Sometimes, just one quote says it all and offers encouragement to the soul.
And No Country for Old Men is loaded with such words of wisdom. If I manage to soak in and remember even half of the aphorisms that the story contains, I’ll be able to turn my life around for the better.
“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.”
“You think when you wake up in the mornin yesterday don’t count. But yesterday is all that does count. What else is there? Your life is made out of the days it’s made out of. Nothing else.”
“It’s a life’s work to see yourself for what you really are and even then you might be wrong. And that is something I don’t want to be wrong about.”
Human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mother gives birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.
-One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcìa Márquez
About
The Buendía family is condemned to a hundred years of solitude.
The story takes the reader through the lives of the seven generations of the Buendía family as it explores incestuous relationships and sufferings. Through the dramatic rise and fall of the fictitious town of Macondo, the story recounts coming of the European ideals of development capitalism to Latin America and the effect it has on native ties and people.
Macondo is a town far removed from science and technology. So much so that to the naive inhabitants, things as dull as ice and magnets seem miraculous, and they believe wandering gypsies to be harbingers of progress. It’s only when ‘outsiders’ begin settling in the town that the native populace is exposed to development. The proliferation of science is like magic to this simple town. By the end of the story, Macondo has seen everything: from war and anarchy to dilapidation and emptiness.
One Hundred Years of Solitude is as much about politics and government apathy as it is about human relationships and magic. And in the end, all is revealed in the old, unintelligible manuscript that José Arcadio Márquez’s friend Melquíades the gypsy wrote a hundred years ago…
Upside
In a word, it’s magnetic. One Hundred Years of Solitude whisks you away to a far off fantasy land where extraordinary is ordinary. The reality that this book attempts to create is anything but real, and that makes it all the more enchanting.
In the veiled land of Macondo, it isn’t unusual to see one’s dead ancestors lurking around. It isn’t odd for a man to give his 17 sons from 17 different women the same name. Macondo is where it’s unsurprising to be alive for a century and a half. And it is where priests levitate to prove the existence of god. The simplicity of the story is so unreal that it leaves the reader gasping for more.
The realism that Márquez weaves into his fiction is hard to resist: One Hundred Years of Solitude is poetic. If you read closely, it will sing to you.
Perhaps this is what Macondo looks like
Downside
There’s very little dialogue; the characters hardly speak with each other. The story doesn’t stay with any one character long enough for the reader to be fully acquainted with it. Lack of conversation among characters makes it tough for the reader to get into the characters’ heads and decipher their psychology. That makes the reader feel like an outlander, not an integral fragment of the story.
This isn’t much of a downside, but the long and twisted sentences make it a demanding read. It is by no means an easy book, and requires great attention.
I’d say…
Despite its limitations, One Hundred Years of Solitude is charming. For me, it was challenging and very different from anything that I’ve read so far. Magic-realism may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was definitely worth my effort and time. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s willing to go beyond convention.
It’s said that if you hang around long enough, you see how life comes full circle.
Perhaps.
But I like to think of life as a sine wave.
You’re born naive; your mind’s impressionable: as white as a clean slate. Then life happens. You experience a sundry of emotions. You struggle. You succeed. Sometimes you’re triumphant. At other times you’re defeated. You walk through life collecting points or wasting chances. More often than not, you walk to the wrong door and end up staying there. Only the courageous ones tend to walk away.
You will fill your basket with experiences.
There are times when you’re so miserable that you cry. There are also times when you’re on top of the world and are ecstatic. Today you’re following your gut. Tomorrow you may listen to your mind.
If You stay here long enough, you’ll realise that there will always be people above you. Since you’re able to read this you’re already above a billion people who can’t read or write. But you’re by no means the ‘best reader’ or ‘writer’ that there is. You may be good, but not the best. There’s no best.
Tolstoy or Shakespeare, who do you pick?
If you’re lucky, you experience the entire spectrum of colours that life is. You know love, and you know heartbreak. You realise how vital it is to fail before you can succeed. Wise ones accept that all states of life (good or bad) are ephemeral. Life isn’t a lake. It’s a free flowing river that alternatively floods and recedes. You’re either going to have too much water or too little of it. Occasionally, you’ll have just enough to survive.
I like to think of my own journey as an uphill climb. The views are breathtaking, but it’s too easy to tumble down the treacherous road. I can’t see which way the road is going to turn next because there’s a perpetual dense fog around me. I don’t know where I’m going to end up; but with hindsight, I tread ahead.
I like the sinusoidal curve that life is. Peaks would make no sense to me if I never see the troughs. I won’t understand joy until I’ve felt pain. I won’t value success unless I’ve worked hard to achieve it. I need to feel in order to live; I won’t value life until I’ve felt it. But once I feel life I can never ‘unfeel’ it. I cannot wipe my slate clean again— there’s no duster. I will never be able to forget the experiences that made me, me.
It sounds so cliched that it’s almost unbelievable. But when it comes to life, it cannot be a circle. How can it be if the beginning and end do not coincide?
Of all the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so degrading, so shocking or so brutal as his abuse of the better half of humanity; the female sex.
― Mahatma Gandhi
The Nigerian President says that his wife belongs in the kitchen. Fat. Pig. Disgusting animal. Slob. These are just some of the names that Donald Trump has called women over the years. Aasaram Bapu says that a woman must beg for mercy and call her rapist ‘brother’ so that he spares her life. An Indian Politician says that just because India achieved freedom at midnight does not mean that women can venture out after dark.
Stuart Wheeler says that business is very, very competitive and women must compete only in places where there are no men. Because hey, women don’t stand a chance against men.
…And this gentleman here is asking me to put on makeup. Because hey, who needs a woman’s opinion? All women can do is put makeup.
Love hinders death. Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. Everything is united by it alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a particle of love, shall return to the general and eternal source.
This past month has been crazy. Not general crazy, but scary crazy. Shit crazy. Crazy crazy. I’m overwhelmed by what’s happening around me. Last few months in college.. and then? Darkness. God alone knows where I’m gonna end up!
Whatever has to happen will happen. Of course, I am playing my part. I was away from WP because I was prepping for GMAT (and wanted to give it my all). Hopefully a 720 will look good on the application.
*Fingers crossed*
Without further ado, I’m gonna walk you through this month’s learnings.
[But before I do that, I’m gonna make a promise. Not to you, but to myself. I promise that I will update my blog regularly, because I really, really like writing. It’s my sweet escape, far away from the chaos and mad confusion that surrounds me in real life. *I Promise*]
The Things I’m Learning at Twenty:
Friends versus Best Friends
I’ve always had a small, cozy friend circle. I’m one of those people who believes that one can have two, at most three good friends. At no point in my life I’ve known (intimately) more than, say, 6 people. But that’s changing now… and changing for good!
Until now, I had never shared a hearty laugh with more than 4 people (I know, I know). But now, I sit in a group of 10 people and laugh my heart out. No, the 10 people I laugh with aren’t my best friends. Perhaps I’ll not remember all of their names 20 years down the lane. Maybe they’ll not support me in my darkest hours. But they’re great people and are making my life merrier and happier at this point in time, just by being here. And that’s enough.
Seek Socially Awkward Situations
Put yourself in socially awkward positions. I dare you.
…What?
Two years ago, if you had asked me to leave my comfort zone, I would’ve made a mental note to never speak to you again. But now I’m twenty (and wiser). I’ve recognised how trivial and nonsensical my reservations usually are.
Conclusion: nothing’s awkward. Awkward itself isn’t awkward. Deliberately get into situations that make you uncomfortable. Eventually you’ll get used to them and the ‘awkward’ will vanish. So watch down the grocery store aisle and talk to that cute stranger. You won’t stutter after the third time, I promise.
People (Usually) Don’t Care
So you got into London School of Economics?
“Yay!”
“Wow, that’s great!”
“You’re a star!”
“Really? Partyyyy!”
Congratulations. You’ve earned yourself some gawkers for a couple of days, but that’s it. Your neighbours or the 500 friends in your Facebook don’t care that you got into LSE. They may congratulate you and wish you well, but they won’t care—just as you won’t if they buy a Mercedes. So don’t base your happiness on other peoples’ caring; because they won’t and you’ll end up hurting.
You Can’t Please Everyone
In 6th grade, one of my classmates was always picking on me (I still don’t know why). She would tell other girls that I was an arrogant little prick. I was sad. Her ridiculously snotty behaviour upset the 11 year old me and I complained to the teacher. The teacher, before speaking with the tiny snot, told me that it’s impossible to please and befriend everyone we meet, that we’ll often cross paths with people who’re generally displeased with everything.
Now, 10 years and several broken relationships later, those wise words resonate in my mind. Long story short, don’t worry about people who’re mad at you for no reason. If you can’t make them happy, somebody else will. Just chill and focus on stuff that really matters.
Read (But don’t read trash fiction)
Read because there’s always two sides to a story. Read because if you don’t read, you’ll only live one life; and if you do read, you’ll live the life of every character you fall in love with.
*Enough said*
Nobody’s Ever Inadequate
You can’t deny how ridiculously useless the world makes you feel sometimes (read: most of the time). So this 14 year homeschooled girl got into MIT. And that 18 year old boy developed some godforsaken software and sold it for a billion dollars. And you? Well you’re sitting in your pink pyjamas and munching nachos while sipping pepsi.
Do you feel stupid? I bet you do. But you’re wrong. You’re as good as that 14 year old or the 18 year old boy. You’re dear to your family. And you’re indispensable to your boss. (If you’re not, then you just haven’t found your expression as yet). No matter how small or insignificant you feel, remember that the world would’ve been a bit different if you weren’t around.
There’s No End Game
This is pretty philosophical. We just are. There were humans before you, and there will be humans after you’re gone. This shit didn’t start with you and it sure isn’t gonna end with you. So play your part in the grand scheme of things before you fade away.
Lighten up. No matter how many times you screw yourself over; life will go on!
Protect Your Dreams
Your dreams are your biggest asset. They’re your greatest possession. Jealous people (who’re afraid to follow their own dreams) will try to crush yours. They’ll mock you for dreaming big. They’ll say. “Dude, you’re crazy to think that this is possible”. But no matter what they say, you stay put.
You don’t abandon your dreams. You work hard and do everything it takes to make them come alive. How difficult can it be? Your dreams are truly yours. And you alone can nurture them.
Average Isn’t That Bad
It took me a long time to agree to this one. But it’s true. Average isn’t bad at all. In fact, it’s somewhat better than the alternative.
If you’re average, you don’t do more or less of anything; because you’re just average! You read, you eat, you drink, you dance, you get crazy- but just in the right amount- because, umm you’re average.
And of course, it’s easier to find the *perfect dress* if you’re of the average size.
Well, that’s enough gyaan for one day.
They say that a wise (wo)man learns from the mistakes of others. So learn away!
A man on a thousand mile walk has to forget his goal and say to himself every morning, “today I’m going to cover twenty-five miles and then rest up and sleep.”
I learnt a lesson today: when you’re sad, just be happy. Everything eventually falls into place, why fret and crib? So on a gleeful note, here’s a poem which has been sitting in the drafts folder for far too long now. O and there’s a teensy handmade comic at the end. What are these doing together? Don’t ask me, I don’t know.
You do enjoy my unsteadiness, don’t you?
Make a wish
On a dark, inky night—
I see a shooting star
I race to make a wish:
Dreaming of gold
And a knight’s kiss
Of big houses
And swanky cars
Perhaps some jewels
Maybe wealth of a tzar?
In that instant,
I see a vivid dream
There’s a teensy fly
Beside a pot of cream
It swoons as it
Licks the bowl
Eyes gleaming
It readies to eat whole
With a decisive plunge
It lands into the cream—
Caught in gelatinous treacly
Sinks deeper every second
Alas, can’t even scream!
The viscous cream
Devours its prey
O greedy fly, I wish
You’d remained
Back to reality
My mind ticks—
No, riches aren’t enough
I’ll feel something’s amiss
In prayer and gratitude,
I close my eyes
As I wish…
Badamm-Tsss. This is my feeble attempt at humour. Be kind and let out a laugh or two, okay? (I couldn’t find the original comic, so here’s a bad remake for you)
Meanwhile in a parallel universe…
I miss being a regular here. I’ll have to somehow squeeze WordPress into my schedule. Because when me no blog, me loses sanity. Uff, me be so demanding.
“Remember no man is really defeated unless he is discouraged.”
― Bruce Lee
I feel just, you know, defeated. And no,there’s no sign of the usual symptoms. I feel stronger. I want to reach out for help. I’m choosing to not stay down. This time, I’m not confusing wisdom with cowardice. This time, there’s no shame, only learning. I hear myself saying, “It’s okay, I can do this. I will try again tomorrow”.
O well, it is not so hard to practice what I preach. I hope tomorrow will be a better day.
Ladies, how do you deal with sexism?
La vie en rose🌹 