A slow walk back
Children can percieve things beyond our comprehension, they can see astral beings and even communicate with God. But once they begin speaking, these faculties are withdrawn. Then civilization begins to crush....
Going back to our innocence is the essence of Spirituality....
--The Book of Reflections---Guruji Krishnananda
When Mom worries that my son is yet to begin talking although he's already 15 months old, I doubt whether it's a good thing or not. I want to assure her that it's alright, he'll soon be speaking and blabbering--right now, maybe he's having a different kind of communication, something he'll
soon lose as he grows up, go out into an unfamiliar, ordinary life, get lost and again struggle through his way back to reach this higher state of innocence. I want to tell her that we all are again on this path towards reaching our original state, something which my son is on the verge of leaving any moment. And when he is beginning to comprehend things and naming them, I don't know whether I should feel happy for his growth or feel sad for a loss, which he himself might not be aware of. The loss of innocence.
Lose your innocence, drift into an unruly, challenging world, struggle, learn the lessons and then earn back your state of innocence. A wonderful cycle for every soul. The Parable of the prodigal son.
I was given a similar advice when I was serious about fiction writing. Create a balanced world. Disturb the balance. Let the characters struggle and restore the balance. End of story. Lesson learned. Maturity gained.
The hardest part is the struggle, though. To remember that you've to go back. Not to lose yourself in the struggle.
Updated: I've added a few more links on the right bar and removed some obsolete ones. These are the blogs and websites that I visit almost daily. India uncut is my favourite, so is Ran prieur's blog. Tim harford's writing is lucid and introduces economics to the layman. These wonderful blogs can be read end to end--and I do attempt it sometimes. Obviously, there are a multitude of blogs out there which are truly informative, engaging and enlightening. This list will surely be updated every now and then. Maybe I'll be adding another list this weekend, consisting of the best posts from across the blogworld that I've read in the past two years.
Coincidently when i read the passage you mentioned, I had Tejas in mind.
ReplyDeleteWe have read through these regularly every month, yet when we read them again, we have a deeper and broader understanding of them.
It also has a nostalgic value as it connects to many unsaid things of ours, of the past.
Hence finishing such books actually take a lot of time.
Thanks for the new list of Links.
For a lazy surfer like me the updates were like as if being given on a platter.
Grandmothers can be overly concerned about the development of their children's children. Mine was concerning me and it has harmed me all my life. Her theory was that "skinny babies die" and I was thin but not under normal weight. Still, my grandmother, mother, and aunts force fed me which has led to my fighting obesity all of my life.
ReplyDeleteHold you ground, my friend, for your son's sake.
Nick....I've read that the first few years are the most important in a human being's life--it's the foundation upon which his future is built. The words heard, habits reinforced and the affection/abuse received during the first three years shape our whole lives.
ReplyDeleteYet it amazes me to see how ignorant most of us are in handling children. We only worry about the physical safety and eating habits of the child. But this is the period when he's growing up psychologically and we don't think twice before trampling on the kid's tender feelings. We never notice that our words and the emotions behind it can affect the child. If only the parents could be taught to shower the infant with love and sensitivity, the future world would be a much better place.
Anon....So true, what you observed. Each individual reflection in the book carries a wealth behind it--only if we can contemplate deep on it and allow the hidden meanings to surface.
I'm glad that you've found the links helpful.