Things fall apart
Things fall apart
The center cannot hold
Mere anarchy is loosened upon the world.
Whose wrote this? Maybe Eliot, i'm not sure. But i remember the novel,'Things fall apart' by chinua achebe--we had it for our english non detailed text in Bsc. Much of the story has faded from memory but the gist remains---it's about a village chieftain in deep african jungles who helplessly watches the decline of his tradition and culture when the white man comes to his village--bible in hand-- to preach, convert and civilise the 'uncultured' 'uncivilized' villagers. For some strange reason the poem keeps resonating within at times.
Ever heard about the myth of 'Shangrila?' It's a mysterious kingdom hidden behind the Himalayas where highly evolved beings reside. Many have tried to locate and those who've discovered never return. I read a novel about it in my childhood and recently, got hold of 'The secret of Shambhala' by james redwood. Don't know if it's just an imagination or a reality--but wish it were real. This place, it's said, holds the key for our future. All guidance and light comes from this place. The darkness we're passing through both individually and globally finds its end in the light of 'Shangrila'.
When things begin to fall apart within, i remember 'Shangrila'. It gives hope and succor--to dream, to get up and move on. Life will be bright and beautiful.
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“Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the resurrection into eternal life” goes the saying.
ReplyDeleteKeep your Hope flying high. To Hope is to live, and yes..Life is beautiful.
We cannot let culture, language, civilization be barriers to Hope.
Are these eternal?. Who wants to exchange eternal life for these peanuts?.
Morning Vishwa.......
ReplyDeleteit is from Yeats "Second Coming"
yup i remember the book too with okonkwo and iboland and his wives and his self imposed death in the end.....
when things fall apart, i believe there will always be a way out when one door closes 9 others open a common saying....and i beleive in it ...that way ....
Good day
Ash
Chez...what shall i say? Thanks for the commments, anyway!
ReplyDeleteElisa...Good day to you.
Ash....Where did you read that book? It was fantastic... also huck finn by mark twain.
Checkout www.desipundit.com for a wealth of indian bloggers.
Have a great day.
i had it as a core text in my commonwealth literature course ...for BA...
ReplyDeleteread any other achebe ....
man of the people is guess is by him ...ok types i like this the best though i dont remember the rest of his works i have read ....
Afternoon Vishwa .....
I loved Secrets of Shambhala by James Redfield. I do have the sensation that what he speaks of is of truth but set in a story so that there is not too much trouble.
ReplyDeleteThere probably is vortexes in different places...kinda like blackholes but not.
*shurgs*
MOrning Ash,
ReplyDeleteHaven't read any other books by achebe. Will try to if i get hold of him.
If you come across any intersting books, do write about it.
Why not write about hyderabad--where you live? I feel, every place has a soul, a character, an identity. In writing about places our own essence comes through sometimes. I'm going to write about Bangalore, at least about the place i'm familiar with.
Have a good day.
Jen....Shangrila is a reality, i strongly feel and know to some extent, as well. I have quite a few books on it and will write about it subsequently. We all want that to happen, don't we? An utopia!!
When are you leaving for london? Hope you've a rocking time there. Say my hi to jassen.
I am leaving on a jet...dont know when ill be back again...*sings*
ReplyDeleteerm...I am leaving on the 9th next month!
:-)
Is it bad that my life right now feels out of whack and not right when Im not around Jassen?
Im trying to think myself out of a stank.
Interesting..I have always wanted to broaden my horizons of books that I read.I will try and get a hold of this book.
ReplyDeleteVishwa, I find this post more that interesting; since I have been considering some of the same ideas over the past few days, it is as if we have a psychic connection. Or, is it simply that we are in tune to the same frequency of what Jung called “the Universal Consciousness?”
ReplyDeleteBTW, the quotation is from "The Second Coming," a poem by William Butler Yeats.
Jen....Sorry i'm late in answering your question.
ReplyDeleteI feel you're not occupied enough, which makes you feel out of sync without Jassen. Honestly, this is what i feel. I could be deeply in love with someone but if i feel suffocated in that person's absence, then it's not alright. Life is bigger than anyone or anything and we need to keep a larger perspective rather than focus all our attention and energy on any single individual or task. This is not, in any way, to downplay the love and adoration we have for that person. The passion and intimacy could remain but without the 'attachment'.
Hope you get my point. Have a great time ahead.
Edu....'Secrets...' is a good book. 'Lost Horizons' by james hilton is another good book, a kinda novel, on the same subject.
Nick...Haha interesting. I too believe in the universal consciousness. Maybe we're all connected to the same root, somewhere deep down.