One World, One Love, One Vision?

Dedicated to a follower, HS, who enjoyed the post on Lotus and asked whether a 'one world' can ever exist where we do things for the greater good of mankind and where the need of the collective supersedes that of an individual.

We are told that race is healthy. The human race is moving forward from cave-dwelling nomads to space-exploring nations by this very trait, the race to be better than the other.

Nature is hostile. It does not care two hoots for the weak and the slow. It shows its mighty fury to those who cross its path. Only the fittest survive. Biology transmits this survival trait to the next generation so that the memory of how to thwart that adversity is implanted in their DNA.
But we are told we have six senses, unlike members of the animal kingdom. We have developed empathy and compassion for the weak and the downtrodden. Still, the only thing keeping us from killing each other is the law, fear of retribution for our actions in this life, the next, or the afterlife if rebirth is not on the menu. Communal living with rules ensured that even the weaker of its people would be taken care of, barring which nothing is going to stop from punching another blue-black or kicking away the walking stick of the invalid and laughing his eyes out. Lurking deep in the crevices of the grey matter is the dormant reptilian brain, which is triggered whenever the gatekeepers take a break. The desire to dominate is there. The carefree attitude of surrounding to the pleasures of the physical body can easily be bargained for.

The world has all the resources to meet human needs, but not its greed. The idea of universal equality is only a utopian dream which is as common as a flying pink elephant. When we are poor, we demand equality, fair play and a level playing field. The idea of socialism and communism fascinates us. As we climb the ladder of prosperity, our desire never to part with our hard-earned money declines exponentially. We realise that our wealth is worth every drop of sweat that comes through our pores. Parting was not just sentimental but unnecessary as we reminisced the hungry nights we endured in pursuit of prosperity. We tell ourselves life is very fickle and we must prepare for a rainy day. Some call it greed; others call it wise planning. Empathy knocks in a different form. We do not want our offspring to endure the hardship we had to experience. Also, leaving a legacy behind is nice! We are often told the need for one is only as important as the collective! It has been ingrained in us the idea that Lady Justice is blind to external interferences. She only metes justice as it is, irrespective of the offender's status, race, creed and intellectual prowess. What we are not told is justice is all about how deep-pocketed the suspect is. If favourable sentences are not obtained, one can go on and on higher on the levels of courts available in the legal system. Justice can be bought with all the money one can pay. For political offences, as judges have political affiliations, one wonders how impartial they are.

Even the treatment of various accused is glaringly different. A leader who foolishly (or wilfully) siphoned off the nation's coffers saunters to the court with his flashy designer suits, whereas a couple of mischievous motorcyclists who decided to film their dangerous motorcycle stunts get dragged to the courts in orange police-lockup overalls handcuffed under the flashes journalists' flash camera. And do not get me started on selective prosecution of political and even civil cases by the Attorney General Chambers. Those who followed the path of communism/socialism soon realised the longer it stayed in power, the more it looked like the systems it wanted to eradicate. It believed it wanted to replace the hegemony of Romanov over the peasant land. Fast forward, we see Russia being run by oligarchs. The short-lived satiety came to be replaced with hyperinflation and Kafkaian governmental squeeze. The distribution of wealth has a funny way of redistribution even if all the world's wealth is divided equally amongst its population. Experiences from COVID-19, slum population and national calamity are testimony to this.

All the things that we wanted the world to be - One World, One Vision, One Way of Thinking- are just piped dreams. Listening to Oprah and her talk show, we thought we could change the world with a rational Western way of thinking. Bob Marley tried to change the world with 'One Love' and his message to get together and feel alright. And Beatles with 'All You Need is Love'. Then we grew up. We realise that the economy has to trickle down. We cannot expect society to benefit solely from a 'trickle-up' economy. The world is chaotic; it will always be, and within that churning sea of chaos, there will be a constant flow that moves things forward. The little eddy currents happen, but the essential thing is the forward propulsion of the human race. Along the way, there are bound to be casualties of civilisations and people not acclimatised to change.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

As long as you provide!

Metamorphosis (Verwandlung; 1915)
Author: Frank Kafka

A Tamil saying goes like this - செய்யும் தொழிலே தெய்வம் - your job is your divinity. Therefore, one is expected to perform his work to perfection as it is as if he is serving God, as it is divinity to serve. It may be his reason for existence.  

This is probably what Appa held close to his heart. Without taking a single leave from his bank job, which he worked for 40 years over, the same place of work after leaving school, he must have been an exemplary worker. But, with the ease of mobility and money jingling in his pockets, it must have been the freedom he missed so much in the latter part of his life when his eyesight failed, and body broke down after repeated strokes.

After reading Kafka's 'Metamorphosis, I realise that narrating a story is not just telling an event and shocking the readers with bizarre storylines and twisted endings. Instead, it matters that many untold nuances and symbolisms lie buried somewhere for readers to unravel. 

A short and straightforward story told in 50 pages but packed with moral and philosophical queries about life. In a gist, it is a tale of a travelling salesman, Gregor Samsa, who finds himself transformed into an insect when he gets up for work one morning. He just could not get up because of his altered morphology. He had been a diligent worker and perhaps also bullied by his employer for his hardworking attitude. Gregor has to work hard to pay the loan that he took from his boss when his father went bankrupt. He also wants to send his beloved sister to a music school to perfect her violin skills.  

On the morning of his metamorphoses, everybody in the house is getting anxious. Gregor had obviously missed his train for an outstation assignment. Even Gregor's chief clerk is pounding on his door to hurry up. 

Gregor is still immobile, not used to using his newfound torso and limbs. Finally, after finally opening the door, everybody goes scurrying. His mother faints. 

As time flies by, everybody realises that Gregor's condition is permanent. The only person who seems to empathise with his situation is his sister, Grete. The mother still faints at the sight of him. The father is furious. He hits Gregor with an apple which hits him at a tender area and causes a festering wound. The father, who appeared weak and old before, has to get back to the workforce as the financial coffers dwindle. Suddenly, he becomes springy and is proud of his newfound post as a bank security personnel. However, he resents his situation as he has to work hard to support his family at an advanced age. Secretly he is angry with Gregor for his condition. Mrs Samsa supplements the family income by sewing. Grete starts working as a salesgirl, and the family rents part of their house.

On one evening, Grete was entertaining the tenants with her violin rendition. Mesmerised with her playing, Gregor sneaks out to listen. The tenants, who made it clear earlier that they are fastidious about cleanliness, are livid upon catching a glimpse of a vermin wandering about in the house. They refuse to pay the outstanding bills. Mr Samsa, angry with Gregor for the hardship he had brought upon the family, locks him up in his room. It was Grete who suggested that perhaps 'something should be done about her brother'. 

Gregor, who was already very ill from his earlier injury, dies due to malnutrition.

Gregor's death coincidentally coincides with the beginning of spring. With the start of a new season, Greta and her parents, after a long time, take a much-deserved ride to the countryside to enjoy the beauty of nature. It seems that a new dawn had befallen upon them. With newfound freedom and independence, everybody has much to live for. The parents were considering a suitable match for their young daughter. 

It seems that the ability to work and bring home the bacon gives one the shield of confidence. But, at the same time, when there is no reason for a person to work, when everything is provided for, or perhaps with affirmative policies, the person will generally degenerate to a lazy slob and quite lethargic about everything. But, conversely, when the tide changed, when things are so rosy anymore, the will for survival will push him to work even when it used to be undoable before.

No one is indispensable. When one person is taken away from the job market, somebody else will quickly move in to take over. We all like to think the tears, blood and sweat we toil for the family will be eternally appreciated. Perhaps not. When our existence is troublesome, to maintain sanity, we may just be discarded. Life has to go on for the living. The old and the infirm have to make way for the others to act out on the stage.

[P.S. Thanks to MEV for the suggestion]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Kafka, superhero?

Kafka (1991)
Director: Steven Soderbergh


No, this is not a biography of Franz Kafka or a part of a time of his lifetime. It seems that it is like a fictitious account of making Kafka-like a superhero in a setting reminiscent of his stories. Like in 'The Trial' he appears to be working in a large office doing purposeless paperwork. He looks like a bored reclusive office worker who finds more joy in his hobby, writing fictions between his free time and after-works. Incidentally, he is writing about a man who had transformed into a roach! (think 'Metamorphosis'). All through the film, he is writing a letter address to his mother, inking his thoughts and relationship with his father. In real life, Kafka's over domineering and aggressive father is said to have contributed to Franz's perpetual melancholic predisposition to life.

History has it that his mother, the weak one, never got around passing the contents of the letter to his father. Franz never resolves his issues with his father.

Jeremy Iron acts in this movie as the expressionless Kafka, who is embroiled in kind of resistance workers plotting a revolution in a small East European town. Something is happening up in the castle which is overlooking the town. Kafka interests the police when a fellow worker is found killed.

In a picturesque depiction of a black and white vision of old Gothic buildings and scenes reminding us of all Frankenstein movie, our hero sneaks into the castle to unravel its secrets. At the end of the show, Kafka starts coughing blood, just like Franz, who had TB.

A movie based loosely on Kafka's history and his stories.

Senseless life

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Learnt a new word today. Synecdoche is linguistic tool used to explain things. Smaller parts of an object is used to explain  the object as a whole. For example, wheels to refer to a car, barrel to barrel of oil and No. 10 refers to The British Prime Minister’s Office.

In the same vein, the character  in this parable to symbolically denote the cycle of life of Man. The film also illustrates the various trials, tribulations, psychological challenges and nihilism that modern man goes through. It has a wealth of Jung's theories. We all aim for the unachievable but at the end and want to leave forever but at the end of the end of the day, our needs are simple.

It tells the story of a self centred theatre director who has many challenges in his personal life and his attempt to create a larger than life account of himself in a play that never gets played over the years. The director writes the story of himself, hires doppelgängers to portray himself and more actors to play the doppelgängers! There is blur between reality and dream, between gender identity and scenes of different characters doing the same act! Even though the story make look confusing and draggy in the beginning, it all falls in place towards the end and makes sense too.

The dialogue has double meanings and most scenes have a deeper reference to it. It is for us to discover.