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| Image from Pexels |
Deserts are deceptive places.
They will show you water where there is only sun-baked sand. Whole mountains
will shift from once place to another within minutes; the winds will carry the
sands and deposit them elsewhere. There are no roads or landmarks. You have to
find your way on your own. You need expert guides if you want to cross the
desert safely. Even Ibn Battuta had guides when he navigated deserts. His guide
in the Sahara charged no less than a thousand mithqals of gold.
It is said
that the blind made the best guides in the desert. Eyesight was delusive on the
infinite stretches of sand. Your eyes show you things that don’t exist. The
blind see better there. They have the desert in their veins. They know the
tangs in the air. They feel the tunes of the winds in their pulses. They see clearly
without eyes.
The wisdom of
Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s Little Prince tells us that what is essential is
invisible to the eye. It is only with the heart that you see rightly.
We have shut
our hearts and we rely on the headlights of our cars. The road is clearly
visible with the headlight on. You make it even more visible than in the day
with LED headlights. It is not enough for you to see the road but you should
also blind the others with your LED light.
You see too
clearly. That is your problem, boss, Zorba the Greek would say. If you didn’t
see so clearly, you would understand a lot more. You would feel a lot of things
in your veins. You would hear the sounds in the thickets on the roadsides. You
would hear the crickets stridulating in the leaves. Fireflies would dance in
the darkness for you. If you didn’t see so clearly, you would be happy!
PS. I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z
Previous Post: Civilisation
is skin-deep
Tomorrow: Enlightenment
Loaded with irony. Is there an undercurrent in this post? Why do I see one, something to do with politics? That's an amazing paragraph up there. I will quote it very often now.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mean any undercurrent. This sort of writing is amenable to interpretations.
DeleteLoved what you wrote taking it at face value. A very quote worthy piece of writing.
ReplyDeleteI took a break from politics 😊
DeleteAwesome
ReplyDeleteNever thought deserts a post on that can give such a philosophical lesson. U r very knowledgeable. I hav read ur posts on fb and couple of times on blog. Good to see ur also taking up challenge!
I have taken a break from FB after they restricted my account for a very frivolous reason.
Delete"You see too clearly" this is so very profound and yet true!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteThe more evolved and educated and equipped we become, the more we lose the natural insticts. The landscape, you have vhosen to demonstrate this is unusual, and for that very reason, rather apt.
ReplyDeleteYes, we need to reconnect ourselves with nature.
DeleteThe description of the desert is fit to be in the first para of a novel :-)
ReplyDeleteNice to hear that. Deserts are quite deadly places as I understand. I have seen them only in movies though.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDelete(Wow, I am late to this party!) Devilishly good piece - life, at times, feels like the Sahara, never quite stable!!! YAM xx
E=Eternalnot
I was almost beginning to miss you 😊
DeleteMasterly write up on Desert
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteLoved this. Seeing too clearly is a boon and a bane.
ReplyDeleteYes, One misses certain essential things!
DeleteI loved your introduction paragraph. Looking forward to your posts.
ReplyDeleteMost welcome to this space.
DeleteWow !! This was a very different offering from you ! I agree , sometimes we tend to see what eyes see because of preconditioning / bias etc. I loved this.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chinmayee. You gave me much of your weekend.
Delete