Without the trappings of religion to instill the fear of higher powers sitting in attendance to judge my life and actions (!), I keep a stringent eye on myself to catch those occasions when we dishonour the guidelines of our own personal philosophy/ies. The making of art becomes a space of creation that takes one deep into the well of the inner self, and there is a nakedness in this space that is both raw and vivid; and which hides nothing. It is in this space of transparency with myself, that I hold the truth of confronting who I am, and who I chose to be.
Human beings hold the ugly potential of being sycophantic in nature. We need to rid ourselves of this malaise and instead dig deep for more real perceptions of ourselves, and the world. As issues of rape and murder fill the Indian news and food rots as millions starve in our nation; politicians and god-people attempt to score political mileage from the tragedy of others with blatant openness. I wonder whether soon dictionaries will make ethics an obsolete word within language because we find no use for it in our lives these days.
With your permission Rekhajee, I'd like to share some events which have brightened my day...first and foremost, the liberation of two french journalists and their assistants who had been held hostage by the Talibans since 29th Dec 2009! All this while, the media was highly mobilized to incite negotiations which have finally borne fruit.
ReplyDeleteIt also delights me to see a french,and for the first time, a lady, as the director of the I.M.F., Madame Christine Lagarde, an absolutely brilliant lawyer and economist. Perhaps there is a chance that the globalization that we are confronted with, will have a more humane touch!
It is great that in the land of Molière, reputed for it's art and culture, food, wine and cheese; with the arrogant and 'latin lover' image, there are also among the worlds finest scientists and intellectuals! Hope the franco-Indian relations are strengthened for the benefit of all!