Prelude
This is my home -
the sun, the moon, the stars
the known and the unknown
the mirth and the misery -
all are here mine.
This is my home -
the cradle of confusing ideas
the circle of outrageous arguments
the nonexplanations -
all are here mine.
This is my home -
when passing the porch,
escaping rehearsed conscience
I find my catharsis.
This is my home -
It is solid - a refuge outlasting
time.
Should you pass by, exclaim your
presence:
You will not be sent away.
About Today
Today I would like to discuss fear: the
fear of expressing thoughts and the fear of pursuing happiness. We are living
in a society that teaches us how important it is to design a safe life, to
manage a check list for what we need to achieve and when it is right to achieve
it. We like our present to be safe: nothing more admirable, I agree. But
building up a false reality and fading out troubles or the need to deal with
them cannot be associated with the idealistic concept of safety. We may lose
the courage of expressing mirth, sadness, love or discontent, in fact we may
lose the ability of expressing the inner pattern of emotions in general. The
lack of proper communication endangers gravely harmonious cohabitation, in all
areas of human interaction. Today’s society often associates proper conduct
with censorship of certain emotions, when in fact expressing respect,
patience, sympathy and emotional intelligence ensures functional relationships.
It is fear taking control over us, when we deny ourselves the unconstrained
analysis of our state of mind. It is fear taking control over us, when we deny
ourselves to share the result of this analysis. It is fear of damaging perhaps
a malcontent, but “safe” chapter of
life. And this fear is the core of our everyday unhappiness.
Last week I stumbled across an essay
of Philip Roth in which he reflects upon the experience of writing “Portnoy’s Complex”, a novel I read several
years ago. In his essay, Roth analysis the reception of his novel and exposes
his gear to write about a man troubled by every ruthless thought and feeling of
the human spirit:
“While the protagonist may be straining to escape his moral conscience,
I was attempting to break free from a literary conscience that had been
constructed by my reading, my schooling and my fastidiousness — from a habitual
sense of prose decorum.” (Old Books, New Thoughts –
tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com)
It is a bold novel, which deals with
“the quotient of the unsocialized that is
rooted in almost everyone” (Old Books, New Thoughts –
tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com). Everyone has to process it and denying it does
not make it fade away.
Do not be afraid to break free from
the prison of prefabricated ideas and concepts. Get rid of the futile weight of
the cloak of fear and experiment without oppressing others, but most
importantly without oppressing yourself! Do not be content with the “comfort-zone”
in your life, but try making the most out of your reality!
Chat Noir – 16. November 2014
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