My son and I am reading Charlie and the chocolate factory these days. It is a fascinating book, I missed the film when it was released and now I have to lay my hands on a dvd to watch it with him, we have to have a bowl of gems, chocolate pastry, maybe chocolate chips and caramel pop corn to gobble as we watch. The book is descriptive of amazing contraption to make incredulous candies that would make no sense in real life. Characters called Oompa Loompas that work tirelessly to the madcap inventions all for their hunger for cocoa beans. Mr. Wonka, the owner completely indifferent to the practicalities of his products and opinions of the people, bursting out of his seams with energy and pure glee at his ideas and creations.
This book when read from another point of view is a spiritual book. We humans (Mr. Wonka) have Oompa Loompas ( our faculties) working in over drive, tirelessly to create what we think are brilliant creations ( various aspects of our life from careers to relationships), we pay pittance to the leader (ego) of the poor Oompa Loompas pittance in the form of cocoa beans ( superficial achievements) . When I came to this perspective the story made a lot of sense to me.... I've not yet reached the end but like life, we can't wait to reach the end to begin our understandings. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes not.
Yesterday was a day that over stretched my emotions, like butter spread too thin, I got exhausted and went to sleep at some 6 in the morning. I wondered at the brilliant illusionist that our ego is.It fools us into thinking we are in charge. No matter how hard you try to beat it out of your system, the "I" creeps in from unknown crevices. One of my dearest souls on this planet earth was in dire stress yesterday. He was one of those free spirits who lived life one day at a time. Looking at him it made you think the story of the ant and the grasshopper had an incorrect ending, the grass hopper would continue to play his violin till the end of time. The music he created was so beautiful, who would grudge him shelter or food in harsh winters, he would warm your heart with music of sunshine. Yet this sunshine boy is going through a rough patch in life. We all do, we all mope, crib and get on with it. We somehow know if sunny days are here can the rains and winter be far behind, yet this grass-hopper friend of mine had only faced a mild winter before. His, live today , die tomorrow mantra always worked its magic, sadly enough much though we all tried to prevent the inevitable, it was time that nature decided for him to grow up. A person with a pure heart learns his lessons either very easily or in the worst possible manner....
I tell this in the middle of the chocolate factory because, the two stories are so entwined. Only such a grass-hopped could grow up to become a Mr. Wonka. And then the reality will set it, once his products fail in the market and he doesn't feel like playing his violin again. I want to go wrap a warm blanket , give him hot soup, yet I know, life ensures every one has to fight a battle and certain battles have to be fought alone, this tests your fortitude, your durability, tenacity, your faith and your patience. Rough times that break your heart may be from a failure in your favourite job or in a relationship you were sure you could make it work. I could feel his angst and pain, I felt his tears flow out of my eyes....All I could tell him was , as the summer passes, so will winter, just keep your patience and grace in place....
All of us love our individual chocolate factories, we dream , dreams, impossible or implausible as they may seem, these dreams fill us with a glee and enthusiasm and it doesn't feel like you're alive without them. Our dreams maybe rational like a job, car, house, or as flighty as to become an astronauts and oceanographer, but there are people who did make those dreams come true. Keeping our Oompa Loompas working for us is good, it keeps them occupied, yet there is something more, larger than our individual chocolate factories. We learn form our mistakes, we make our inventions and discoveries, we train our faculties to work best for us. We go through seasons. Like a grass-hopper or an ant , the factory in his head, but the world ( the universe/God) will put tests on the path. It will give us pop quizzes from time to time on our experiences and learning he sent us down here for. We meet others and when two grass-hoppers meet the party and make music, when an ant meets a grass-hopper , there is music and food, when two ants meet there is only food and criticism of the grass-hoppers....
What would we do with out grass-hoppers and most of all what would we be without our chocolate factories. Without mad -cap ideas how would great products ever get created. So my friend, my dearest in this world, go on pick up your violin again, make sad music if you have to, let you factory begin again, end of it something sweet will get created.....
This book when read from another point of view is a spiritual book. We humans (Mr. Wonka) have Oompa Loompas ( our faculties) working in over drive, tirelessly to create what we think are brilliant creations ( various aspects of our life from careers to relationships), we pay pittance to the leader (ego) of the poor Oompa Loompas pittance in the form of cocoa beans ( superficial achievements) . When I came to this perspective the story made a lot of sense to me.... I've not yet reached the end but like life, we can't wait to reach the end to begin our understandings. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes not.
Yesterday was a day that over stretched my emotions, like butter spread too thin, I got exhausted and went to sleep at some 6 in the morning. I wondered at the brilliant illusionist that our ego is.It fools us into thinking we are in charge. No matter how hard you try to beat it out of your system, the "I" creeps in from unknown crevices. One of my dearest souls on this planet earth was in dire stress yesterday. He was one of those free spirits who lived life one day at a time. Looking at him it made you think the story of the ant and the grasshopper had an incorrect ending, the grass hopper would continue to play his violin till the end of time. The music he created was so beautiful, who would grudge him shelter or food in harsh winters, he would warm your heart with music of sunshine. Yet this sunshine boy is going through a rough patch in life. We all do, we all mope, crib and get on with it. We somehow know if sunny days are here can the rains and winter be far behind, yet this grass-hopper friend of mine had only faced a mild winter before. His, live today , die tomorrow mantra always worked its magic, sadly enough much though we all tried to prevent the inevitable, it was time that nature decided for him to grow up. A person with a pure heart learns his lessons either very easily or in the worst possible manner....
I tell this in the middle of the chocolate factory because, the two stories are so entwined. Only such a grass-hopped could grow up to become a Mr. Wonka. And then the reality will set it, once his products fail in the market and he doesn't feel like playing his violin again. I want to go wrap a warm blanket , give him hot soup, yet I know, life ensures every one has to fight a battle and certain battles have to be fought alone, this tests your fortitude, your durability, tenacity, your faith and your patience. Rough times that break your heart may be from a failure in your favourite job or in a relationship you were sure you could make it work. I could feel his angst and pain, I felt his tears flow out of my eyes....All I could tell him was , as the summer passes, so will winter, just keep your patience and grace in place....
All of us love our individual chocolate factories, we dream , dreams, impossible or implausible as they may seem, these dreams fill us with a glee and enthusiasm and it doesn't feel like you're alive without them. Our dreams maybe rational like a job, car, house, or as flighty as to become an astronauts and oceanographer, but there are people who did make those dreams come true. Keeping our Oompa Loompas working for us is good, it keeps them occupied, yet there is something more, larger than our individual chocolate factories. We learn form our mistakes, we make our inventions and discoveries, we train our faculties to work best for us. We go through seasons. Like a grass-hopper or an ant , the factory in his head, but the world ( the universe/God) will put tests on the path. It will give us pop quizzes from time to time on our experiences and learning he sent us down here for. We meet others and when two grass-hoppers meet the party and make music, when an ant meets a grass-hopper , there is music and food, when two ants meet there is only food and criticism of the grass-hoppers....
What would we do with out grass-hoppers and most of all what would we be without our chocolate factories. Without mad -cap ideas how would great products ever get created. So my friend, my dearest in this world, go on pick up your violin again, make sad music if you have to, let you factory begin again, end of it something sweet will get created.....
An interesting passage that did portray with an easy intelligent wit , some very heavy and rather difficult to navigate matters of the heart. Our mind has a complex habit of breaking down a situation ; be it emotional or physical; into processable bits and then distributing them into different systems ; the heart matter, the soul matter, the conscious mind matter and the sub-conscious mind matter ; then co-relates it to metaphors and similes to come to an understanding ... the most appreciable quality of this passage is that ,the complexity of the mind-machine is very lucidly portrayed and it makes this woefully heavy life palatable ..
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