orkut fortune for today said
Today's fortune:
A well-directed imagination is the source of great deeds
So what if it isn't well directed?
and what do they mean by well directed, conforming and keeping imagination within the walls of society?
Pablo Coelho put this very nicely in "Veronkia decides to die"
There was a kingdom and one day an evil sorcerer decided to poison the village well so that the entire kingdom would go insane, so the next day everyone drank of the well except the king and queen since they had their own well. Consequently the entire kingdom was insane and the king tried to put back order in his kingdom but since his ministers and guards had also drank of the well, they thought that his behaviour was crazy and asked him to step down. The king was going to resign his post when his queen stopped him and told him to drink from the well too. So they both drank and then the kingdom became normal once gain to him and he was allowed to rule again, however the neighbouring kingdoms all thought that everyone in that particular kingdom was crazy.
I wonder how many of us, afraid to face society also drink of this well. The fear that keeps us within the boundaries of 'sanity'.
Wouldn't one relate culture as the poison in that well to a certain extent? We want a culture and we want to belong so much that when the thirst for companionship grows to an unbearable extent, or when those we love have already drank and we find ourselves alone, never understood then we take the water, ignoring our own well. For an example think about the movie Mississippi massala, here, although we are all humans society that we live in wants to define our thought and it builds a fear inside of us to go against this, some refuse to drink from the well while others gladly imbibe the poison and then try to force it on others.
I know that the movie is a bit of a bizarre example but think about it.
now applying this to society, religions and man, if you do not conform you are crazy right? Independent thought has been a stigma throughout history. Now apply this to man and decide what gives us the right to decide what is acceptable and what isn't.
Think about this story (note: its paraphrased ) and do please do read the book, it is awesome!
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5 comments:
If this post is not well directed imagination, then what is?
A thought provoking post.
It reminded me of a comment from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar when Cesar commenting on Cassius's 'lean and hungry look' says he doesn't trust Cassius because 'he thinks too much...'
Conformity is safe and non threatening and is therefore attractive (to most). As for those who don't adhere, it's often a perilous path
reminds me of Galelei at his trial about the earth being round...remember, he murmured below his breath, "but it's round!"
"Independent thought has been a stigma throughout history."
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. --Isaac Newton
I believe "independent thought" means not borrowing ideas from others, thinking for oneself. But haven't we learnt just about everything from others, including the way we think?
I’ll reiterate dear Vami’s comment here: ‘reminds me of Galileo at his trial about the earth being round...remember, he murmured below his breath, "but it's round!" ‘
So go ahead and drink of this well if you must, but allow others the freedom of independent thought!
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