படித்ததில் பகிர விரும்பியது..

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நான் வேறொன்றாக இருக்க வேண்டும் போல இருக்கிறது என்கிறாய்.

அதைத் தானே திரும்பத் திரும்பத் சொல்லிக் கொண்டிருந்து விட்டார்கள். வேறு ஒருவராக இரு. கௌதம புத்தரைப் பார். கிருஷ்ணரைப் பார். இயேசுவைப் பார். ஒரு புத்தனாக இரு. ஒரு கிருஷ்ணனாக இரு. ஒரு இயேசுவாக இரு. அப்படி இருக்க வேண்டும் என்று நீயும் முயன்று கொண்டிருந்தால் விரக்தி தான் மிஞ்சும். நீ புத்தனாக இருக்க முடியாது என்பதால் தான் அவ்விரக்தி. ஒரு புத்தராக இருக்கவல்ல நீ வந்திருப்பது. நீ ஒரு கிருஷ்ணராக முடியாது. இயேசுவாக முடியாது. நீ நீயாகத் தான் இருக்க முடியும்.
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நீ நீயாக இருக்க வேண்டும். வேறு யாராகவும் இருக்க வேண்டியதில்லை. அது தான் புத்தத்தனம் என்பது. நீ நீயாக இருப்பது. அது தான் கிறிஸ்துவ உணர்வென்பது. நீ நீயாக இருப்பது. புத்தர் பிற யாராவதுடைய நகலா என்ன? அவருக்கு முன் மிகப் பெரிய மகான்கள் பலர் இருந்திருக்கிறார்கள் என்பது உனக்குத் தெரியுமே. அவரிடம் கூட, நீ கிருஷ்ணனாக இருக்க வேண்டும், நீ பர்ஷவநாத்தாக இருக்க வேண்டும், ஆதிநாதராக இருக்க வேண்டும் என்றெல்லாம் சொல்லியிருப்பார்கள்.

அழகான புராண இதிகாசக் கதைகளைக் கேட்டிருந்திருப்பார். ராமர், கிருஷ்ணர், பரசுராமர் என்று எல்லாருடைய கதைகளையும் தான். பாரம்பரியம் என்பது அவருக்கும் இருந்தது. ஆனால் பிறராக இருக்க வேண்டும் என்று அவர் எப்போதும் முயன்றதேயில்லை. தான் யார் என்பதைத் தெரிந்து கொள்ள விரும்பினார். தான் தானாக இருக்க வேண்டும் என்று விரும்பினார். யாருடைய நகலாகவும் தன்னை அவர் ஆக்க முயலவில்லை. அதனால் தான் அவர் ஒரு நாள் ஞானி ஆக முடிந்தது.

ஆபிரகாமாகவோ, மோசஸாகவோ, எஸகியலாகவோ தான் இருக்க வேண்டும் என்று இயேசு நினைத்ததில்லை. இயேசு தானாக இருக்க முயற்சித்தார். அது தான் அவருடைய குற்றமாகிப் போனது. அதனால் தான் அவரைச் சிலுவையில் அறைந்தார்கள்.

இயேசு மட்டும் மோசஸைப் போல இருந்திருந்தால் அவரைச் சிலுவையில் அறிந்தவர்களே அவருக்கு முன் மண்டியிட்டு வணங்கியிருப்பார்கள். பத்துக் கட்டளைகளைப் பதிவு செய்து திரும்பத் திரும்பச் சொல்லும் ஒரு இசைத்தட்டாக இருந்திருந்தால், யூதர்கள் அவரை வணங்கியிருப்பார்கள். ஆனால் அவர் தானாக இருக்க முயன்றதால் வேறு வழியில்லாமல் அவரைச் சிலுவையில் அறைய வேண்டியதாகிவிட்டது.

உளுத்துப் போன இந்தச் சமுதாயத்துக்கு, இந்த கூட்டத்துக்கு, இந்த மந்தைக்கு, தனித்தவனாக இருப்பவனைப் பொறுத்துக் கொள்ள முடிவதில்லை.

ஒரு சாக்ரெட்டிஸை ஏற்றுக் கொள்வதென்பது அவர்களுக்கு முடியாத காரியம்...

-- ஓஷோ

பால் ஆரோக்கியம்.
28-ஏப்ரல்-2014.

After Thoughts: Albert Camus' The Outsider..

It has constantly been itching me to write something about Albert Camus' "The outsider" ever since I have read the book. It has been several weeks since then. But the thoughts about the book are still in my mind afresh as though I read it just few minutes back. It is one of the best books I have read so far. I have heard of existentialism before but never thought that I would know about it by walking through the mind of an existentialist, who obviously stands outside of our territory in which we don't dare to allow someone of his sort.

This is not a review. But the thoughts about the book goes in more detail because it is one of the best written books of 20th Century. Let me start with an incident that had happened after reading the book, which perhaps may better help me to explain why I think the book is one of the best.

Shortly after I have finished reading the book and was impressed by the way it has been written, I happen to mention the same to one of my friends. She was interested in good reads, so I gave her the book. She read the first few lines of the book in front of me,

"Mother died today. Or may be yesterday, I don't know. I had a telegram from the home: 'Mother passed away. Funeral tomorrow. Yours sincerely.' That doesn't mean anything. It may have been yesterday."

Immediately after reading the lines, she looked at me and uttered the words, "heartless person". I smiled. After a few minutes of silence I said, "read it, it is such a great book, written so very well."

She said, "lets see.."

After a week or two, I forgot that I gave her the book. She called me one day and asked, "can we meet today? I want to return that book."

"Yes, of course... when?"

"Evening.. say 8?"

"Sure..", and I hung up the phone.

In fact, I was little surprised that she did not comment anything on the book. I was at least expecting a one liner about how the book was for I felt it is one of the best I have read so far. After a short while, I called her back, "do you want any other book?"

"Yes, any fiction would help."

"You didn't like that book, did you?", I asked.

"Yes, I didn't like it.", she said without giving any clue on what she thinks inside.

"Why you didn't like it ?", I was very curious.

"Why means..? I just didn't like it.", and she has full stopped the talk.

"oki..", and I hung up.

To be honest, I was very surprised, she didn't like it. Well, it is not that everyone has to have the similar taste. But then later some day when I happen to talk about this book to someone else, I kind of got an insight of why she might possibly not have liked the book.

The primary character of the book is a very cold, heartless, emotionless person. When I could sense why she might not have liked the book, I couldn't control laughing. People expect the protagonist to be a nice, charming, good-hearted human being. But in this book, the primary character comes across as a person who doesn't even mourn for his mother's death, supports a friend who tries to abuse his girl friend, kills a man who is not at all related to him. Very cold in nature. Well, at least that is how we call them or would like to perceive them (people like him). As a matter of fact, such perception hardly affects them which is a different story altogether.

I didn't like the primary character of the book either. He is not the kind of person I'm or the kind of person I would like to be or the kind of person I would appreciate. But I couldn't resist myself from appreciating his non-pretending nature. However it is not the point. A book is not always about the personality of the primary character. The beauty of the book lies somewhere else. The way in which the book is written. The style. The language. The characterization. How the characters have been rendered. How the story is told. How the mind of a person is presented for you to walk through. There is a lot more to be looked for in a book than the nature of the primary character. The only stories where I could imagine a perfectly genuine and absolutely good-hearted human being to be a protagonist are fairy tales.

In fact if you dislike the primary character by seeing him as someone who does not fit in your world, an outsider, the novel has achieved its purpose. Hence the title. This book's mind voice and it's language are stunning. The way it is written is absolutely brilliant. Even the thickness of the book tells the kind of character we are talking about. There couldn't have been more to write because of the kind of character we are dealing with. Epic writing.

I'm not an existentialist. Nor I appreciate existentialism very much. That doesn't stop me from appreciating this so very well written book of 20th century.

PS 1: If you are planning to read the book, read the one translated by Joseph Laredie. The other translations seems to be pathetic.

PS 2: The original book is written in french, hence PS 1.

-- Paul Arockiam

Thoughts after reading book I of Fifty Shades Trilogy

[ This is not a review ]

Just some thoughts after I finished the book I of the Fifty Shades Trilogy, the Fifty Shades of Grey.

The novel is intense. very intense. The sex in the novel is really too much, which I didn't enjoy that much. Too much of sex scenes and too much of their details made me to say aloud, "oh come on.. please get on with it real soon and tell me something else.." But emotional aspects came out well. real well. Characters stay in mind. There were few unnecessary cinematic scenes but they didn't bother me much.

The dialogues are stylish which is something i personally look for in any novel. The email exchanges and the dialogues are interesting and amusing. Except at one place, I think the novel has got real good pace and is a good page turner. As I told I didn't enjoy the 'too much of sex' content and especially in such great detail, because they kind of started boring me a little. I was more interested in the emotional and psychological aspects of the characters.

The changes in the climate is so rapid in the second half of the novel that it was really difficult to keep up (in the sense, you will be racing inside), especially towards the end. The characters' mood swing takes you along with it. When you finish the novel it leaves you with so much of intense feeling. You definitely feel for the characters.. Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey stays in your mind and will stay for some really long time. That's a success for the novel but I was not feeling like picking up the second book right away. May be I will read it some other time.

The Fifty Shades of Grey is definitely just more than good reads.

-- Paul Arockiam