animals, sex is not as straightforward. We spend enormous amount of our time looking for a mate- we go on dates and put great effort in choosing the partner we desire. No matter how romantic it all seems, underneath this desperation lies a necessity imposed by Darwin’s laws. We feel the freedom of love but we are indeed bound by nature’s exemplary skill of selection (and deception too!). It is pretty obvious that our choice for a life partner (not counting transient sexual partners) is based, not only on physical attractiveness, but also on emotional and intelligence quotient. This, in turn, leads to a proliferation of skill and intelligence in the offsprings which are necessary for a continued growth of our species, biologically and culturally. However, the heterogeneity in our population proves that we have still managed to keep the variety alive in our sexual consciousness. Several other aspects of our sexual conduct are unique to our species. These, again, have played an indispensable role in our ascent. For example, humans are the only animals that copulate face to face. This establishes equality in our gender. Women, as much as men, have a defining, active part in sexual selection. The propagation of monogamy is another important factor that has made our evolution so different. The common tenderness for a child, the kind of dedication bestowed upon the rearing of an offspring almost throughout his infancy as well as adolescence, ensures that only the best shall survive and thrive in this grand scheme of humanity. In conclusion, our long standing preoccupation with the universal ideas of love and mating has been a result of a fundamental necessity for survival and fitness in a world filled with competition and danger. We celebrate our emotions through art, literature and music, as always obsessed with the good old Romeo and Juliet, but in all this catharsis, the voice that echoes has ever been the same- This is my mark. This is man. (Dedicated to Jacob Bronowski for introducing us to some brilliant and remarkable ideas in his book “The Ascent of Man”) Shyam Mohan
Author's note: apologies if this sounds a tad too aggressive. But this is meant to quickly shoot down one of the toxic cultures of validation (as there are many) that's permeated every facet of social media. “Freedom cannot be granted, it must be taken” these words, said by 19th century German philosopher Max Stirner, merely point out that a group of people or an authority allowing you to do certain things, is NOT freedom. Freedom is not a man allowed to pluck apples; freedom is a man plucking apples regardless of whether he's allowed to or not. Stirner points out that conventional systems that do not have machine guns or batons to force their will upon the people use the tactic of abstractions, of “country”, “family”, “common good” etc and rejects them for the ghost stories that they are. I bring this up to focus our attentions on a new breed of cancer, a new brand of orthodoxy (that's spread thanks to the internet). However, unlike previous orthodoxies whose aim it is to keep a tribe of people tightly knit together, this new orthodoxy seems to have no purpose whatsoever except to keep people grounded in misery. This new brand, dons the facade of liberation. Indeed to anyone unfamiliar with an outside perspective, it may seem as such. To the naive tribesman stuck in the confines of the old world, this new world may seem brimming with freedom. To someone who recognises however, that true freedom cannot by definition be given, this new world appears just as toxic and rotten as the old. In the new world, it is not enough that you have emotions. Your emotions must be spectacular,in the sense that they must appeal artistically to your peers. They must be reviewed and processed and one is pressured to embellish it with nonsense in hopes that it garners more attention. It is not enough that you carry the desire for human warmth, oh no. You must feel your soul mingle and twirl with your fellows! And if you just express it in words, you must express it only through whatever crude, lazy play of words that is considered humorous in whatever circle you're part of. Ah, but the rules do not end there! While expressing an emotion that you know your circle shares with you (by virtue of being human) you must also explicitly state how nobody around you except your beloved circle understands your emotions. Your emotions must be unique to your circle! You don't want to seem to have the same emotions as the racists and bigots of the old world do you? “That would surely diminish the public value of your emotions” screams the self proclaimed champions of liberation. So you must use language that is impersonal and flaccid. Your catharsis must not come from expressing your emotions but from your peers recognising your emotions. You must use language that resembles a poorly scripted B-movie character who no actual human talks like, but fear not, for your peers relish that you are now just as miserable as they are. The old world dictates what you must do, and the new world dictates what you must feel. They both take away from what the ever dynamic individual truly desires and wants. The greatest deception of the new world is that it pretends it is the champion of liberation and that you will lose said liberation if you dare step away, that they protect you from the outside although they themselves suck away your blood. The truly free laugh at these cult like notions. Truly free men and women feel and express everything the “liberated” ones feel but more strongly as they are not hindered by the need for validation. The free do not wait to be told what is allowed to be done or what is allowed to be felt, they simply do, regardless of what arbitrary establishments dictate to be fashionable. True liberation is when one ceases to consider how “shareable” one’s own thoughts and feelings are and chooses to enjoy them regardless of how much it is accepted by the general mass of nobodies that insist they do great things for you. It is important in everyday life to recognise them for the substandard, charlatans without utility or charm that they are and to not let their lies deceive and dilute your true emotions. Live on your own terms, but recognise when the terms aren't truly your own. ([email protected]) "Progress, development, modernity ' call it what you will, it all arises from the underlying, undeniable, inherent laziness possessed by all humans (in different degrees, though) which is one of the things which makes you a partial, if not a complete, doormat. Be proud." Jayantika Ganguly (Guest author)
Well, here I am, writing from personal experience. Contrary to the popular belief, being a human doormat is not bad, not bad at all. I do not understand why people consider it pathetic, or why we doormats are considered cowardly. I can definitely say that is not the case at all. If you are a naturally easy going and laid back person, it might be worthwhile to try being a doormat for a few days. If you're the one who just wants to shirk responsibilities, it might be imperative for you. If, on the other hand, you're the dynamic kind, all set out to lead the world, you just might want to take a break for a few days, and this might be a good proposition. The only danger in actually acting like a doormat for a while is that, after a while, it becomes difficult to distinguish your assumed passivity from your earlier exuberance. It is certainly an addictive behavior. It not only allows you to be as lazy as you want to be, it also makes you feel very useful, without actually doing anything. I believe all humans are characteristically lazy. Somehow, the idea of rest, having less, easier work to do attracts us immediately. Don't panic, it's a very natural trait. Or are you the kind that thinks that work is everything and you won't survive without doing things? If you are, then pray, tell me, why do we create devices like cars, telephones, computers, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, micro-wave ovens etc, if not for sheer convenience? And from where does this convenience arise? Isn't the answer obvious? It's laziness, of course. In my opinion, the proverb 'Necessity is the mother of invention' ought to be changed to 'Laziness is the mother of invention.' Quite logical, don't you think so? It's about time for me to define the term 'doormat', I guess. I think everyone has the general idea about what it is. Opinions differ, of course, and mine might differ from yours, nothing wrong with that. Each to his/her (can't leave out the females; I am a staunch feminist!) own. It's a free world, right? Anyway, let us proceed to the actual definition. I won't cite a dictionary or anything, frankly because I feel too lazy at present to get up from the very comfortable position I'm in and hunt for my dictionary, and besides, I'm not even sure that I'll find it there. Maybe the next time I get up I'll look for it, that is, if I remember. A doormat, to my mind, is an object that is pretty useful, but not essential. You can use a doormat for convenience, but it isn't essential. The doormat just sits outside your door, relaxed and laid back, inadvertently performing the task of keeping your house clean by harboring all the filth from the shoes that are wiped on it. Its job is very passive, it doesn't have to do anything except sitting there. You, who use a doormat are partially one as well, because you're using it to save you the trouble of cleaning the floor all over again whenever someone comes in with dirty shoes. Now I'm in a position to give a proper definition of 'doormat'. A 'doormat' can be described as a person who is essentially introverted and shy by nature, at least for the particular period of time during which he/she is in the 'doormat mode', having a brilliant mind with ample creative, inventive and imaginary skills and an immense amount of laziness, passivity and desire for anonymity and easy going lifestyle, whose modus operandi is choosing a task where he/she has very little active part to play, and yet performs some useful work, though rarely is the person recognized or acknowledged or referred to except in a derogatory manner. This definition is a fusion of my idea and the conventional understanding of a doormat. One myth needs to be blasted here, though. It is generally contended that doormats are people possessing poor or no will power and easily bend to the wishes of others, thereby getting exploited by the not-so-conscientious people. I beg to disagree. Will power has nothing to do with being a doormat. As for being exploited by people, just because some doormats are too simple to understand the corrupt nature of others, and as a result, undue advantage is taken of them, does not mean that all of us are like that. A clever doormat will just by-pass the exploitative work heaped on him. Clever doormats are not very popular, though, because people tend to fear them. Simple doormats are looked down upon, though most people wouldn't mind getting their work done by them. The intermediate stage, the normal doormats are the most common, for, almost the entire real world falls into that category. Having defined and classified doormats, I think my job is over. I'd originally planned to write a whole book on doormats, source of inspiration being Judy of 'Daddy-long-legs', but now I think that is a colossal task for me, hence I opted out, true to my doormattiness. So, I conclude by saying that since everyone is a doormat in someway or the other, it would be proper to accept the fact and treat the more apparent doormats with a bit more respect. Doormats are essentially good beings, and prefer to remain that way until circumstances force them to change. Where would the world be without doormats? We would probably be living in pre-historic conditions all through the past as well as for the remainder of the natural existence of the human race. Progress, development, modernity ' call it what you will, it all arises from the underlying, undeniable, inherent laziness possessed by all humans (in different degrees, though) which is one of the things which makes you a partial, if not a complete, doormat. Be proud. Jayantika Ganguly is a lawyer by profession, based in Kolkata. An exemplary writer, she has authored several fan-fiction stories and a full length book dedicated to her childhood love Sherlock Holmes. She is also the general secretary of the Sherlock Holmes Society of India. Find her book on amazon at http://www.amazon.in/Holmes-Sutra-Birthday-Sherlock-Turns/dp/1780925352 ([email protected]) "The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. We must imagine Sisyphus happy." ~Camus As Sisyphus is condemned by the Gods to roll a rock uphill, a hill without a peak, so do we as humans collectively struggle in pursuit of the pinnacle of our evolution. The effort seems futile- death and degradation being the fundamental law by which nature works- still as Camus observes, we must imagine ourselves happy. This is what we do when we do Science and philosophy. We practice our intellect, our emotions as an effort towards enlightenment, towards divine glory. However futile it may seem in all its eventuality, the struggle itself is enough to fill our hearts, and therefore we must be happy! This is the Myth of Sisyphus.. |
About Me
Rajit Roy
An existential romantic, an agnostic and a prospective biologist. Archives
September 2018
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