Posts I like
-
“An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties it means that it’s going to launch you into...”
-
-
Welcome to the Occupations
BEN EHRENREICH on Occupy L.A.
and JASPER BERNES, JOSHUA CLOVER, and ANNIE McCLANAHAN
on... -
Tabla Beat Science. Bill Laswell, Zakir Hussain and company. Pure genius.
It’s how you mix the ingredients.
Making better decisions, taking lessons from mistakes, seeing omens and choosing paths that lead to a better life… these sort of themes have been coming up a lot lately in conversation with family and friends. I’m reminded of the Sufi poet, Hafiz, that Amir Alibhai introduced me to a few years back… I read this poem at my Balbir mama and Ladi mami’s 25th wedding anniversary. Only lately have I started to see it resonate around me:
To Build a Swing
You carry
All the ingredients
To turn your life into a nightmare
Don’t mix them!You have all the genius
To build a swing in your backyard
For God.
That sounds
Like a hell lot more fun.
Let’s start laughing, drawing blueprints,
Gathering our talented friends.I will help you
With my divine lyre and drum.
Hafiz will sing a thousand words
You can take into your hands,
Like golden saws,
Silver hammers,
Polished teakwood,
Strong silk rope.You carry all the ingredients
To turn your existence into joy,
Mix them, mix
Them!
Really, it’s the first and last stanza that are the most necessary.
The Most Dangerous
Most treacherous is not the robbery of hard earned wages
Most horrible is not the torture by the police
Most dangerous is not the graft for the treason and greed
To be caught while asleep is surely bad
Surely bad is to be buried in silence
But it is not most dangerous
To remain dumb and silent in the face of evil is definitely bad
Surely bad is reading in the light of a firefly and telling yourself it is the sun
But it is not most dangerous
Most dangerous is
To be dead inside and think you are at peace
Not to feel the agony of others and bear it all without care
When life becomes leaving home for work
And from work return home
Most dangerous is the death of our dreams
Most dangerous is that watch
Which runs on your wrist
But stands still for your eyes so you may believe you have time
Most dangerous is that eye
Which sees all but remains frostlike and frozen
The eye that forgets to kiss the world with love
The eye lost in the blinding mist of the material world
That loses the simple meaning of visible things
Most dangerous is the moon
Which rises in the numb fields illuminating for all to see after each murder
But does not pierce your eyes like the sting of something unforgettable
Most dangerous is the song
Which climbs the mourning wails of those who have lost
In order to reach your ears
And it repeats in the cough of an evil man
At the door of the frightened people
Most dangerous is the night
Falling in the sky of living souls
Extinguishing them all
In which only shrieks of the innocent and growls of the oppressor can be heard
And eternal darkness covers all the windows
Most dangerous is
To be dead inside and think you are at peace
Not to feel the agony of others and bear it all without care
When life becomes leaving home for work
And from work return home
Most dangerous is the death of our dreams
“Sabhse Khatarnak” poem by Paash, Communist Revolutionary of Punjab
Image: “Death of Dreams” by Noah Bradley
A Young Paki on a Warpath
Gandhi meets N.W.A.Divya Mehra’s exhibition “The Party is Over” is at on at Artspeak in Gastown. Insightful juxtapositions between partition-era politics and modern contexts in her pieces give new resonance to old themes of conflict and hatred… the blinking Gandhi peering into the street definitely grabs your intention, but it’s the lyrics on the wall next to his neon head that are clever, chilling and provocative:
A Young Paki on a Warpath
And When I’m Finished
It’s Gonna Be a BloodbathThe exhibition closes on January 28th, so check it out in the next few days. Read more at the Vancouver Sun or on Artspeak’s own website.
People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that’s bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they’re afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they’re wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It’s all in how you carry it. That’s what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you’re letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain.
- Jim Morrison
Remember Quantum Leap? Well, this link has nothing to do with the TV show, but it is about multiple realities.
My friend Jason Sugar wrote this great article, “A Tale of Two Realities”, about living in two realities. It really spoke to me, because I often float between anxiety/depression about the things I’m doing in life and inspiration/enthusiasm about those very same things. There are times that I look to the future and am afraid. There are times that I look behind myself and am confident.
This is a good read for anyone that finds themselves yanked from one reality to the other.
Not quite like Sam Beckett’s predicament, but close.
“Alone let him constantly meditate in solitude on that which is salutary for his soul, for he who meditates in solitude attains supreme bliss.”
Two Wolves
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.
“One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
“The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
(Thanks for sending this Raj!)
It’s Multiculturalism Week: November 13-19, 2011
…and this Friday we present the Provincial Nesika Awards at the Museum of Vancouver—another opportunity to see Bhangra.me!
Conversations in Punjabi Market
I had the opportunity to join Mayor Gregor Robertson on a tour of Punjabi Market this past Saturday. Also on the tour were Councillors Andrea Reimer and Kerry Jang, Vision candidate for City Council Tony Tang, and Vision’s Parks Board candidate Nikki Sharma. Besides seeing Gregor in sequins (he can rock a sherwani like nobody’s business), this tour was an opportunity to meet the cornerstones of Punjabi Market.
During the rapid-fire discussions as we rushed from shop to shop, the comments were largely the same… “taxes are too high”… “the city needs to do something”… “they forget about us after they’re elected”. What was fascinating was everyone’s commitment to Punjabi Market—their never-say-die attitude and their hope that the right decisions at City Hall and in the community would lead to the revitalization of what was once a bustling market.
We did our best to communicate what a sincere interest Gregor and council have taken in the South Asian community. It wasn’t until the ‘official’ portion of the tour ended that we had the freedom to to hang out off the clock. Naveen Girn (who had arranged the tour), Gary Pooni, and Vision’s Parks Board candidate Nikki Sharma and I went back to talk to some of the retailers. We had a long talk with many owners, including the owner of Guru Bazaar and Darshana auntie from “A-Class Fancy Jewellers” (also the owners of Palika Bazaar) with whom we had the most engaging conversation.
The four of us who hung around spent almost two hours talking and brainstorming with the owners. What could have been a discouraging and depressing conversation about a neighbourhood in decline was anything but. In true Punjabi form, the owners’ hope burned fiercely as they spoke. Their conviction is evident in the decades they have committed to their businesses, but there was also passion in their every word. It was a moving and inspiring experience… it was probably the first time since my childhood that I had spent the better part of the day at Punjabi Market… and, unfortunately, it was also the first time I had left Punjabi Market without stuffing myself with gol gappes.
I don’t know what the future of Vancouver’s historical Punjabi Market is, but I can say this… the people of the market are restless to see change. They are ready and willing to do what’s necessary to ensure a new Punjabi Market is born that protects their legacy while taking advantage of new opportunities. I’m looking forward to working with Mayor Robertson, City Council and the owners of Punjabi Market to make some of the revitalization strategies a reality.
It feels good to know that you’re able to create change in the city you live in. It feels even better to know you can do something to help good people.
