of blood, mind and spirits

We may be of the same blood yet of different minds.
We may be of different blood and different minds.
We may be of the same mind yet of different blood.
That is why we have kindred spirits and diverse opposites. 8>)

narrow communal nutshells

To learn a language to be part of a prejudicial community is abominable. If a community scorns and ridicules others for not speaking their language , for not knowing their culture because such deemed aliens arouse their prejudices then I want no part of this nonsense. I am the richer for being myself and they are the poorer by remanining ensconced in a prejudicial and jingoist cocoon. 8>)

externalities: be done with!

We all come to be from different paths. If one can really examine onself, colour, origins, geography, name, community, culture, traditions do not apply in the determination of identity. All those mentioned are merely visual and localised aspects. The mind does not require a deluge of externalities to determine itself. 8>)

not literary ecstasy

The objective has never been literary ecstasy. It is an investigation into one's own nature, what I have first felt in my vision during my early years has been constant with what I am now. It is just that the mastery of language has made expression easier. That is why language is a means to an end not an end itself. What am I ? What is the meaning of this place? What is the way of the world? I seek wisdom and each day is an expansion of what I already know.
My valued reading materials are those by people who have come before me and those who hold answers to things I have long known about my nature and of matters. Like sustained contentment, wisdom is not a huge euphoria or ecstasy. It is a source of constant confidence and shrewd assurance. 8>)

Live Faithfully

Never live under the dictates of superstition. That is living in fear.
Never live under the strictures of unfounded tradition or tradition that has since vanished from relevance. That is living in ignorance.
Live faithfully. Live Faithfully. 8>)

to the core

In every culture & every religion, especially those with large followings, there is the infiltration of unnecessary ceremony & rituals which dilute devotees from the fount & purity of worship & faith. Worship is a simple exercise, as private or as public as one chooses. It is a heartfelt, soul touching conversation between the divine & the less than divine. Ceremony & ritual are not take precedence over the exercise of worship & devotion. 8>)

Proficiency is a means to an end

I have come to realise that language proficiency is only the means to an end. Even if I were to achieve the rank of supreme master of a language, I am no closer to the answers which my soul seeks.It has to originate from a spark of realisation, from the culmination of knowledge with that of inspirational vision. Divinely awarded. At first I sought proficiency, then I desired vision. In my path, I have now accepted what I previously rejected out of ignorance & rejected what I have accepted out of ignorance. The rest remain as they were. What I seek, this peace & completeness is not something in the mortal presence or possession. It is personal. Those who seek the same shall understand. Those who do not, perhaps in time. 8>)

blend & balance

Conversation is a juggle of logic, knowledge, wit & serendipity. 8>)

unity & division

Backgrounds are diverse,culture may divide yet circumstances have a knack of uniting even the most bitter adversaries. If they live to resume hostilities for another day, that is open to the outcome of the common struggle. 8>)

off & back on

Seldom has the traveller have the privilege or convenience of a straight forward route. Often one must stray as if off course, like a slalom, then back on course as the objective looms closer. 8>)

those that matter

Fault me for my errors, assail me for my choices. Yet for the time given to uncover myself, I have spent time on those that matter.

There is no need to know every detail. Take the trouble to know of things that matter. That is the sustenance of lifetimes.

8>)

Willing & Will

God Willing. If God wills it. We mortals endeavour, wager, hope, scheme. Yet for all we desire, when, how, what, where & why, whatever that shall come to pass is for a higher power to decide. It can be done. God willing, it shall be. 8>)

Take Heed

Take heed though. To deal Death upon oneself by one's hand requires courage. Yet with the same stroke it is impudence towards God's Will, which decides when we die & how. Suicide no matter how skillfully rendered is a sin. It takes accumulation of effort from life & after life to redeem. 8>)

Do not flinch

One who is ready to die does not flinch upon receiving Death's first brush. He readies for the following brush and embraces Death in the final act of mortal grace. I shall do what is necessary to preserve life. I am not reckless with my life or others but I shan't flinch if God decides that my earthly existence ceases when He wills it, even if when I do not expect it. It is futile for me to protest or bargain with a power greater than myself, who is the beginning & end of all things. His will shall be done. 8>)

Endangered Species

My country of birth is suffering from a dearth of competent English speakers & writers. I am among the last of the generation who had been schooled in Missionary schools when there were still Brothers & Sisters around. There are too few of us against too many who do not use the language. Where do I sign up to register myself as one of the species at risk? 8>)

Among Fools

Among fools the cowardly fool is relegated to the dregs while the brave fool is exalted. Imagine if it were a courageous wise man, the glories heaped upon. 8>)

fear almost nothing

One with the least attachment, with less to lose, all to gain, fears almost nothing. 8>)

know the mind

There is nothing greater than to know the mind. What is there that so entrances in the physical, when it is high maintenance flesh? What is revealed are but droplets from the depths. Would it not be better to know the composition of the mind and what made it so, what it is and what it can be and what it shall be? We may know not precisely what it shall be for we are not the main dictators of fate. But to know how it came to be, that is rare insightful privilege. Is it not exhausting to delve into the complications of circumstances, and for more probing and exciting it is to reach a mind that you have shared with? 8>)

within

There's the restless rage I have felt.There had been emptiness of a vacuum that despite how precisely slicing, how sturdy the logical chain had been, my heart was impervious to the subtlety of empathy and compassion. Not anymore. Yet this ability to empathise and be compassionate has to be tempered with moderation else the heart becomes overwrought with the weight it bears. It has the capacity to feel when it needs to, to be touched aptly and to be neutral. Don't ever think one cannot feel. There are spells when it is best to be still, remain so and see the true value that is disclosed before one. 8>)

don't ever think...

Don't ever think that I am deprived or am depriving myself by not embracing what you think I should. What right is there for a civilization so at odds with its foundation roots and its founders? We may share the same lineage but my mind has evolved. What is the use of immersing oneself with rituals when the core of humanity, its ties with the Divine and its spiritually infused tomes have been overtaken by modern existentialism, self centredness, pre-occupation with accolades and hedonism given a gloss of cultural identity and national pride? 8>)

Fair Comment

When it deemed itself great, a geographical behemoth turned into a diplomatic recluse. It suffered decline. When it deems itself great at its supposed revival, it plays the role of a diplomatic peahen. 8>)

Why leave it that late?

You don't need to have scrubbed your knees for half a lifetime. You don't need to have broken your heart a dozen times for every loss. There's no condition to sin acutely before realisation. Why leave it that late? There is no need to chalk up so immense a trail of sins or a lifetime of wrong turns before chancing upon the right turning. Why leave it that late? Check into the realm of realisation early and be at peace much earlier. 8>)

Obligation or expectation?

Are we obliged to love or are we expected to serve? We are not obliged to love or to hate. We are only expected to serve where and when it is due. When emotions are too overwrought in the equation it becomes a veritable morass. As such love and even its opposite hate, has no place in this. To admit those mentioned shall mean having to subject moral and spiritual judgment to mortal morass. Only duty, compassion and what one is capable of achieving in those circumstances. Thus in short, we are obliged to serve out of duty, capability and compassion. To attach every motive with emotions or the value of emotions derived shall only incapacitate our judgment and efficacy. In exceptional and extreme cases, then it shall be wise to recruit the contribution of a neutral third party. 8>)

Beware...

Beware the persuasive eloquence of convincing logic that exhorts transgressions when a spade is argued and justified that it is not a spade, but a misshapen fork. 8>)

alter my destiny

I have learned that I have the capacity to alter my destiny , if I acknowledge what I lack. If I were to keep to what I was, then the destiny shall play out the manner it was meant to be. I have been made aware of my destiny and some of it have come to pass. But the story that was told is bound to have some sub plots tweaked, should my will and God's grace determine it. 8>)

The Rebel I am:

The very ideals that the environment that I was born into, from the media's portrayal, to oral knowledge, to rituals practised and observances, aspects that touch on daily conduct and one's place in the society we are born in, I have questioned them at a young age. I do not need to cling on to a culture that subjugates, that treats its very own adherents unfairly, and subjects them to meaningless rituals and baseless superstitions.
Instead I am more than willing to discard it.It is always easy to state that because a divine power had pronounced that this is so, therefore this is so, and thus perpetuate the injustices that it preaches as a mark of obedient adherence. Why can't we adopt and adapt to what's good and cease placing boundaries upon our identities and the admission that all living beings are from one common fount? A system of beliefs that preaches injustice or is flawed in terms of unjust practise does not deserve reverence. It is merely deserving of this: shameful bywords in the history books to mark its remains and epitaph. What I am, the way I am is a rebellion, my method of ridiculing such unquestioning adherence to baseless ideals. Why should I subject myself to what the media promulgates and conventional cultural ideals when it shall only make myself miserable by adhering to such dictates in the first place? We are greater than the portrayal of a façade that society expects of us, possess more depth than cultural dictates and are more complex than the mass media's simplistic exhortations of what we should be. So long as what we do is within the teachings of God with divine intentions then I shall not be breaking any precepts. 8>)

no room for pretenders!

Personally I find it disappointing and worrying that high profile cases of literary fraud have been uncovered. What's gone awry with publishing?

If I were the author involved, I'd be ashamed. As an author you stand by your words in the context of the story be it fiction or fact. By placing your name be it your birth given name or nom de plume , it's still you.

Is it the profit driven maniacal pursuit that had caused respected houses to fall victim to too good to refuse sales pitches of a good story ? Are only frauds good enough to sell when the truth is far too plain? Are we treating a plain story like a plate of noodles that requires extra sauce and spices so much so that we fake even the origins of that dish? Just so that it fascinates?
Ah! How little we realise! The more complex the web of deceit the more taxing the effort required to maintain it.

Maybe a fraud today, can redeem oneself and redeem one's bank balance with an unexpurgated version of its true fraud tale for the tell all & movie rights. It will be a sad day indeed if this were to happen. A fraud who confesses to be a fraud and is lauded for being a fraud. A fraud today who comes clean and confesses is much better. Honourable conduct despite shame. But the patina of dishonesty takes a longer time to shake off than the disappearing herd of paparazzi.

Let's get back to basics. Give a good story space. Grant the authors who sweated their dues. Take away the pretenders from their glamour chairs and expose them for the frauds that they are. Return publishing to creativity and artful honesty.

Art is not solely profit. Entertainment that begets release for the harried and bored. For those in search of answers, the way to answers or answers to the way. For the abstract, a sense of form. For the senses, gratification.
8>)

The choice is ours

I can be competent in many tasks and even do a commendable job on them. But I do not pursue them in earnest and even once turned down a career progression in an industry. Call it career suicide if you will. It wasn't to me. To take it was akin to spiting myself if I had accepted the opportunity. For another person with other ambitions and other abilities, that will certainly be a tempting offer.
Why ? What makes me happiest is the ability to express myself and to devise the means for a compelling story that reflects what fascinates me on a personal level. You do not turn away people you see and voices you hear in your imagination if they are well defined. They are there and they need help to be projected into reality, as far as reality interpreted as expressed existence within the realm of an artist's media. 8>)

Think with Nothing - More

You may express a similar thing with different languages provided one has sufficient skill to not lose its nuance if the original form was a union of logic and instinct rather than one language as the base.
Being multi lingual I sometimes refrain from voicing my thoughts in a language but just in instinct and logic. To express it in any chosen language it becomes spontaneous rather than forced when it is translated by the mind from one base language to another.

But during composition in a chosen language when logic is shadowed by words. Sometimes words are the guide when composition branches into word play and its possibilities.
Still at pauses at designated phases one is still able to use instinct, logic & imagination before venturing into a language. 8>)

Think with Nothing

To think with nothing, unhindered by language structure & convention, logic & instinct unite to serve the aims of thoughts. What comes before ? Light or sound ? Lightning flashes before thunder thunders. Thoughts are like light, when unencumbered by speech. By enunciating words,thoughts are slowed.Do you not read slower when you pronounce every word as you read silently ? Try reading with your eyes as it converts words into logic without staying to pronounce each word mentally.Only stopping to enuniciate them when emphasising a point or to make doubly sure. Hence, the same principle applies in parallel form, when one thinks with nothing. Only stopping to enunciate as a mental checkpoint.Nothing is used in this case because the thought cannot be expressed prior in word or verbal form. 8>)

Instinct

There needn't be a negative connotation to this word. Unless the word 'baser' is used before it. What I wish to state is that instinct is able to serve the aims of the mind without returning to a primal level. There are instincts which are like a divine sense, the ability to have a glimpse into Divinity, such as cognizance, premonition, guidance not of the gut but of the spirit. Using instinct that does not rely on speech as it is dictated or conventional speech patterns, it combines well with logic to derive an end result. 8>)

what of myself?

What of myself? I carry on as I was previously. I'd rather be one who gazes, contemplates, hails knowledge and my privilege of knowing it, thankful for the process of being granted the privilege of being aware as awareness passes by. I chose not the well trodden path. I have often felt it when mentioned, like an ill fitting garment, a jarring note amid a good score or a condiment unsuitable for my palate. I do not wish to partake the well trodden path. 8>)

I know despair and have felt it before

I have screamed in the pit of despair before. It brings relief only from a pent up voice and an emotion that begs to be expressed. Other than that nothing changes and it is so surreal, when one returns and behaves as if nothing happened. Your co-habitants who stay under the same roof, not privy to your profound scream of despair carry on as they were. You are just about another entity that they interact with in their daily lives and they, likewise to yourself. Nothing changes but it is as if a weight had been expelled. That is the only difference. Other than that, all challenges facing us remain so. 8>)

a quiet remembrance

I remember well the news of their having new offspring when we were in our past. Their children must be almost grown or reaching the age of puberty by now. It has been more than a dozen years since I heard they had young offpsring. They have added a dozen years hence to their ages then. Most likely at the threshold of adulthood by this time. Those who came to be during that dozen years are grazing puberty's knobs now. 8>)

What moves?

Art that takes you by the scruff of the neck, art that arrests your attention,art that subtly persuades, art that continues to grow upon you even after the moment of sweet realisation had passed by. It's blatant, it's subtle, however its method of appeal, if it's good it's absorbed & finds itself lodgings.8>)

What passes after ?

What passes after what has been said ? Silence and a continual display of your principles. If then you are asked to reiterate then do so , but only so far as that unless circumstances require further elaboration or changes in approach, yet not in content.I shan't ramble & bore. I shall keep my peace and thrive. 8>)

Instinct versus refrain

Although instinct cries for limbs to muster strength and strike, though the baser nature exhorts the form to propel oneself upon the cause of grief, there is strength in refrain. A refrain that pays dividends when action is commanded at another instance.Although instinct cries for limbs to muster strength and strike, though the baser nature exhorts the form to propel oneself upon the cause of grief, there is strength and reward in refrain.8>)

Intelligence is privilege

Intelligence as in genius is a privilege which neither material riches nor trickery can acquire. 8>)

The centre of the Universe

Every mortal creature thinks of oneself as the centre of the Universe. This is vital for survival, else each shall end up hurting or killing themselves unwittingly. But with this point of view, this gives rise to selfish thoughts. Thus from the spaces among survival,selfishness & intelligence,the centre of the universe has to move from selfishness to selflessness yet still self aware. 8>)

The Universe need not

The Universe need not conspire on my behalf in a surrepticious plot. All that is required is Divine sanction and all my aims shall be His will and all I strive for shall come to pass. In brief I must be worthy of Divine favour before my will is fused with His will. 8>)