Power in the Word

I recently read Paulo Coelho's Brida - it was an interesting read.
There are times when I get nothing out of Coelho's work - especially if one reads it as fiction and nothing else. At others, even the smallest things can keep you thinking for a while.

I remember The Alchemist being the first book that made me want to underline lines of text, as I was reading it. As a rule, I dislike making any sort of marks on a book, prefer to keep it as pristine as possible but with the Alchemist, it *was* all about following your dreams...
Unfortunately, I lent my copy to someone and never got it back... and the worst part is... I don't know who I gave it to... AND it was a gift... *sigh*

For the most part though, I sort of agree with my dad when he said that the themes in Coelho's work all seem the same. I won't say same but pretty similar... going after the search of the divine through spiritualism and communion with nature, yourself and the senses...

Brida - is pretty inconsequential as a story or work of fiction (perhaps I'm too harsh but there it is.). However, there are two concepts/beliefs/solutions(?) whatever you like to call it, in the book that I really liked, understood and identified with.
[No idea what the deal with these triple terms is. None whatsoever, not at all!]

The first one that I really liked was: There is power in the word.

The way they handled this in the book is that whenever we say something, we should not say it in a manner of finality.
Rather than say, "the last time I was here", you should say, "When I was here before" - else it might just turn out to be the last time you do go to that place. This seems incredibly fatalistic, yet it has a certain kind of allure. It has an innate optimism in it and a grain of positivity that I like.

I confuse myself sometimes. I'm far from the most optimistic person alive. In fact, I'm pretty cynical and use it as a strategy. To lower expectations slightly, to prepare for something not happening, is my brand of Realism - allows me to be Zen and if at all something does work out... it leads to happiness. (Happiness or nothing!). A few years ago, one might even have called me pessimistic. I realise people grown, and I KNOW I have grown... though have I really gone that far? To lose the cynicism totally?

As I sit here and write this, it occurs to me, perhaps, that the cynicism is a defense mechanism against disappointments in the personal domain, especially as far as expectations and achievements go. Yet... for the larger part, in the broader sense, I think I prefer to be more optimistic and hopeful... perhaps for others (whether I have an active part in their achievements or not) - to keep their spirits up and to actually believe in it.
Do you realise what I mean?
Realistic cynicism for self, leading to a defensive bubble and optimistic hopefuless for others, leading to encouragement for them... doesn't sound too bad...

Right... back to the point.
So yeah, I like this "don't be too final" diktat and recently, I've looked to choose my words carefully in this sense. (As I do with the word: try - "do or do not, there is no try", said wise Master Yoda!) It seems to work quite decently. Helps with this entire farewell thing going on as well...

I just finished an IM convo with a friend who "just realised" I would be leaving and doesn't like goodbyes. I said - don't say goodbye, say au revoir, see ya. Something like that. I intend to...
Same sort of thing with my "I'm doing this for the last time... for two years" thought process from Monday...
Recently I was also told by someone that once I go to the US, I will never come back!
A little disturbing... given this belief in power in the word... Why not? Why won't I come back?
Will I be absolutely happy and blissful there? Or...?
Qualify yourselves people!

The Pearls strip below exemplifies this!



(Hehe... this post has been in the making for a few weeks now and I knew after reading today's strip that today was meant to be the day it happened. It's just too apt!)

Be careful what you wish for! Even from your friends. Qualify what you mean, lest you get the wrong sorts of reassurances!

Unknown to myself, and that's why I like this concept so much, I'd already been using this "Power in the Word" concept at school for a while, long before the book came out.

Two years ago, we were playing the Question Game (ask for more details) in a 9th grade class and after the first round, some girls refused to participate again, since they felt the boys were being offensive.
Offensive words are an interesting beast. I gave them an example and asked them to make up their own minds as to what is offensive and what isn't.

P-O-O-P
C-R-A-P
S-H-I-T

Three words, four letters each, same meaning. They are listed in increasing amounts of offensiveness...
The question is... if they mean the same and if one is ok to be used with babies, and the other with irritation at birds, what makes the third most offensive?
Well.. it's offensive because we've decided it shall be offensive...

Take away the offensive connotation and it just happens to be another bodily function...
In fact, I've found it rather interesting lately... Pune drivers are idiots. They cut lanes like nobody's business and while the red light means "go", the green light also means "go" - so all systems are always a "go".
I very rarely swear - almost never in company - except if I'm being facetious with friends and if at all, in private...only into my helmet. (My helmet could tell you stories, it could...) The main reason for this is pure survival instinct (cowardice?) - if I get into a brawl on a street, I shall get my behind summarily kicked and I'd rather it be used as a seating device, as opposed to a football... the other... there is nothing to be gotten from swearing at anyone, once the damage has been done to your vehicle... or if they've gotten away with some stupid driving and the only damage is to your heart through the scare, and subsequently your ego.

However, sometimes you just *have to* yell at people and I've noticed something very interesting. Being stupid in traffic, people seem ready to be sworn at... bring in the family, the neighbour's dog and make all sorts of relationships between them and you. Such insults seem to roll right off a person's back. Yet... if I call them an idiot, a dunce or a myriad of other Marathi equivalents... they seem disconcerted... almost to feel bad... they don't expect it and perhaps they realise they deserve it!
Well, it might only be a personal reality and maybe it's a fancy of mine but it seems to work for me, and I shall continue. Either that... (use the harmless adjectives) or call them "Sons of motherless goats" - amuses me and is impossible. Though I'm not sure some son of a motherless goat would be too interested in seeing the funny side of it when I'd called him what I had. That's why he's a goat, see? No brains.



Look at those vacant eyes!

This power in the word has also been nicely used in a recent movie. Taare Zameen Par deals with the trials and tribulations of a young child with dyslexia and his teacher uses a box with chinese writing on it, to explain to his parents what their child experiences.
The words on the box have a meaning - just not to us.

As such, if we want to avoid people having power over us with their words, strip the words of their meaning. No meaning, no understanding, no power. What I don't know/won't know can't hurt me...
Power in the word!


Another concept I liked from Brida was a certain passage of text.
The main character and her teacher discuss the purpose of our existence on this planet. Who put us here? Why? etc. etc.
Some people use this as the basis for belief in God - God puts us here and s/he has a plan.
Other say that there is nothing here - our life either has no meaning or that we put our own meaning to it and after life ends, there is nothing.
Whether you subscribe to the first belief or the second, there is a great danger of giving up action and only existing... what I mean by this is, for whatever reason, if you either put your destiny in "God's hands" or if you believe that since there is "nothing" after death and there is no point in this existence and you cease functioning, you miss the point of our existence here.

Scientists, priests all strive to find the reason for our existence here.
The characters in Brida deal with it very elegantly. It's quite along the lines of Descartes' Cogito, Ergo Sum.
The teacher says that we exist and there must be a reason for our existence. Perhaps we are not obliged to get a reason, perhaps we are not worthy of knowing the reason. Yet, the very fact that there *is* a reason for our existence, albeit unknown, should be good enough for us to get on with our life and be as good and effective human beings as we can. (An addendum from me) As long as we can achieve that... things will go just fine!

I like this, I understand this.
A few years ago (in std. X) I remember famously declaring that I could survive by myself and I didn't need anyone else for anything; that I'd even dig my own grave, live near it and roll into it when the time came.
O the woeful naiveté of inexperience...
I've even on occasion said that I wouldn't mind if I went to sleep and not wake up the next day. No regrets about my existence here. Well, that sort of belief still exists, yet I'm not ready to go to the Long Sleep... at this point, setting out on some unknown adventure, I feel so brimful of life and some unformed, yet guiding purpose burns somewhere in the recesses of my head!

So yeah... there is a reason for existence. We don't need to know it, yet, it is there and we ought to do our best in everything we do!

And I shall...