Beauty

I just read a piece by an American born writer with Indian descent named Jhumpa Lahiri. The work is called "The Third and Final Continent" and it is an installation into a series of stories compiled and named "Interpretor of Maladies". This story chronicles the journey of an Indian man to three continents as he is securing a place for he and his wife. The road in which Lahiri takes you and how you take the journey with this man is such an emotionally compelling read.

I haven't considered myself a huge fan of writing(mainly because of too much effort to create underlying messages) but Lahiri's writing has struck a profound chord with me. Her writing is rich in description and she posseses and ability to put you right into the world in which she is writing...and there isnt some sort of burden to create asthetic beauty in writing that only college professors and their A achieving students strive for. It's the same as music...too many composers these days write to please themselves and their professors rather than to create emotionally imapcting pieces for human kind. Lahiri provides a style in which all humans can benefit from and create new understanding. That is what writing and the communication arts should ultimately do...impact other people...not just yourself through high achievemtns in making things hard to read.

Here is the ending thoughts of this story as the Indian man is reflectin upon his journey:

Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination.

I have blogged this thought before but ill say it again. Every human has an individual story that is unique and beautiful. American society is so caught up in the mind of work and money that there is less "stopping to smell the roses" I suppose. Did you meet someone new today? Inyour city of say about 1 million people, you met this one person...Susan. Say susan knows someone that you do? How is that not beautiful in it's own respect? When we're working commuting between chores industrializing allt he edges of the world...do we stop to realize the beauty of our existence? How has everything become to "ordinary"? Why is it seldom for people to pause from their own life and appreciate the beauty of others? Questions can go forever on this subject...
But is our existence on this planet that ordinary? The fact that you are reading my words right now is a mircale in itself.

Quit Being Silly

I just got back from a pool hall and have quite possibly seen the worst display of existence human kind is capable of offering.

It's quite fascinating to observe people in any case...but to observe people of this poolhall will leave you dumbfounded.

Now, there is no disrespect in my rambling for the game of pool; it is a rather entertaining game for people of all ages and skill. Rather, my bone to pick deals with the confusion of roles and expectations within the social aspect of these venues...or other late-night weekend houses of mingling.

Let's begin with the guy who comes in and is soooooooooooooo focusing on how people are seeing him so he walks into the room with this almost intetional studder as to signify that he is indeed, "ghetto". I think I almost feel to the gound laughing. He had a sigar in his ear and was wearing shades infoors...he was cool.

Another awesome case shines in the example of the guy who wants to meet girls (nothing wrong with that) and does so by shouting sracastic or dumb comments... what happened to...hello? Must you commit such generic rituals when meeting other people?

It's ironic...social venues serve the purpose of meeting people....not playing roles scripted by mainstream televeision/media on how social life should be.

A pool-hall...is just that. A place to play pool, and throw back a few sugs (for those who chose to drunk). It is not a stage for social theatrics...less people are themselves these days...why? What drives that?Is the concern for apporval that much overpowering than the concern of projecting your true self...
Must you wear certain clothing and speak in a broken dialect of english to be seen as acceptable?

Wow, what terrible sriting I have done.....I guess I jsut have to say...it is absolutely fascinating to see how people behave...why they do it...how pathetic it truely is...do you get what i am saying?

Very rarely do I see a group of people just gathering together and having fun...i usually se a group of people trying to chime in their ticket to acceptanc through a series fo rituals and gestures...