Just saw the movie "Shutter Island". And you can see the result on the title itself.
No. This post is not a review on the movie. More on the content of it. Its a story about illusions and insane asylum and on (one of) its inmates. Is the hero a nut case would be a question which would linger with me till one of you see the movie and write a review on it :) But the thing is..illusion. A pretty interesting thing.
Oru poiyya pathu thadava sonna athu unmai aaidum. Especially if it involves sanity of a person's mind. Keep calling a person mad, even those who wouldn't believe it at first would slowly begin to fall in line. Even his otherwise routine actions will come under scrutiny. Question on sanity is something which cannot be defended or attacked for that matter. Even if one comes hard saying he is not mad it further slides him into that questionable hole. That, i guess, is the worst punishment or crime which can ever be committed on a fellow human being.
Insane and I'msane just differ by a single letter. Who defines the condition for sanity decides who are within the circle and who are outside it. To quote Joker from the movie "Dark Knight" - "Madness is like gravity. You just need a push". I see people slogging their bottoms off, even during weekends, to meet unrealistic deadlines. And there are people like urs truly :) Some are so touchy that even an extra article in a word would make them see red while some are so thick skinned that even if lightning strike them, it would bounce off. Every individual does have some or other madness in them. Since the other aspects of their personality match majorly with the accepted norms of the society they escape being tagged.
To me madness and creativity has a very minor difference - acceptance. If people admire your work..you are creative else a lunatic. The Rowlings, Tolkeins, Assimovs, Sujathas all their works are way out of the leagues of normal human minds i would say. Any creative person whose thoughts are lateral and unique, often find fame..may not possibly be on their lifetime, as their peers may not understand their works. But definitely over a period of time. Most of those artists are often branded as nut cases by those who can't understand their works.
So is acceptance everything in life? Even if you are a serial killer if the society accepts does it deem it a right action??!!! Eating with hands is a normal thing in India while it might be frowned upon in Western world. So how does this "acceptance" is gets defined? I've no clue. Maybe thats the reason behind formation of unique cultures?? People who found similar likings gelled together and formed their own culture??
Me the readings "Deivathin Kural- part 1", compilation of the speeches and teachings of Kanchi Periyavar. There was one reference to this topic. I would conclude this post with his quote. (Its a shoddy translation..pls bear with me)
"There are are 3 kinds of mental state - Alert, Sleepy and Dreamy. Alert mind, as it states, is alert to the happenings around. Dreamy is the state in which mind conjures up things which are beyond the reach of real worldly affairs while Sleepy is a situation where mind is totally at rest..devoid of any thoughts. But the thing is..in all three situations, its the same mind. Thoughts are many. Situations are many. But mind is one"
No. This post is not a review on the movie. More on the content of it. Its a story about illusions and insane asylum and on (one of) its inmates. Is the hero a nut case would be a question which would linger with me till one of you see the movie and write a review on it :) But the thing is..illusion. A pretty interesting thing.
Oru poiyya pathu thadava sonna athu unmai aaidum. Especially if it involves sanity of a person's mind. Keep calling a person mad, even those who wouldn't believe it at first would slowly begin to fall in line. Even his otherwise routine actions will come under scrutiny. Question on sanity is something which cannot be defended or attacked for that matter. Even if one comes hard saying he is not mad it further slides him into that questionable hole. That, i guess, is the worst punishment or crime which can ever be committed on a fellow human being.
Insane and I'msane just differ by a single letter. Who defines the condition for sanity decides who are within the circle and who are outside it. To quote Joker from the movie "Dark Knight" - "Madness is like gravity. You just need a push". I see people slogging their bottoms off, even during weekends, to meet unrealistic deadlines. And there are people like urs truly :) Some are so touchy that even an extra article in a word would make them see red while some are so thick skinned that even if lightning strike them, it would bounce off. Every individual does have some or other madness in them. Since the other aspects of their personality match majorly with the accepted norms of the society they escape being tagged.
To me madness and creativity has a very minor difference - acceptance. If people admire your work..you are creative else a lunatic. The Rowlings, Tolkeins, Assimovs, Sujathas all their works are way out of the leagues of normal human minds i would say. Any creative person whose thoughts are lateral and unique, often find fame..may not possibly be on their lifetime, as their peers may not understand their works. But definitely over a period of time. Most of those artists are often branded as nut cases by those who can't understand their works.
So is acceptance everything in life? Even if you are a serial killer if the society accepts does it deem it a right action??!!! Eating with hands is a normal thing in India while it might be frowned upon in Western world. So how does this "acceptance" is gets defined? I've no clue. Maybe thats the reason behind formation of unique cultures?? People who found similar likings gelled together and formed their own culture??
Me the readings "Deivathin Kural- part 1", compilation of the speeches and teachings of Kanchi Periyavar. There was one reference to this topic. I would conclude this post with his quote. (Its a shoddy translation..pls bear with me)
"There are are 3 kinds of mental state - Alert, Sleepy and Dreamy. Alert mind, as it states, is alert to the happenings around. Dreamy is the state in which mind conjures up things which are beyond the reach of real worldly affairs while Sleepy is a situation where mind is totally at rest..devoid of any thoughts. But the thing is..in all three situations, its the same mind. Thoughts are many. Situations are many. But mind is one"
Comments
If there is atleast one person in the world, who knows you in and out, still accepts you the way you are and defends you, that's a perfect blessing. That gives you enormous courage. Then, you need not even talk something. All that you feel will be read by that special someone.....Unfortunately, not many of us are blessed that way.....
Manasaatchi: inimae indha pakkam varuviya varuviya nee???
Me: Gils mela sathyama indha pakkam ini i the no comings :((((
Interesting post...let us be true to ourselves...if we start looking for acceptance, the effort at being ourselves is wasted. Thats why so many of them were credited for their genius work, after they died...they didnt create for acceptance...they were just themselves. Right ???
Gils, can u pl remove word verfication while commenting...it seriously is bugging... :)
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
We'll let G3's comments pass by. She's not expected to comment rationally after "recent events'" !!!!!!!! :) :)
Very cool! When I come to India, we will talk more about this!
Vidya
but yes, such movies make us think
and wonder....