Force & Anger. Ghosts in the Mind
Do you have a problem?
Sometimes people when they have a problem - any problem: love, career, friends, family, real shyness, health etc. - they can get depressed, they can remain passive and do nothing. Other people instead react and, trying (even desperately sometimes) to do something about it, they finally find some strength and re-act, or act, in a way or another.
Of course the result of this re-action can either engender the solution to their problem or, as a possible alternative, a problem which is even worse, not to mention total failure or disaster (this though being not the point altogether).
Ok, I know I am making it simple but, from what I just said, strength could be such an important ingredient in one’s life success (Country philosopher would phrase: “no doubt about it, really no doubt about it.” I think you’ll soon meet him, you’ll have to lol, like also you’ll meet Extropian, another extremely peculiar person, no doubt. Ok. Back to the point now).
Strength of Mind, plus Action
In fact strength is so important, I can tell you by experience. No matter your intelligence, no matter even your big qualities, if you are not provided with some strength of mind to encounter problems (or danger) with firmness, if you are not provided with some sort of personal bravery, even powerful intellectual processing abilities might not help much. Quite the contrary, they might be an extra weakness making you a flop. Here’s one theoretical example.
Even a perfect intellect though spending its time thinking thinking thinking only (and not acting with bravery of mind), it’s almost sure to reach its exact opposite, i.e. total imperfection in life, which can have many names: frustration, implosion, deep sorrow or depression, overthrow, pippe mentali (= intellectual onanism, though more … vulgar), stalemate. Failure, in short.
The world is full of gifted people that are total flops because they’re cowards and forceless , I know too well, many of my failures (apart from some successes) being engendered by flaws where lack of courage was not seldom part of the happy bunch. And of course, one being a flop means being partially or totally impeded to fulfil one’s dreams of happiness: in family, career, love etc.
I would add (since we are all bloggers here) that even writing-thinking too much can sort of devour itself and make the writer stop writing altogether. This for example happened to me with musical composition: too much loved, too much adored thus devouring itself, thence failed (or flopped, if you prefer).
Find Courage Inside. Magister
Given strength is such a good quality we should all possess, one might ask: how can we possibly attain it, in case we’re totally deprived of it? Hard question. I can tell what Magister used to tell us, probably referring to great Italian thinker Antonio Gramsci:
“Anyone of us can find all the force he needs, a tremendous force, only if he really t-r-i-e-s, no matter his gender, nation, age, instruction, religion (or non-religion). No Gods helping, no religion helping. Only our complex human nature helping (or genes, if you prefer).”
Of course I am making his words a bit … exuberant since he lectured us with his robust, crystal-clear style that imprinted his ideas on us vigorously, more and more.
“Sometimes one needs to be really cornered to discover this tremendous bravery we all can have - he kept saying. “Sometimes one actually needs to feel in danger. Oh yes - Magister sounded now merciless, his voice raising - oh yes! Only in real danger one is able sometimes to stand up with one’s balls firm, face things, and FIGHT!”
My g-o-o-d-n-e-s-s. We were so STUNNED and couldn’t but keep staring at him totally wide-eyed.
(ManofRoma’s note: balls were a metaphor, thence also women, gays & lesbians, any being (ants too?)’ when cornered, must necessarily have balls (palle, coglioni) in order to fulfil survival primeval instinct).
I will also add this sublime example of outstanding Victorian Kipling’s Rikki-tikki-tavi baby mongoose, fighting and winning even over dreadful adult female King cobra. Yes, baby mangusta won because cornered (and out of love for the British humans she/he lived with, though mangustas’ behaviour I have no idea about).
So let us make use of this potential courage we all have inside in order to face things and act. Let us, in other words, fight for a better life - personal or collective, it is the same.
Of course, dear reader, this post is also pretty personal, since I am living a hard moment, so, again, I am trying to follow Magister’s example hoping to find this inner force and make use of all the personal bravery I am capable of.
Destructive Solution: aggressive Anger
Only, being very stressed these days, I am actually starting to make mistakes.
1) Excess. One mistake is letting excess and chaos prevail a bit. Not a big deal, since once I’m all right I’ll take care of it and tame it (hopefully).
2) Anger. The worst thing, and a by-product of Magister’s teaching maybe, which I though consider due only to age (or bad temper?). I mean, I feel such a great anger inside, together with this constantly re-lost re-found energy no doubt at my disposal now.
Why the hell am I angered? For personal reasons I will not tell and because I see my country (and Europe) not reacting well to challenges. I see people here in Italy, though full of intelligence and resources (such means my generation didn’t even dream of, same old song of course at each generation), looking basically unprepared, narrow-minded and provincial, not to mention Italians’ almost total ignorance of the whole world picture. I see UK and France fantasizing they still have great empires (or great world influence on their own), thus halting, in a way or another, European political unification. Oh this really drives me mad, especially the Brits’ behaviour, really so mad indeed (tending to condone French out of sentimental weakness, considering them probably the best fruit of Latin civilization).
This angry thing reminds me of an old man, long white hair, bald, dirty clothes though full of tremendous dignity I met 25 years ago in Pamplona, Spain (see picture above, taken from here). He told us two words in Italian in a bar, so I asked him: “How is government here in Spain?”. He suddenly changed his face expression and, looking at me with boiling rage, he roared: “Latrones! Latrones!” (Thieves! Thieves!). I was startled, plus I got worried for this poor fellow’s health.
2a) Made my Indians angry. First totally moronic consequence of destructive anger plus lack of concentration is that I have recently flooded my sweet Indian bloggers (Amith, Poonam, Ashish, Ishmeet etc.) with hard (not against them tho) and/or fussy comments which gave them the impression (not entirely vain?) that I wanted their blog space A-L-L for myself. GOD DAMN! This flooding was against Roman humanitas, which is basically respect for others (in this case others’ comment space). They might ban me from now on since, being all linked to one-another, one whisper can suffice to basically being excluded by the only readers I have (or the core of them). It would be though RIGHT, this punishment, because of this verbal abuse of mine that has no excuses, being a Roman, really no excuses at all.
One Big (well, small) Missile Against Ex-Victorians
2b) Stupid attack to Great Britain, i.e. second moronic mistake. Some time ago (15 days?) I found a high-brow English blog on politics, Westminster Wisdom (subtitle: “mind trained by academia into almost fractal subtlety”). It was ranked in Technorati as very high in authority (the highest, actually) plus this guy’s (or guys’) nick was Gracchi, which in Ancient-Roman history is the name of two brave brothers who decided to carry out a revolutionary state-land property reform (land to be given to small peasants) since Ancient Roman Res Publica was not so Publica (or public) after all, basically 200 clans (gentes) having ALL the riches (and lands) for themselves. These two brothers were in fact butchered by land-owners gorillas. Same old (selfish) story almost everywhere in the ancient world.
Wow, I said. I love this man since he loves the Romans & the common people like I do. Thence I started reading his blog with a pleasure which started diminishing the more I was realising how his high-brow British English (which I probably envied) was terribly hard to understand. My anger, while reading, kept surging surging: such fruitless sophistication (I thought), I had to read 3 times a long sentence to figure out the real content (was I just tired?).
You might say it’s because I am not mother-tongue. Of course I’m not, and I toil for every sentence I write. Although let’s face it. I read the Economist, Financial Times etc. all the time, I used to read many times over and over almost ALL Canterbury Tales (in modern English verse), almost ALL Pope, almost ALL Shakespeare, almost ALL Byron, almost ALL Milton, some Joyce etc. etc. (not to mention American-English stuff even more than British stuff, except English poetry, of course, which I adore) plus hundreds of historical & political etc. etc. British (and American) books. Additionally my anger was surging surging also because this guy dared to call himself Gracchi.
This Briton I mean dared to use a Roman name that since more than 2000 years always meant: with the common people! For the common people! Caesar himself, though from the noblest breed, wrote works even a baby could read and belonged to that Gracchian youth and all that democratic party that helped him to gain power. In ten minutes I was like the man in Pamplona, all rage, my pent-up grudge against Brits exploding - the ONLY real Trojan horse of Europe (forget the French).
Well, it didn’t explode, to tell you the truth. It unfortunately imploded inside my heart, probably making my life 2-3 years shorter, at least. I didn’t (and I don’t) nonetheless care a fuck about my health, being a modern citizen of Rome with all his couldn’t-care-less attitude, non ce ne frega riccamente un cazzo a noi romani. Though I did care, and was so angry, about this (after all poor and innocent) Brit guy’s blog. But rage is rage, so:
Vendetta is a dish
You have to eat so cold,
Oh yes, my fellow countryman,
so cold, cruel, perfidious.
Perfidious-Albion-like ah ah
perfidious-Albion-like ah ah ah ah
Such a silly poem actually - I love my silly English poems - though this one (among the silliest) might somewhat describe my feelings while so perfidiously I was about to prepare my missile against UK. Once my comment was completed - and well equipped after two painful hours of toil - BANG! I SHOT MY LEGIONS FORWARD probably feeling like Maximus Decimus Meridius did feel right in the moments preceding roaring Marcomanni Germans’ total annihilation, in Gladiator’s initial exciting movie battle.
Here is then my battle text:
“Your blog seems great to me, although a bit too sophisticated. Is this sophistication the essence of what you call academic? (I know this is not your thought). Trying not to be provocative I’m only disappointed.
I thought only French and Italian Academias (or their respective literatures) suffered from this illusion that sophistication of style immediately translated into quality of content, or from this aristocratic (id est corporative) disease that makes intellectuals more concerned about other intellectuals than about talking to a public. The natural consequence of this undemocratic attitude being of course that the world does not read our works any more.
Britain was such a happy exception. You did so much not only for the ‘public understanding of science’ but also for the ‘public understanding of humanities (and politics)’.
Where is Europe going if even the shepherds are getting lost….?
A man of the street of Rome
[downgraded to middle-brow status
(though proud of it),
whose ancestors were noble citizens of Rome
since at least 10 centuries]
Saturday, October 20, 2007 3:49:00 PM
The arrow was cruel, no doubt, and painted with subtle venom, especially if you think about his nick, Gracchi, and the fact that only 40 years ago sublime (and high-brow) Sir Bertrand Russel (together with hundreds of other high-brow British intellectuals) had the rare quality of being understood even by porters (or street cleaners, if you prefer). This dirty shot to Gracchi guy was in fact such a blow in my view that, thinking of it now, while writing, I am not so proud of it, no, I’m not so proud of it at all.
In any case my legions of words having been too quick for him (and too well organized, I’ll confess my silly pride), this poor decent Brit thus finally had to reply:
“Thanks TD (TD?)
Manofroma cheers for the praise. I’m sorry about the sophistication- I do write some simpler articles- but basically I write this for fun, so though I’ll try and be more concise in the future I suspect the subjects won’t change! I do think that there is a point in there- and I think TD (??) has found it for example- anyway thanks for visiting and sorry your visit disappointed you in some ways.”
Saturday, October 20, 2007 4:12:00 PM
Nice reply, after all, and his blog highly cultivated (and interesting) indeed, of a higher quality than mine, not many doubts about it. Ok, but then: total victory of Rome on UK? Oh no no, of course not. Great Britain always backfires. They’ll never give up, never, even during Alexandrian-style decadence lol. After 1 day, in fact, an anonymous comment came out:
“No no no don’t listen to manofroma’s incomprehensible post. There is absolutely nothing ‘too sophisticated’ about your writing – it is most lucid and precise. Stick exactly to what you are doing, it works beautifully! One of the few blogs out there that is consistently a joy to read.
Sunday, October 21, 2007 1:08:00 AM
Probably true, although, what if HE HIMSELF wrote that anonymous comment? There must be some reason why they are named Perfidious-Albion. Well, in truth, difficult to say whether the Romans were instead more honest, in their total brutality that spared nobody if they deemed it necessary. So hard to say. In any case, as far as Gracchi, I’ll never know if it was him to backfire (or someone else).
Truth painted with Sorrow. Ghosts (real)
The thing is, what the hell do I care, my dear readers. I was a wicked aggressive bastard, whatever the result of this ridiculous microscopic war of ideas between Roma and UK (who probably didn’t even notice this battle ever happened, and Rome, in any case, couldn’t care less, ah ah ah).
If you really want to know the truth, things are much more complicated. And they are not painted with venom, they are painted with sorrow…
… truth being I cannot but love Britain of course (I wouldn’t have toiled so much to learn its language decently enough; I wouldn’t listen so much to Sir Edward Elgar’s Victorian music, a bit too romantic for a Roman though providing this feel of greatness and imperial inspiration I needed while writing my most Roman posts, this introductory post to my blog, for example).
And the thing is I do not only love the Britons. I most of all love so much the people & the place I am departing from. Is it guilt that is making me aggressive, my departure though being not deprived of reasons and fairness? And (from guilt) is it a hating-myself <–> hating-beloved-others type of thing? Or is it just plain fear?
“Well, ok, this is personal stuff - one might say. “So, getting more practical, since we just know you are leaving, where the hell are you actually going?” Well, I’m going somewhere in the south close to Rome (only 30 min by train I get back to beloved historical centre), going to a place where I can watch the sea and our spectacular Mediterranean sunset reflecting on salty Mare Nostrum water, every day that is left to me, away from smog and chaotic traffic, away from big-city hectic pace, although, unfortunately, also away from all that I love unconditionally.
Thence one danger is approaching, ruthless. Ghosts from mind are about to attack. I feel they’re approaching and even if it is somewhat foreseen that doesn’t mean I am not scared, being totally alone, nobody waiting for me, now and in the future, I believe. This might be the final reason why I got so armoured, aggressive (and annoying). Mind ghosts, the real ones in my view (see post Ghosts from Asia), will make my life a lot harder, for a length of time whose duration I cannot predict. They are the ones really to be fought, not the Brits, certainly, whom how can I judge being they superior to Italians in many respects (not all respects though, really no doubt about it, oh yes). I will not judge them then though pls just allow me to strongly disagree with their stubborn, anachronistic (plus self-destructive) Trojanism.
I really do hope that love, harmony and joy will soon circle back in the life of everyone, me being though a natural born loner, as it always has been and as it will probably always be. I might lose my battle with ghosts and with fear. Even if at the end, really at the end:
When the unwanted Guest arrives …
I might be afraid
Or I might smile and say:
My day was good, let night fall.
(quote from Coelho’s quote in The Zahir, HarperCollins Publisher. Author unknown)
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Anger, the destructor of all. I have a first hand experience of what anger CAN do, my father having quite a big temper. One of the reasons why I prefer not to be angry even though I have a short temper.
About your piece on courage, I think that even the cowardest of the people, when cornered will suddenly turn into a fierce beast. Man loves his life, no matter what he says. Try to take that away from him, all of that cowardice is converted into fierceness. Thinking and acting should be intertwined. Thinking or only acting are and never will make a person perfect. Neither can both. Love, Anger, Courage, Brains and the ability to act make a Person. They are all required parts of the human body, in some Courage is high while thinking is low [overconfidence] etc.
Even Anger is needed. Anger fuels courage, but too much can be destructive. Or that is what I think.
First totally moronic consequence of destructive anger plus lack of concentration is that I have recently flooded my sweet Indian bloggers (Amith, Poonam, Ashish, Ishmeet etc.) with hard (not against them tho) and/or fussy comments which gave them the impression (not entirely vain, who knows) that I wanted their blog space A-L-L for myself. GOD DAMN! They might ban me from now on since, being all linked to one-another, one whisper can suffice to basically being excluded by the only readers I have (or the core of them). It would be though RIGHT, this punishment, because of this verbal abuse of mine that has no excuses, really no excuses at all.
Firstly, I wish to tell you that I DO NOT think that. I like your comments, they make me think and learn. This is why I Blog, to receive comments and LEARN. I strive for knowledge. As a Introvert, I feel that blogging helps me learn some social skills even though I’m quite shy of going around. Don’t take it on yourself ManofRoma, I like you.
For the Highbrow Englishman, I understand what you feel. Sorry for playing Devil’s advocate [which I usually do anyways] but like the guy said, it’s fun. As in everybody tries to “generalise” these days. Yes, it helps the masses but sometimes it gets boring when it becomes routine. Suppression of the REAL thought over what the masses want. I totally understand that you wanted it to be only a bit simple, but thing is that it is a different person writing more importantly for himself. Blogging is writing for yourself first and then for the masses. I believe in blogging for yourself, people will flock to you. For lack of a better example [what could be better?] Jesus never went out of his way to collect disciples, they came to him. Same goes for Buddha, Mahavir and everyone else.
The Anonymous comment was, i don’t think by the author himself. If he had the balls to reply to your comment with his name the first time, he would do so the second time.
But thats just me seeing things from my perspective.
@Ashish
Your two last comments (highly stimulating) need good feedback accordingly, which cannot tho be done now.
One thing only: you’ll never know how your support is warming me up in this moment, my friend.
-DITTO-
Ashish put it beautifully(I don’t want to reiterate).
*ps-A request-It will be easy for readers to read long posts like this if you break the long post somewhere in the middle.
@xntricpundits
Yes, Ashish put it beautifully, but any idea is welcome and it enriches all of us. I know you like short posts, like fragments of mind scattered here and there. Your blog is profound and I appreciate it a lot. I will try to comment more there. I feel happier now that you all Indians didn’t leave me..
Dunno well how to break my long long writings… I’ll see.
Bye sweet Xntric pundits
PS
DITTO?
It seems “ANGER”, are not a good stuff to human. It is one of human’s emotion made from “God”?? or it just arises inside from our heart and mind? which is usually expressed when something happened. Mostly, it happened when you are not satisfied or not expected….
Talking about anger, I remembered one of my friend told me something which is related to Buddhism’s theory. The theory says when something often makes you get anger easily, there must be a reason in it to make you feel like this. In Buddha’s word it is “ STUBBORN”. Soul and mind were not calm down, and used to concentrate to think of that stuff, “ANGER” grows and keep growing and the worst case is the anger take over your rational thinking and some people may do something MAD lol. “THINK POSITIVE, Calm yourself down when anger grows inside.”
There are many things in our life not under our control. We have to accept this fact. I am still learning about this. When you get angry or stress, try to find a place without people around, sit comfortably, close up your eyes and to feel the silence, to feel the peaceful atmosphere around you, and breath deeply and slowly……(of course, not to act like sleeping lol… :-D..) You could feel better inside your heart, and mind is relaxed afterwards, just feel like you have already thrown away the big rock in your mind, and you feel so free to fly like a BIRDIE…manofroma, be relaxed. Everything will go well…
@Ashish
@xntricpundits
@autumnsnow
Dear dear sweet friends from Cindia (China and India), I will reply intellectually to your points when practical things are settled (maximum 5-6 days from now, maybe earlier). Now I will reply only emotionally, writing randomly.
I have to confess that this blogging thing which, ok, can satisfy our need of writing and thinking, I thought was somewhat not so important emotionally and I was wrong because in here you communicate with people similar to you, dunno why, just trying to understand, but I feel it’s like this.
Of course I am naïve but I feel that there’s a community of bloggers that share something and these people they feel they are together in some way but also blog for themselves too being maybe loners or just for the hell of it… Ashish and others have explained me a bit of this, me belonging to a different generation.
This totally alternative medium (big power people are so afraid of) is different from what we had before and the quantity of people involved is amazing (hundreds of millions if you blog in English –Autumsnow: millions even if you just blog in Chinese, but Chinese is so …hard…..lol).
Important emotionally, I said. Well, also when one has problems people help you just by popping and saying *hello*. I have evidence of you three from Cindia giving me support for example. I feel less lonely now because I feel that people have read my mind (my writing) and are somewhat sympathetic. And I read theirs.
As a teacher, that has devoted more than 30 years to teaching mainly to younger people, this is a THANK YOU.
PS
“just feel like you have already thrown away the big rock in your mind, and you feel so free to fly like a BIRDIE…manofroma, be relaxed. Everything will go well…”
You said beautiful words, sweet Chinese woman, *thank you* so much: why people say you are marble-faced ah ah ah….hug hug hug
@Ashish
>my father having quite a big temper
I know, we being a very strict generation lol
>I DO NOT think that (Indians banned you)
This gave me peace of soul, because of you and because I know you are a leader in there
@xntricpundits
We should know each other better … I’ll probably have lots of time in the future to read more others (not write only lol)
I am happy to hear that you feel less lonely and you gained something in here
hugs
This gave me peace of soul, because of you and because I know you are a leader in there
Hahaha! You over estimate me. I’m no leader, infact I’m one of those disconnected with my countries brethren. You’ll see that my blogroll has only two.
Looking forward to more, Man of Roma!
@ALL
But I am not. So end of it.
Thank you friends!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!! Problem being there is also a woman among you lol…. (i.e. among those commenting this post only of course, since in other-posts comment space there is also sweet mysterious Indian Poonam), and, well, women complicate things ah ah…. because sometimes we men are really not that complicated compared to a woman (quote from “Sex and the city of NY”), we like plants compared to them…. women are sibillas, or witches sometimes, and fairies and mothers and daughters…wow…enough to totally kill man; I mean they can have these tremendous powers much more powerful sometimes than Superman’s powers lol, no doubt, no matter nationality, east, west, south, north, no matter almond eyes or round caucasian eyes. Well, well, I wish i was … at least 10 years younger….
Sorry Snow from Chinese Autumn, pls forgive me and do not stop commenting me. Really do hope your Chinese manners are not offended. After all, I didn’t say anything awful. I just said: I love you, whoever you are, like I love ALL guys commenting here and in other posts, and their blogs too
PS
You might be a gay Chinese man, for example …. in which case I can love you too even greatly, but only as a friend…..one has to choose in life, or we are chosen, the result being the same.
PPS
You see: men from Roma are not serious: they like to kid too much
ManofRoma
Dear manofroma,
As a Chinese woman, I do not feel i am offended by your words. So, don’t worry too much. Since modern Chineses’ women’s mind is opened compared the ancient. Ha ha if in the ancient, i think your words would make people get angry lol.
Anyway, I can give you hug, I can give u a kiss on your cheek too, i know it is western’s manners, we chinese accept it. 
Only I think these words ‘I love you’ should be said to the person you love most lol.
@Autumnsnow
>I think these words ‘I love you’ should be said to the person you love most
It is true, it is this silly Western (maybe only Roman) way of playing which in fact is pretty superficial. We kid a lot. Best wishes to mighty China!
Well, I know nothing of you, your age, location, Chinese language… it doesn’t really matter tho. To me it is enough you are Chinese.
>feel so free to fly like a BIRDIE
Did you find this word BIRDIE in the “Saw Bacchus in Wenzhou” post published in 2007-09-27? Do not remember if you commented on that. I wish you all the best, dear woman from China.
ManofRoma
Yes, I copied “Birdie” from your post and i did comment on that post too. Before, i would like to use “bird” but i found that “birdie” is much more suitable to express that EXACT feeling lol!
Best wishes, and be happy!
From Autumnsnow
I am not offended by whatever you say at all sir.
In fact, I think you have quite a moderate tone. In any case your comments on some of my posts (including the one on Maslow’s Need Heirarchy) are very insightful.. These are the things that make Blogging so enriching at times!
Thanks a lot.. and looking forward to hearing more from your stables!
By the way, I tried my hand at podcasting.. Do drop in at my blog at leisure..
thanks!
@Amith
>I am not offended by whatever you say at all sir. In fact, I think you have quite a moderate tone…your comments on some of my posts (including the one on Maslow’s Need Heirarchy) are very insightful.. These are the things that make Blogging so enriching at times!
Thank you Amith, you are really so sweet to say that. And I need so much good interaction with my new international friends, India and China. India is a magical place to me, I’ll never get as tired as not to stress it, like magical are those parts of Italy that have had a deep Greek influence. I’ll surely visit your blog since now I am settled and have more time to think and write (my gas stove being there and working lol).
Ashish and AutumnSnow have more attracted my attention because they have commented here a lot, especially Ashish who lived in ex-Portuguese Goa for a while: this might be the reason of his interest for Western culture.
One thing tho I have to say. I am amazed by all of you guys. You are so young tho you reason like mature & cultivated people (wait, AutumnSnow’s age? Didn’t ask her, maybe not kind to ask a lady …). At your age I was very silly and my views were limited until I met Magister at the age of 24. Really amazing u guys seem to me, making me hope the world can get better since you new generation are the future. And who knows, maybe Empire of Cindia will be greater than all we’ve had in the last two centuries. I really hope that so much. Anglo-Saxons (UK then now USA) are excellent tho lacking sometimes …depth. Never like in this age (of our discontent) we need all the depth humans are capable of, not many doubts about it, oh yes, not many doubts at all.
All the best
ManofRoma
PS
Pls do not call me Sir. I am a good friend, age not mattering much. I am not even a teacher compared to you young, feedback being providentially two-way, not one way, or I’d have intellectual onanism, again.
Same as Ashish, even I don’t think that you want our some space on our blogs for yourself. It feels good to have your comments there. While Ash replies to your comments, I usually don’t and I know I’m at fault there. But that doesn’t mean you stop posting comments on me. Please, continue to do so!
@Ish
Dear Ish, I thank you so much for telling me this. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t reply to my comments. It was a real honour for me to write in one of the most intelligent and successful blogs of young India.
I have sometimes flooded your space with long comments. Not good. But I appreciate your support, really, can’t tell you how much.
Naturally I will continue to add comments in your blog! Be sure of that!
All the best from Roma
(well, from a place
both close to Roma
and to where
Rome and the Greeks
first met)
PS
Pls I remind you I am waiting for two-three lines describing Sikhs’ clothes, so I can use this info in one of my posts. I brought here ALL my books. I can’t even *walk* in this new small house lol. Many are about India. One is: Khushwant Singh’s View of India (India Book house PVT.LTD. Bombay 1974). He must be a Sikh. Very intelligent, a collection of lectures delivered at various universities in the USA on India’s people, religions, history and contemporary affairs. Very instructive, don’t care if old. He is the guy who wrote this novel, Train to Pakistan, plus A History of the Sikhs (Princeton and Oxford University Press).
Yeah, Khushwant Singh is a popular Sikh author. He’s also very famous for his joke books.
As far as Sikh clothing goes, it depends on how orthodox a Sikh is. The orthodox ones don’t cut their hair or beard and hence wear a turban. The other clothes are normal. The very orthodox ones wear white kurta pyjamas and saffron turbans. But the younger generation doesn’t have a problem with getting their hair and beard cut because they aren’t that orthodox.
@Ish
>Khushwant Singh is a popular Sikh author. He’s also very famous for his joke books.
Really? Joke books? Well, Gosh, I’ll admit I adore joke books and joking in general. They make life so …. sparkling, even in sorrow.
It would be interesting though to know if these jokes are Sikh (or Indian-somewhat-related) or just English-culture related jokes, thing being I need many flavours: maybe I am a spoiled guy, ah ah, or just an old man who needs new things, having tried a lot. I mean, I get bored if variety is not there, so ONLY western jokes (European and USA) are not enough to me, this applying also to literature, music, art, people, mind patterns etc.
As far as West goes, English jokes are absolutely the best in my view; secondly I like French jokes and French marvellous irony; thirdly Italian jokes, not very well known (this unknown state being not totally unjust, apart some great guys like Totò, Campanile which have highest world quality but our language is a loser language). Too complicated to provide a full list, Germans tho coming last in the list, having either no jokes at all or *bad* jokes (which I do not care much about, Germans being so great, civilised, profound, they let you understand jokes are not so important after all ah ah ah).
>As far as Sikh clothing goes, it depends on how orthodox a Sikh is.
Well, I suppose I prefer the orthodox. I need this info you gave me about clothes for a post dunno when it is to be published. The orthodox to me is better for the above said reason (I do not like a monolithic culture). Plus, let us face it: why all world should dress like Europeans? Ours are clothes apt for colder climates (ties etc. are not good in tropical weather, I suppose. One doubt (totally unimportant): are Sikh clothes good for hot weather? Maybe they are, or maybe many Sikhs are mountain people, I cannot know).
I admire Ghandi for ALL he did (maybe for young Indians being just boring history u must study at school); and, last but not least, I admire the way he was clad (Indian-village clothes?) when he appeared in meetings with Western big shots & prime Ministers. What an immense lesson of dignity (and pride). He humble, he sweet (oh yes, so sweet) but these two attitudes together with a pride that was much more profound than Victorian pride (which is only barbarous, being only stubborn and scornful, thence primitive). He instead was both so sweet in my view and so full of deep sympathy for mankind (this being not barbarous, this being in my view the maximum of civilization), though not less iron-willed….oh yes, my Sikh man, not less iron-willed than the Brits, not many doubts about it.
And the world is still chanting his (and India’s) praise song for the eminent, regal, dignified way ( I lack words) how Indians liberated themselves from Brits’ joke….Yes, the world is this chanting this song, even tho u Indians are not aware of it ….even tho now Western people are invaded by far away nations and some people’s judgement is blurred …. world & life are complex… no black and white, good and bad silly division. World being though beautiful and always worth living at one’s maximum…
PS
I will comment on your ecellent blog, be sure of that, Ishmeet
@Man of Roma
Wow that post was more of a soliloquy…(whatever the spelling )
Now to put it in the words of Goethe: whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
It was a surprise to see u angry… and good too…
>>I didn’t (and I don’t) nonetheless care a fuck about my health, being a modern citizen of Rome with all his couldn’t-care-less attitude, non ce ne frega riccamente un cazzo a noi romani.
So you finally used the F word…
It’s understandable that u were angry.. that brit tripped upon somthing close to ur heart.
Jus like u mentioned Kipling.. and I said damn it… Not that SoB again..
Then again It was Khushwant singh… I loved his books…books but then I read some articles and it seemed the guy had gone lunastic.. or may be I am too nationalist to be close to be called myself a lunatic…
The only Thing that kept me from fuming was “GANDHI”. He used to be semi-clad wearing only a dhoti.. He gave up wearing europeon clothes when he travelled to Bihar and below Gahamar bridge… he saw the real poor india. Where a woman was wearing the same saree in which she had taken bath for she had nothin else to wear.. where as Gandhi had a three piece suit and a Big “pAGdree” THE NATIVE WORD FOR TURBAN.
So Anger is understandable..at least to me…, and as well justified as the right to breathe…
Regarding the sophisticated I too share ur opinion…In fact My first post was all about it…
http://falcon-eyes.blogspot.com/2006/10/keep-it-simple-though-i-must-admit.html
I guess it was a soliloquy from my side… And most of it didn’t make sense
@Falcon
Yes, anger is understandable, but I do not condone it much. I think it is a fault and one should not get angry, especially one should be careful not to hurt other people.
Bad words? Well, here in Rome they are not uncommon, lol.
For example, I would not call Kipling the way you called him. He was a great man and he loved India. And I noticed that many Indians do like him and like his works. The poem IF has been mentioned recently in many Indian blogs, if I recall well. Of course, he was a son of the British empire in India, the Raj. But I have also noticed that many Indians have affection for the Victorians. As far as Gandhi, he is only someone to be so proud of …a nation needs sacred individuals, and he seems to me one of them.
I think what you write makes sense, anyway. And I thank you for commenting in my blog.
All the best, Falcon
All the best
@ Man of roma
>>For example, I would not call Kipling the way you called him. He was a great man and he loved India.
He loved India(???)I seriously doubt that. May be it’s an incomplete Sentence.
Allow me to complete it: He loved India as a part of British colonial Empire with so much beauty and so much to plunder and loot. He loved India as Brits were its master and they were destined to rule India as it was their birth right. He loved India as Brits had given blood to save the empire and to master the uncivilized Indians.
>>And I noticed that many Indians do like him and like his works.
Very true. I never doubt his literary works… and they are really good. My mother likes it too… But that doesn’t mean I must like them or read them for that matter… I was in 10 th when I came accross His Poem ” The road to jungle” (sic)( May be I’ll send you the poem) and true to his style he never used the word India..or something… But I did some research that all he wanted to say was Brits wanted to help Indians but Indians themselves shut the door to development when they revolted against them…
And I can’t digest It. If we were so underdeveloped why the hell did British want to trade with us.. and set up their colony..
by the way I am not against Brit in fact I find them highly Aristrocratic But It’s one thing to behave Aristrocraticaly and another to look down upon others. A King is to serve his people and not slave them…
@Falcon
I can understand your feelings, Falcon. Also Italian regions in the past have been in the hands of foreigners for some centuries. Usually empires are created mostly for the benefit of the emperor, much less for the benefit of the subjects. I cannot tell to which extent the Indians were exploited by the British, though I am sure they were in some way. I am also sure, on the other hand, that also Indian empires did the same (not to mention the Roman empire). This is how history goes: strength rules …
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