I read this small book The Little Prince which appears to be a simple children's tale, But I would say that it is actually a profound and deeply moving tale, written in riddles and laced with philosopy and poetic metaphor.
I would like to quote some beautiful lines from the book.
* All grown-ups were children first. (But few remember it).
* Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters. They never ask: "What does his voice sound like?" "What games does he like best?" "Does he collect butterflies?". They ask: "How old is he?" "How many brothers does he have?" "How much does he weigh?" "How much money does his father make?" Only then do they think they know him.
* That is the hardest thing of all. It is much harder to judge yourself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself, it's because you're truly a wise man.
* All men have the stars," he answered, "but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travellers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems. For my businessman they were wealth. But all the stars are silent."
* "Language is the source of misunderstandings."
* "One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes."
The Little Prince, stands in a class by itself, and expresses the world-weary and cynical author's yearning for a genuine and more sincere and introspective world.
Understanding life is what this story is about, for both the author and his subject. The Little Prince lived happily alone on his small planet until the wind planted for him a new seed, from which sprang the loveliest flower he had ever seen. He lavished his love and attention upon the flower, which in turn tormented him with her vanity and her pride, ultimately driving him to abandon his home and venture forth into the galaxy in search of the secret of what is really important in life. He learns this secret, finally, from a creature of the Earth - a fox. With his new level of understanding, the Little Prince is at last ready to return home, but not before he passes on his new knowledge to the author - knowledge of the healing power of love which makes all things unique, and how the pain of saying goodbye is worth it if it changes how we look at the world.
And that is how it goes. Little nuggets of wisdom delivered in an offhanded fashion, told through the words of a child, for it is a child who understands and values the absolute truth, the truth that goes beyond boundaries and beyond the self. The truth where one can love a rose and not be ridiculed, because in this truth the object of love is not important – what matters is that there is love.
I'd like to close with a quote from the book's own jacket copy: "There are a few stories which in some way, in some degree, change the world forever for their readers. This is one."
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
To kill a mocking Bird by Harper Lee - A Review
First sentence: When he was thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm broken badly at the elbow.
Reflections: Harper Lee's Pulitzer prizewinner is such a classic; the plot is well-known and there's probably not a person who will read this review that hasn't already read this book.
What a powerful book. I immediately became absorbed in the main characters -- Jem, Scout, Atticus, and Calpurnia -- as well as some of the townspeople and neighbors. I fell easily into the tales of carefree childhood summers, pretend play, and "spooky" reclusive neighbors. I could feel the warm summer evenings and the year-round temperate Alabama climate. But then, wham!, I was hit with the small-mindedness, hatred, and racism:
"Cry about the simple hell people give other people--without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too." (p. 229)
Through brilliant prose, Harper Lee vividly tells the story of a black man on trial for raping a white woman, Atticus' inner strength and determination, the injustice done to the defendant, the varying reactions of the townspeople, and the subsequent events in which justice is finally served. I'd forgotten how the book got its title, and when I read this part of the book, I found it so apt:
"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy ... they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (p. 103)
Before reading To Kill a Mockingbird, the title itself means nothing. The title is the foundation of a house. It is just a slob of cement, and cannot be interpreted. While reading the book, pieces of wood fit together and the house starts to stand up. After reading the book, the house is fully painted and decorated. The landscaping is complete, and the house is beautiful.
Several things and people represent the "Mockingbird" throughout the novel. The understanding of the "Mockingbird" can bee seen in three steps.
The first step is in chapter 10. Atticus tells Jem to never shoot a mockingbird,
because it causes no harm. At this point, neither Jem nor Scout understand what Atticus is saying.
Secondly, Scout finds a roly-poly in chapter 25. In answer to Scout’s desire to kill the bug, Jem says, "Because they don’t bother you…" (241). At this second stage, Jem, not yet Scout, has understood Atticus’ holy words.
The last depiction is in the final chapters of the book. This "Mockingbird" is Arthur "Boo" Radley. Boo ends up to save both Jem and Scout’s lives, by
killing Bob Ewell. At this final stage in the book, Scout, as well as Jem, understands Atticus and his saying. Scout realizes life.
The title is something that can be interpreted in many ways. Each one will be different, based on the reader’s philosophy and beliefs.
The metaphor of a mockingbird and the man on trial is so strong. The way it tied together was amazing and I never forgot when it said that mockingbirds give nothing but music to the world and to kill them would be sinful because they harm no one. They give only good, not bad. To harm a good person who harms no one, it wrong. That always stayed with me
If you haven't read this book, you should. And if you have, you should re-read it -- you'll learn something new every time.
Reflections: Harper Lee's Pulitzer prizewinner is such a classic; the plot is well-known and there's probably not a person who will read this review that hasn't already read this book.
What a powerful book. I immediately became absorbed in the main characters -- Jem, Scout, Atticus, and Calpurnia -- as well as some of the townspeople and neighbors. I fell easily into the tales of carefree childhood summers, pretend play, and "spooky" reclusive neighbors. I could feel the warm summer evenings and the year-round temperate Alabama climate. But then, wham!, I was hit with the small-mindedness, hatred, and racism:
"Cry about the simple hell people give other people--without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too." (p. 229)
Through brilliant prose, Harper Lee vividly tells the story of a black man on trial for raping a white woman, Atticus' inner strength and determination, the injustice done to the defendant, the varying reactions of the townspeople, and the subsequent events in which justice is finally served. I'd forgotten how the book got its title, and when I read this part of the book, I found it so apt:
"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy ... they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (p. 103)
Before reading To Kill a Mockingbird, the title itself means nothing. The title is the foundation of a house. It is just a slob of cement, and cannot be interpreted. While reading the book, pieces of wood fit together and the house starts to stand up. After reading the book, the house is fully painted and decorated. The landscaping is complete, and the house is beautiful.
Several things and people represent the "Mockingbird" throughout the novel. The understanding of the "Mockingbird" can bee seen in three steps.
The first step is in chapter 10. Atticus tells Jem to never shoot a mockingbird,
because it causes no harm. At this point, neither Jem nor Scout understand what Atticus is saying.
Secondly, Scout finds a roly-poly in chapter 25. In answer to Scout’s desire to kill the bug, Jem says, "Because they don’t bother you…" (241). At this second stage, Jem, not yet Scout, has understood Atticus’ holy words.
The last depiction is in the final chapters of the book. This "Mockingbird" is Arthur "Boo" Radley. Boo ends up to save both Jem and Scout’s lives, by
killing Bob Ewell. At this final stage in the book, Scout, as well as Jem, understands Atticus and his saying. Scout realizes life.
The title is something that can be interpreted in many ways. Each one will be different, based on the reader’s philosophy and beliefs.
The metaphor of a mockingbird and the man on trial is so strong. The way it tied together was amazing and I never forgot when it said that mockingbirds give nothing but music to the world and to kill them would be sinful because they harm no one. They give only good, not bad. To harm a good person who harms no one, it wrong. That always stayed with me
If you haven't read this book, you should. And if you have, you should re-read it -- you'll learn something new every time.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
No onions nor garlic
And, most dear actors, eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath; and do not doubt but to hear them say it is a sweet comedy.
- William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
How refreshing it is to come across a comedy that’s genuinely, unabashedly funny – one that tries to provide belly-laughs on nearly every page and very often succeeds. Srividya Natarajan’s No Onions Nor Garlic was occupying my time along with a couple of other books. But I’m glad I cose to read it first – it’s a manic, immensely entertaining novel.
There’s much in No Onions No Garlic that draws on the work of comic masters of the past. Especiallly, the romantic confusions evoke P G Wodehouse’s Blandings Castle stories ...
Natarajan pulls it off so well, partly because she isn’t just imitating indiscriminately; her book has a style of its own that fits its setting very well. She has a good balance of the rhythms of speech and behaviour, she pokes fun at sacred cows without being mean-spirited about it .
For me, much of the fun of reading this book came from the sense that the author had a lot of fun writing it. I also appreciate the risks that go into carrying off something like this: good comedy is among the hardest things to do, and always so easy to get wrong. Natarajan goes all the way in the final chapter, with an ending that combines slapstick with a parody of lost-and-found scenes in Indian movies and the introduction of a romantic relationship that Wodehouse would have baulked at. It’s wonderfully ticklish, colourful and melodramatic, not all that different in its effect from the final act of a Shakespeare comedy where all the loose ends are tied up.
- William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
How refreshing it is to come across a comedy that’s genuinely, unabashedly funny – one that tries to provide belly-laughs on nearly every page and very often succeeds. Srividya Natarajan’s No Onions Nor Garlic was occupying my time along with a couple of other books. But I’m glad I cose to read it first – it’s a manic, immensely entertaining novel.
There’s much in No Onions No Garlic that draws on the work of comic masters of the past. Especiallly, the romantic confusions evoke P G Wodehouse’s Blandings Castle stories ...
Natarajan pulls it off so well, partly because she isn’t just imitating indiscriminately; her book has a style of its own that fits its setting very well. She has a good balance of the rhythms of speech and behaviour, she pokes fun at sacred cows without being mean-spirited about it .
For me, much of the fun of reading this book came from the sense that the author had a lot of fun writing it. I also appreciate the risks that go into carrying off something like this: good comedy is among the hardest things to do, and always so easy to get wrong. Natarajan goes all the way in the final chapter, with an ending that combines slapstick with a parody of lost-and-found scenes in Indian movies and the introduction of a romantic relationship that Wodehouse would have baulked at. It’s wonderfully ticklish, colourful and melodramatic, not all that different in its effect from the final act of a Shakespeare comedy where all the loose ends are tied up.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
The Secret - My views...
The woman with long, dark hair looks yearningly at the gold necklace in the window of a jewelry store. She fixates on the bling. There's some kind of disruption in the atmosphere. And then, the necklace is draped around her neck.
The scenes unfold in The Secret, a 90-minute-long DVD advocating the power of positive thinking that has sold 2 million copies. More than 5.2 million copies of the book of the same name are in print.
"The Secret " is a new movie I saw last evening. To my knowledge it’s not playing in theatres at this time, but you can get The Secret DVD for under $30 or take a teaser online for less than $5. I watched the DVD lent bya friend. I think this movie has the potential to spread rapidly via word of mouth, and I expect it will become the next underground hit, at least among people with a passion for personal development.
Every generation gets the pyramid scheme it deserves, and ours begins and ends with The Secret, a self-help phenomenon that differs little from previous philosophies of positive thinking, except that it uses the veneer of “science” to elevate it beyond the obvious quackery.
Well, the actual philosophy, for starters. In sum, the secret is the “law of attraction” – nothing more, nothing less. Put another way, “thoughts become things,” or, “when you visualize, you materialize.” Yes, it’s good, old-fashioned positive thinking.
It is curious indeed that reality has no place in the Secret World, but then again, reality is what you believe it to be, not what it actually is. But what it “is” is only what you believe it to be, so, uh, you can see where this leads. If you’re fat, it’s not because you eat too much or exercise too little; you have only the image of the fat body in your mind to blame.
What the film doesn’t answer, however, is how the universe is to re-arrange itself if two people send their thoughts to the realm of the rainbows that are in direct conflict with each other.
personally, I believe:
a. the mind is much much much more powerful and robust than we give it credit for and yes it does operate in ways outside the five senses...
b. that your reality is greatly influenced by your thoughts..
I find much of the documentary up-beat, good hearted, encouraging. It also has excellent production values, cinematography, effects, and sound. And the editing is excellent. I’m especially impressed by the cutting-edge method of delivery — internet streaming — ushering in a new era of movies on demand with the click of a mouse.
I also like the message that what we bring into our lives begins with a vision, a longed-for aspiration — a good reminder for those of us who haven’t yet stretched the wings of possibility and allowed ourselves to embrace higher possibilities. If The Secret opens the way to expanded dreams, it serves a useful purpose.
What concerns me, however, are the program’s primary suppositions. The message, repeated in different words by the various guests, is that if we simply intend and visualize and dream big enough, we can “manifest” all our dreams — effortlessly, magically, mystically.
There are some successful people who claim to have mastered “The Secret” and who have manifested their dreams and desires. Few of them tell us about their years of struggle and labor and preparation.
By all means strive in the direction of your dreams! Visualize a grand life! Then get to work. While we cannot control the outcomes, we can control our efforts. And by making the effort, we increase the odds of creating a larger life.
I close with my warmest wishes, and with a reminder from Henry David Thoreau: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. Now put foundations under them.”
The scenes unfold in The Secret, a 90-minute-long DVD advocating the power of positive thinking that has sold 2 million copies. More than 5.2 million copies of the book of the same name are in print.
"The Secret " is a new movie I saw last evening. To my knowledge it’s not playing in theatres at this time, but you can get The Secret DVD for under $30 or take a teaser online for less than $5. I watched the DVD lent bya friend. I think this movie has the potential to spread rapidly via word of mouth, and I expect it will become the next underground hit, at least among people with a passion for personal development.
Every generation gets the pyramid scheme it deserves, and ours begins and ends with The Secret, a self-help phenomenon that differs little from previous philosophies of positive thinking, except that it uses the veneer of “science” to elevate it beyond the obvious quackery.
Well, the actual philosophy, for starters. In sum, the secret is the “law of attraction” – nothing more, nothing less. Put another way, “thoughts become things,” or, “when you visualize, you materialize.” Yes, it’s good, old-fashioned positive thinking.
It is curious indeed that reality has no place in the Secret World, but then again, reality is what you believe it to be, not what it actually is. But what it “is” is only what you believe it to be, so, uh, you can see where this leads. If you’re fat, it’s not because you eat too much or exercise too little; you have only the image of the fat body in your mind to blame.
What the film doesn’t answer, however, is how the universe is to re-arrange itself if two people send their thoughts to the realm of the rainbows that are in direct conflict with each other.
personally, I believe:
a. the mind is much much much more powerful and robust than we give it credit for and yes it does operate in ways outside the five senses...
b. that your reality is greatly influenced by your thoughts..
I find much of the documentary up-beat, good hearted, encouraging. It also has excellent production values, cinematography, effects, and sound. And the editing is excellent. I’m especially impressed by the cutting-edge method of delivery — internet streaming — ushering in a new era of movies on demand with the click of a mouse.
I also like the message that what we bring into our lives begins with a vision, a longed-for aspiration — a good reminder for those of us who haven’t yet stretched the wings of possibility and allowed ourselves to embrace higher possibilities. If The Secret opens the way to expanded dreams, it serves a useful purpose.
What concerns me, however, are the program’s primary suppositions. The message, repeated in different words by the various guests, is that if we simply intend and visualize and dream big enough, we can “manifest” all our dreams — effortlessly, magically, mystically.
There are some successful people who claim to have mastered “The Secret” and who have manifested their dreams and desires. Few of them tell us about their years of struggle and labor and preparation.
By all means strive in the direction of your dreams! Visualize a grand life! Then get to work. While we cannot control the outcomes, we can control our efforts. And by making the effort, we increase the odds of creating a larger life.
I close with my warmest wishes, and with a reminder from Henry David Thoreau: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. Now put foundations under them.”
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