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Zorba’s Secret

 


Alexis Zorba is the 65-year-old protagonist of Nikos Kazantzakis’s celebrated novel, Zorba the Greek. Zorba is the happiest person in the entire world of that novel. Age does not wither him and routine does not stale his infinite charm. What is the secret of his happiness?

Zorba lives in the present. He belongs to the here and now. The young narrator of the novel, who is an intellectual trying to discover the meaning of life using books and contemplation, feels as he listens to Zorba that the world is recovering its pristine freshness. “All the dulled daily things regained the brightness they had in the beginning,” the narrator says. Each day is a new day for Zorba, a new opportunity to start life afresh. Every morning the earth looks new to him. He sees everything as if for the first time. He does not really see it, he creates it.

In the words of the narrator, “The universe for Zorba, as for the first men on earth, was a weighty, intense vision; the stars glided over him, the sea broke against his temples. He lived the earth, the water, the animals and God, without the distorting intervention of reason.”

Logic and reason won’t bring you much happiness. They may bring you intellectual satisfaction. They may give you answers that satisfy your brain. But happiness is a matter of the heart. Unless you learn to see reality with your heart, you will never be really happy. The most essential truths are not revealed to reason.

Zorba sees with his heart. He is annoyed with the narrator who wants to understand everything. “You understand, and that’s why you’ll never have any peace,” Zorba scolds the narrator who is actually his boss. “If you didn’t understand, you’d be happy!” To arrive at a consciousness level that does not seek to understand everything, you need a touch of folly.

Even spirituality will not bring you happiness unless you have that quintessential folly within. Every person has his folly. But you need to admit your folly. You need to surrender to it. You will hardly find happy people in monasteries because amidst all the austerity and nobility there the soul is lost. The soul belongs on the side of your personal folly.

Zorba does not believe in God. Faith is complicated, he says. If you believe in God, you will have to believe in devils and so on. Yet he knows that both God and the devil are within us. Zorba gives the example of a monk he knew. Father Lavrentio believed that he had a devil inside him. He gave the devil a name too: Hodja. “Hodja wants to eat meat on Good Friday!” Lavrentio would cry beating his head on the church wall. “Hodja wants to sleep with a woman. Hodja wants to kill the Abbot. It’s Hodja, Hodja, it isn’t me!” Father Lavrentio would weep banging his head on the stone.

“I’ve a kind of devil inside me, too, boss,” Zorba says. “I call him Zorba.”

Accept the devil within ourselves. There is no escape from it. Accept it. Folly is needed for that too.

Zorba’s secret is the awareness of his personal folly. He doesn’t need to intellectualise anything. He understands everything with his heart. He lives life passionately. Life is a passion to be experienced, not a riddle to be solved.

Not everyone can be like him, of course. People are different. The narrator of the novel divides people into three types. There are those who eat, drink, make love, and grow rich. They live their own lives. Then there are people who make it their aim not to live their own lives but to concern themselves with the lives of other people. They think they possess the real truths and want to enlighten others. Finally there are those who aim at living the life of the entire universe. They are the mystics trying to turn all matter into spirit.

Zorba is not interested in that classification. He cuts it short saying that one should not hurt other people’s heart, that’s all. If there is a God, that God resides in the heart. All the mountains and oceans and deserts may not be enough to contain God. But your little heart can hold him, boss. Take care of what you do to people’s hearts. The rest doesn’t matter.

That is Zorba’s secret. Enjoy your life to the fullest. Eat, drink, make merry. Have a passion and live it. But don’t mess with other people’s hearts. This isn’t hard to do. Just try it.

PS. This is powered by #BlogchatterA2Z

Acknowledgement

This is the last post in this series whose 25 previous parts are available in this blog.

As the A2Z Challenge draws to a close, I would like to thank the Blogchatter Team for all the support they extended in various forms to bring this to a successful completion.

I’m immensely grateful to a few participants whose comments meant much to me during this exercise. Worthy of particular mention are Chinmayee Gayatree Sahu, Deepika Sharma, Arti Jain, and Rajeev Moothedath. Jitendra Mathur was not a part of this Challenge but has been graciously visiting my posts with a regularity that makes my heart bow in gratitude. Other unforgettable bloggers in this connection are: Purba Chakraborty, Ira Mishra, Huma Masood and Pooja Priyamvada.

 

 

 

Comments

  1. I have this book in my mom's library for so long. But never picked it up. Now with your post, I am getting tempted to read this book. Thanks for wonderful introduction Tom

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  2. I loved what you wrote about the book. I will definitely try and read this one... Had heard of it but was skeptical. And thank you for the mention. I loved reading your posts daily
    Deepika Sharma

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    Replies
    1. Zorba is one of my favorite novels. There is something of that character in me - a raw earthiness...

      Glad you were with me this month.

      Delete
  3. Very interesting and thought-provoking post. I will definitely read this book.
    And thank you for the mention, Sir.

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  4. "Zorba" seems like an insightful book, very well depicted by your blog. Thanks for recommending it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kazantzakis was a very spiritual person at heart. Zorba is part of his spiritual enquiry.

      Delete
  5. I love zorba for he does not beat drums about perfection and sees reality in its face with all the follies intact. Thank you so much for the mention. It has been an honor to have your support and like always, I adore reading your enriching posts and see the world from your perspective.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You meant much to me last April. Thank you for that.

      Delete
  6. Of course Zorba is not religious. But, at the core Zorba is true spiritual person. True spirituality is to realise the essence of human life. The philosophy of ancient Rishi Charvak is somewhat similar to that of Zorba. Perhaps today we need a synthesis between Zorba and Buddha.
    Missed many of your posts this series. But like last year, you have a series of interesting posts. Will to come back for more.
    Remembering iconic Zorba is also a nice way to end the series.

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    Replies
    1. Zorba is the antithesis of the Buddha, I think. If the Buddha is ethereal, Zorba is earthy.

      I'll be converting this series into an e-book with some editing and it will be available in public domain absolutely free of charge.

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    2. Just read your remark about your posts turning into a book. Looking forward to that.

      Delete
    3. Thank you. In case you are interested in my last years book of the same challenge, here is it: https://store.pothi.com/book/ebook-tomichan-matheikal-great-books-great-thoughts/

      The last chapter of that is also Zorba. 😊

      Delete
  7. "Enjoy your life to the fullest. Eat, drink, make merry. Have a passion and live it. But don’t mess with other people’s hearts. This isn’t hard to do. Just try it." I loved these words and try to live according to this principle

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    Replies
    1. Those who can internalise that tend to be happy people.

      Delete
  8. Such a beautiful message in the last post of the challenge" Take care of what you do to people’s hearts" nothing else matters. It was a pleasure to read your posts and be a part of the month long journey. Kudos and best wishes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 🙏🙏🙏
      I was delighted to have you with me throughout.

      Delete
  9. This Book seems very interesting , enwrapped with a great message in the form of Zorba's secret, "Enjoy your life to the fullest. Eat, drink, make merry. Have a passion and live it. But don’t mess with other people’s hearts." Would love to add it to my TBR.

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    Replies
    1. It's a modern classic. You'll love it if you like serious reading.

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  10. To show you how much I've loved reading your Z post and re-discovering Zorba as if I'm seeing him for the first time ever, I will describe the spot I'm sitting at this very moment--
    On the steps of our tiny verandah looking at the garden, where a bulbul is busy coo-cooing and another is chirping a reply to her just as musically. The breeze, gentle and unusually cool for this time of the year, is making all the leaves tremble and the flowers nod--closed, old hibiscus buds look like old grannies at the temple, the tiny asters look like fireworks taking off.
    With that, I'd like to say thank you for writing such wonderful posts and for the mention above.
    Have a marvellous May:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 🙏🙏❤❤

      You made the exercise more meaningful.

      Delete

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