In The Shadow Of Our Pale Companion.
Its amazing what a stoned mind can come up with Agalloch playing in the background. But that's what's made philosophers and madmen, so why not try my hand at it. The computer's on too, I think to myself. In unison with the drum solo, I march to my purpose.So anyway, after a somewhat three hour-long intellectually stimulating conversation with a very good friend of mine, over a discussion span of topics such as unwelcome lovers, politics, history, sociology, economic theory, philosophy, tragedy, and vocational future, I got to think. But I forgot what I was thinking about. So bleh. *raises glass to el-dorado - just 20% more!*
Then I came back online. You know how weird it is to add yourself and then when you sign in from 'appear offline' status, you see on the right hand side of your screen a picture of Bhutto Shaheed and next to it, the following from Tool - Parabola; "Embrace This Moment. Remember; We Are Eternal, All This Pain Is An Illusion". What a sight for a PPP-activist. The Architect finally has His Own Shield of Honour. Jeevay Bhutto. But yeah, screw Benazir. So what else is new?
Yes. Rung day, Maula Rung Day. That is what I saw, in my oblivious attempt to "transform into pieces of art the delicate imbalances of the human psyche", or in Freudian terminology, the contraction of the peinecayke syndrome. So what if that's no Freudian and I came up with it. Sue me. :D
Then the mention of God; a quote from Hercules, about God envying man's mortality. God. The Beginning, and the End of every equation. Our every logic thought patterns ends up at the spiral of Divinity, a portal we fail to transcend. God. Who is Allah on Fridays, Jehovah on Saturdays and Jesus on Sundays. God. The Creator of the Universe, and, equally aptly, the Creator of the Arts. A craft we wish to exceed. For we are Gods too, right Ishtar? : ). God.
God is a variable, ladies and gentlemen. God is another entity. Just like any other. For herein is subjectivity; we all have our baggage. Some are annoying, some have issues, some don't put out, some cheat on you, some die too soon, some never die at all. Immortality, if you don't get my drift. Interpersonal relations it all is. Once you do seven pull-ups after being intoxicated and then it suddenly inspires upon you to understand that the significance of Seven is the arrival at the well-publicized Seventh Heaven; you'll understand it once you're like that. If you don't, you need a muse. A muse, a real-life creature of love and inspiration. One who stumbles on words and smiles when the rain pecks her face. A muse with her own baggage. Just like God.
God can't tolerate being cheated on. Trying denying Faith in reality and then ask God why He made you lose Faith in Him. Ask Him why he pushed you this far. Then you realize you're talking silly and why some things are forbidden. And then you apologize, continuing the interpersonal relationship. Yes, it doesn't stop with realizing you're stoned. Because it is only then that you start thinking.
Imagine going out with one girl and flirting with many. You can be sure your girlie won't make lovey dovey no more. But yes, you befriend girls and maintain normal, platonic friendships with them (yeah, think of them as guys :P), and remain devoted to one, the one who's worth it, everything's alright. That's what God wants to teach us. Good interpersonal relationships lead to a better understanding with (and of) God, and breakthroughs in religion. You don't need to go on telling God how much you love him, or express your love for him, or flirt or whatever. You need to realize that you're hitting on the wrong person, 'cause you won't be getting any. Instead, you must make peace and friendship with God as the entity, and be devoted to the principles of God, or the principles of society on which Divine Justice. Because the principles are worth it, just like that one girl. In His principles is the Unity of God. The One. In the present, surely the principles are worth it. In more ways than one; physically, socially, integrally, emotionally, and metaphysically. Because Divine Justice, and the spectre of which, and society play a mutual role; society bases its laws on humanity and its happiness, and the threat of persecution, and that is where Divine Justice finds its stronghold. I am not denying Divine Justice or Armageddon, just an objective point of you to prove the precision of your concept. God may or may not exist, that is for another day. But the fact remains that devotion to God's principles of righteousness and piety deserve devotion, whereas God as an entity deserves warm coexistence. Here comes the catch now.
Does God Really exist? Or is God, just like Divine Justice is to law, a basis to answer logic, or the questions of a young child who dreams to capture sunlight in the palm of his hand? Because many people who say that nothing is an invention and everything is a discovery that has been invented by God, they would not be too welcoming of the flowery idea discussed above. Devotion to God's principles. But the fact remains that an entity must be there. It has to be. How else would you know about the things that work without you having to making them work or have the knowledge of them working? You wouldn't. Precisely. Just like you do now. You don't know. Its fate, in the hands of God. God? Again, not denying God's existence, but if there was a God, why would he send prophets to do God's work? Why so many years in dark decadence, and why so many shades of grey suspicion still? The answer, my friend, is blind belief. The answer is in the fact that human beings cannot answer anything; everything is variable, nothing is constant. Every thought pattern either crosses, or ends with, the mention of God. Be it logic, mathematics, science, economics, philosophy, cartoons, or even a child's requiem in pursuit of a butterfly. Why? God knows. Does He exist? You never know. I never saw Him. But I saw Him at work. I saw their belief; they say He existed, but maybe, just maybe, they were just trying to be 'in' with the crowd. The fashion. Humanity; another bystander to this purportedly wicked carnival.
Dikhayi Bhee Joh Na Day, Nazar Bhee Joh Aa Raha Hai
Wohi Khuda Hai. Wohi Khuda Hai.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what i am. 'Nuff said.
Lums, here I come.
- this post is dedicated to samad khurram (harvard) and shahab umer (mit). 7 a's in a'levels apiece.
i'll be the one to protect you from your enemies and your choice's son. they're one and the same -
[Dysfunction Timestamp]
Shemrez had writer's block at 8:15 AM
|
***
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Wordplay. (=
The sky is blue.The world is a blind man squatting on the road.
But whoever sees your emptiness
sees beyond blue
and beyond the blind man.
The blind man's vision exceeds yours.
His vision extends to a portal that you may never see,
Where he may dream in darkness and be oblivious to light.
And you, oblivious to the light in his darkness.
All you see, is a blind man squatting on the road.
You've been fearful of being absorbed
in the ground, or drawn up by the air.
Now, your waterbead lets go and
drops into the ocean, where it came from.
It no longer has the form it had,
but it's still water.
And rain is not water.
For the sky, the earth and the ocean, it forms the bond of the void, yet it is neither air, nor fire.
It is not still water, that which you perspire.
Its just... fear, Ishtar,
Fear of the elements.
Without realising that in our sweat and tears, we hold one more.
You don't see it. You never can.
All you see, is a blind man squatting on the road.
[Dysfunction Timestamp]
Shemrez had writer's block at 6:39 AM
|
***
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Conspiracy Theories
It caught our attention like wildfire. In the busy morning hours of a London morning, bomb attacks at underground train stations. Two underground 'tube' lines, an underground station at Edgware Road and a double-decker bus on Tavistock Square targeted by bombs either planted or detonated by suicidal volunteers. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who lost their lives and those who are bereaved by these heinous crimes against the human race because of the politicization or terror, but one is not deterred from thinking that the publicity and international media frenzy initiated by these events is far-fetched and over-rated. Many believe that, with due respect, this is all being blown out of proportion.
Terror seems to be losing its strength in geometrical regression; thousands died in 9/11, hundreds in Madrid, and tens in London. While the death toll stumbled somewhere around 38 and 52 the day after, one can easily analogize the fact that in Pakistan, a bus falling into a river, or even the heat wave, would cause the same number of deaths. This simple realization, however, did not deter the British Government, or even the rest of the Allied world, into leveling this act as gruesome as that in Madrid last year, or even as horrendous as the September 11 attacks in New York. It took New York atleast a week to realize that its jaw had dropped in outright horror, but London's underground systems were operational by the next working day - the same day that flags across London were ordered by the Queen to fly at half-mast. CNN redirected its transmission to another news channel for atleast an hour and a half, after which its programmers had devised a dedicated broadcast sequence with a "Terror in London" theme template. Even according to the BBC News' Online edition, the Queen's swift and forthright response to the events 'underlined the gravity of the situation'.
British Premier Tony Blair may have stumbled on his words when he stated as his belief that the attacks might have been timed with the G-8 Summit proceedings in Scotland. He appeared somewhat traumatized, speaking to a shocked nation whilst the G-8 leaders stood by him in somber solidarity - including the French President and German Chancellor, two staunch critics of the War on Terror. The leaders present at Gleneagles, important players on the international stage in close touch with Prime Minister Blair and in the political vicinity of the target city, appeared somewhat shaken in their televised messages of condolence and solidarity, but many analysts were concerned with the notion that if the event left French and German leaders stirred or not. Could the attacks have been timed as to emphasize upon these two leaders the threat of terror so much so that it would impel them to raise the alert levels in their own countries and think twice about joining the offensive rather than being defensive and ardently disparaging? Some believe that Tony Blair's timely and precise actions in the wake of the attacks have made him able to reassert himself as the Labour party's sole leader, after having cost them the majority in recent parliamentary elections, where many tipped Finance Minister Gordon Brown to replace Blair as Prime Minister at any time during the legislative year. Blair's abrupt visit to London reaffirmed him a capable as well as charismatic representative of the British peoples and a dutiful and conscientious citizen of Great Britain, and his return to Gleneagles symbolized his importance as a world leader, and moreover, as widely publicized, that terror can not hinder the way of life and that it will be 'business as usual' once normality has been achieved.
All the leaders present at Gleneagles, as well as other leaders across the world, expressed their condolences and support to the British people, but the messages also contained articles of convenience and justification; it took Russian President Putin no time to convey to the British people that his own nation knew exactly what London was going through as the Russians had to 'live under the constant spectre of terror from the Chechyen rebels'. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Jafari reiterated that such acts must reassert the commitment of those who uphold democracy to stave off the threat of terror that infringes upon the lives of free peoples in Iraq as well. The Union Jack was raised at the US State Department, and a US military band played 'God Save The Queen' - reminiscent of the time when the Queen ordered the 'Star Spangled Banner' to be played in an expression of solidarity with America and Americans soon after September 11, 2001. Suddenly, America's sidekick in the War On Terror had an equal grievance to justify its motivation.
It is the belief of this scribe that the hysteria caused by these attacks finds its feeding grounds on mere statistics; according to the London Transport Authorities, almost 900 passengers are present on any given underground train at any given time; a figure that does not include commuters on the platforms that are waiting for, or are done using, the transport facility that caters to their route. It can also be noted that at the time of the blasts - between 8am and 10am - the number of commuters is obviously considered to be at its maximum, and 900 seems a lowly-placed approximation. Simultaneously, although a double-decker bus may hold a maximum of forty to fifty passengers, there are a huge number of people who use this method of transportation. This fright merely built on the uncertainty that any family member, friend or relative may be on a vehicle exposed to the blast, and may have led to an unprecedented strain on the London cellular service networks as people would call to confirm the well being of those presumed to be victimized. Even so, the appearance of London Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, who seemed as if he had personally witnessed - and was greatly moved by - one of the detonations, certainly impressed on many the sheer magnanimity of the attacks - or the extent to which it is intended to portray them.
Moreover, it is a purely psychological phenomenon that a slight disappointment after surprising joy would result in a greater-than-expected level of disenchantment and anticlimax. If those responsible of the bombings are students of Freudian works, then it is no surprise that the attacks came a day after the International Olympic Committee awarded London the privilege to host the 2012 Olympics. It must've certainly put a damper on the jubilations of Sir Sebastian Coe, who spearheaded the London 2012 bid effort, and London's mayor Ken Livingstone, who was still in Singapore in connection with rallying support for London's bid. It is common knowledge that rapturous celebrations would have continued for atleast a week had such a travesty not occurred.
In conclusion, the loss of human life by an act that may be considered 'cold blooded slaughter', as coined by a Sky News correspondent while commenting on comparisons between an accidental fire in London's underground tunnel in the 1980's and the bombings, is unforgivable and unwarranted by any religion whatsoever. Islam allows Jihad, but Jihad is not to be conducted against innocent men, women and children. Any act that leads to untimely termination of life is a crime against society and must be punished severely by unanimous justice. The melancholy in this situation remains that a cab driver in London boasted proudly of not having offered his service to a prospective Muslim client; if terror did not serve its purpose as a quandary, it is the politicization of terror that shall spearhead the backlash of those affected by the bombings - a retaliation that will be directed towards the Muslim community worldwide, and more specifically, in London as well as all over Britain.
In a discussion with a colleague, it was established that the solution of terror would be a charity boxing match between American President George W. Bush and Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, the proceeds of which could go to the 'Make Poverty History' funds and to the African Debt Relief and Poverty Alleviation agenda. Practically, such an event could achieve in a shorter period of time that which the G-8 hopes to accomplish in ten-or-so years. We can only cross our fingers and hope that President Bush dons his boxing gloves and that the WBO grants Osama a boxing license, because it will take more than just Don King to rescue our world from the terribly perilous conundrum it has fallen into.
[Truncated]
Terror seems to be losing its strength in geometrical regression; thousands died in 9/11, hundreds in Madrid, and tens in London. While the death toll stumbled somewhere around 38 and 52 the day after, one can easily analogize the fact that in Pakistan, a bus falling into a river, or even the heat wave, would cause the same number of deaths. This simple realization, however, did not deter the British Government, or even the rest of the Allied world, into leveling this act as gruesome as that in Madrid last year, or even as horrendous as the September 11 attacks in New York. It took New York atleast a week to realize that its jaw had dropped in outright horror, but London's underground systems were operational by the next working day - the same day that flags across London were ordered by the Queen to fly at half-mast. CNN redirected its transmission to another news channel for atleast an hour and a half, after which its programmers had devised a dedicated broadcast sequence with a "Terror in London" theme template. Even according to the BBC News' Online edition, the Queen's swift and forthright response to the events 'underlined the gravity of the situation'.
British Premier Tony Blair may have stumbled on his words when he stated as his belief that the attacks might have been timed with the G-8 Summit proceedings in Scotland. He appeared somewhat traumatized, speaking to a shocked nation whilst the G-8 leaders stood by him in somber solidarity - including the French President and German Chancellor, two staunch critics of the War on Terror. The leaders present at Gleneagles, important players on the international stage in close touch with Prime Minister Blair and in the political vicinity of the target city, appeared somewhat shaken in their televised messages of condolence and solidarity, but many analysts were concerned with the notion that if the event left French and German leaders stirred or not. Could the attacks have been timed as to emphasize upon these two leaders the threat of terror so much so that it would impel them to raise the alert levels in their own countries and think twice about joining the offensive rather than being defensive and ardently disparaging? Some believe that Tony Blair's timely and precise actions in the wake of the attacks have made him able to reassert himself as the Labour party's sole leader, after having cost them the majority in recent parliamentary elections, where many tipped Finance Minister Gordon Brown to replace Blair as Prime Minister at any time during the legislative year. Blair's abrupt visit to London reaffirmed him a capable as well as charismatic representative of the British peoples and a dutiful and conscientious citizen of Great Britain, and his return to Gleneagles symbolized his importance as a world leader, and moreover, as widely publicized, that terror can not hinder the way of life and that it will be 'business as usual' once normality has been achieved.
All the leaders present at Gleneagles, as well as other leaders across the world, expressed their condolences and support to the British people, but the messages also contained articles of convenience and justification; it took Russian President Putin no time to convey to the British people that his own nation knew exactly what London was going through as the Russians had to 'live under the constant spectre of terror from the Chechyen rebels'. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Jafari reiterated that such acts must reassert the commitment of those who uphold democracy to stave off the threat of terror that infringes upon the lives of free peoples in Iraq as well. The Union Jack was raised at the US State Department, and a US military band played 'God Save The Queen' - reminiscent of the time when the Queen ordered the 'Star Spangled Banner' to be played in an expression of solidarity with America and Americans soon after September 11, 2001. Suddenly, America's sidekick in the War On Terror had an equal grievance to justify its motivation.
It is the belief of this scribe that the hysteria caused by these attacks finds its feeding grounds on mere statistics; according to the London Transport Authorities, almost 900 passengers are present on any given underground train at any given time; a figure that does not include commuters on the platforms that are waiting for, or are done using, the transport facility that caters to their route. It can also be noted that at the time of the blasts - between 8am and 10am - the number of commuters is obviously considered to be at its maximum, and 900 seems a lowly-placed approximation. Simultaneously, although a double-decker bus may hold a maximum of forty to fifty passengers, there are a huge number of people who use this method of transportation. This fright merely built on the uncertainty that any family member, friend or relative may be on a vehicle exposed to the blast, and may have led to an unprecedented strain on the London cellular service networks as people would call to confirm the well being of those presumed to be victimized. Even so, the appearance of London Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, who seemed as if he had personally witnessed - and was greatly moved by - one of the detonations, certainly impressed on many the sheer magnanimity of the attacks - or the extent to which it is intended to portray them.
Moreover, it is a purely psychological phenomenon that a slight disappointment after surprising joy would result in a greater-than-expected level of disenchantment and anticlimax. If those responsible of the bombings are students of Freudian works, then it is no surprise that the attacks came a day after the International Olympic Committee awarded London the privilege to host the 2012 Olympics. It must've certainly put a damper on the jubilations of Sir Sebastian Coe, who spearheaded the London 2012 bid effort, and London's mayor Ken Livingstone, who was still in Singapore in connection with rallying support for London's bid. It is common knowledge that rapturous celebrations would have continued for atleast a week had such a travesty not occurred.
In conclusion, the loss of human life by an act that may be considered 'cold blooded slaughter', as coined by a Sky News correspondent while commenting on comparisons between an accidental fire in London's underground tunnel in the 1980's and the bombings, is unforgivable and unwarranted by any religion whatsoever. Islam allows Jihad, but Jihad is not to be conducted against innocent men, women and children. Any act that leads to untimely termination of life is a crime against society and must be punished severely by unanimous justice. The melancholy in this situation remains that a cab driver in London boasted proudly of not having offered his service to a prospective Muslim client; if terror did not serve its purpose as a quandary, it is the politicization of terror that shall spearhead the backlash of those affected by the bombings - a retaliation that will be directed towards the Muslim community worldwide, and more specifically, in London as well as all over Britain.
In a discussion with a colleague, it was established that the solution of terror would be a charity boxing match between American President George W. Bush and Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, the proceeds of which could go to the 'Make Poverty History' funds and to the African Debt Relief and Poverty Alleviation agenda. Practically, such an event could achieve in a shorter period of time that which the G-8 hopes to accomplish in ten-or-so years. We can only cross our fingers and hope that President Bush dons his boxing gloves and that the WBO grants Osama a boxing license, because it will take more than just Don King to rescue our world from the terribly perilous conundrum it has fallen into.
[Truncated]
[Dysfunction Timestamp]
Shemrez had writer's block at 10:53 PM
|
***