Early Morning Musings Part 3

 

It has been a while since I did some creative writing. The last time I wrote under the influence of the -OH functional group I discovered parts of my psyche even I was unaware of. On professional advice, I am not supposed to make it public. But then after such an elaborate prologue, there is always the question of if I am forcing this piece out. Different professionals advice artists to keep producing. Who knows when a conundrum might turn out to be a corundum?

 

The current recipe involves mixing two whiskies and the “Surviving Mars” playlist from Cities:Skylines. Both of these are independently must tries (in the former, MaQintosh), and their combination is pretty peaceful.

 

***

 

So if I have given up to the fact that this is a forced piece of writing, should I even care about the quality? That is an interesting question actually. To what extent and in what circumstances is one allowed to “get done with it”, especially an artist, when one has given up or excused oneself from one’s standard? Then is it even “art”? Does a standard of quality define an artist? Can a work be a true expression of an artist if the first reaction is “This is just not like her/him”, which is different from “I would have never guessed that this is her/him”?
We have accepted and legalized certain minimum requirements and attributes for objects to be branded (again self-defined by the brand) for eg: IKEA, Melody or the BJP Government. If an object is not in that sleek DIY design, it is not IKEA, if it is not chocolaty, then it is not a Melody and if it does not... Anyway, why then is an aberration in the portfolio of an artist acceptable, and in some cases, even more valuable? I don’t see at the moment why such a work should not be sent back to be redone by the society in general. For the society has over time, been a consumer, many a times involuntary, of the artist’s work which meets certain standards. Here I do not mean that an “idea” unacceptable to the society shouldn’t be allowed. I am saying that that any expression of any idea should be of the same quality and standard the artist has been providing the society so far. Culture is the fifth pillar of society. It MUST be held accountable.

 

***

 

Dreams are dangerous places. They give hope. They generate fear. They elate, create happiness - to dash them when you wake up. They depress, meet sadness - and uphold them when you wake up. A family member, a friend, transmorgify into a stuka crashing into Norwegian snow to erupt as a breaching whale swimming in the starry sea sucked by a black hole. Blackness. Exhausted seven hours. Insomnia is more merciful. Yes. Dreams are a dangerous place.
I have tried seeding them: today I shall dream of winning a Nobel. I wake up a posthumous laureate - a lucid dream. They are the worst - the train of thought reaches CST too soon. Of course nightmares - as long as they are supernatural - are the best. You wake up knowing they are dreams. The sweat is dried by the fan and the breathing relaxed by the familiar soft blanket. The nightmares that are not supernatural are insidious. Losing love, death, failure, public embarrassment, all serve as the root of a déjà vu yet to happen. Yes, Dreams are a dangerous place.
If one should close one’s eyes, it is best to do so forever. The lives of adult mayflies should be idealized. One function, one day, and eternal peace.

 

You would argue that dreaming separates us from robots. I would argue humanity is superfluous. “We” are just robots for DNA to combine and replicate. And we are spending lifetimes trying to bury that simple truth. We are already androids for a few basic nitrogenous monomers.
Aesop, Copernicus, Gandhi, Tendulkar - all are side effects for ACGT. Your achievements mean nothing in the grand scale of evolution.
Dreams are the matrix - Reality is a construct. “You” don’t matter. Your body, well that does. And so our entire society has been constructed by four simple molecules to hold life sacred.
I reiterate. You don’t matter. You are simply a non-stick tawa: more efficient. If at any point the Four decide that they are fine with their fried fish sticking during anaphase, well then...dream on that.

 

***

 

So I plan to conclude this musing as “Early Morning Musings: Part 3, in three parts”. This is the third part. It should be a dedication I think. To whom though?
Of course I could just end it here with “Leave your suggestions in the comments below”, but that rarely works. Nobody bothers. Especially when I don’t intend to follow-up.

 

I have to admit that Instagram is growing on me. Like a bad slime mold. But it’s funny. Instagram is really funny. Struggling social media influencers covering their faces with “new post” containing a “heartfelt message”. People posting every bit of their life for public consumption only to tag it with “fuck you for judging me”.
I don’t wish to go on this rant (I actually said “pch” for ffs).

 

My point is admit your hypocrisy. I am a hypocrite. Hypocrisy should be stripped off its negative connotations. It should be - nay - needs to be normalized. Having different values with respect to different people in different situations is natural! The entire judicial system allows “facts and circumstances of an individual case” to be taken into account. It is okay to be liberal in society and conservative at home and vice-versa.
Consistency is demanded by society so that it is easier to predict and hence control individual behaviour. Hypocrisy might just be an attribute of true individual liberty.
Once we accept hypocrisy as a norm, we won’t be surprised when a friend betrays us, or society elects a mass-murderer.

 

Inconsistency, Randomness, Mutation, Needs, all change. We need to be flexible. Do Yoga.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Mehrauli Memoirs Part 6: Where is Zafar?

The Mehrauli Memoirs Part 7: Zafar's Absent Grave

The Mehrauli Memoirs Part 3: The Video Call