I'm trying not to jump in and say things I might want to unsay because they've been insufficiently thought out. I have deadlines but I spend my day trying to order my thoughts into a post that makes sense to at least a few other people than myself.
I watch stupid films to fill in the time so I don't watch the news addictively. I check my feed reader. Any post that is not about Bombay goes unread. I find myself being amazed at the number of people who remain unaffected. I don't want to know about peoples' turkey dinners or poetry that is not about disasters. Instead I search for Zbigniew Herbert's poetry, especially this one.
I understand the undirected rage and grief that is causing so many people to say so many stupid things. More than ever it makes we want to shut up for a good long while.
But I won't (you already knew that, didn't you?) Just as soon as I can, I'll try to say what I think about what just happened this week. And I have to link again to this old post since I'm reminding myself of things time and again.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
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7 comments:
This is why ....write in places where people will read and discuss these things - one should do.
(??!: I hope you read this post and the one Space Bar linked to. You know I am not flame-baiting.)
why disasters/terrorism? i mean, why does it affect you so much?
kuffir: not sure I understand the question.
'More than ever it makes we want to shut up for a good long while.'
because people are saying stupid things and you don't want to react, before thinking this through? i think whatever you say would be helpful, now or later- many bloggers skirting around the question of mumbai also don't want to react, i think.
disaster/terrorism- yes, here, i'm trying to measure your reaction. why are they together?
Kuffir: I must be terribly distracted but I really can't see where I've put 'disasters/terrorism' together like you have in your comment.
What I did say was, I was not interested in posts about poetry unless they were about disasters. What I meant by that was, that unless what poetry I was reading explained in some way, or helped me reflect upon, in some way, the events in Bombay, I was not interested in reading it.
I hope this explains something; I can't help feeling I'm missing something you want to say that I can't understand.
'that unless what poetry I was reading explained in some way, or helped me reflect upon, in some way, the events in Bombay, I was not interested in reading it.'
yes, i understand that. yes, you didn't put disasters and terrorism together. i picked them up from different lines in the same post and put them together. i was trying to see why disaster and terrorism occupy the same space, even if that was not consciously done. what you say is true- they're similar, but when one thinks of disaster one also thinks of nature, accident etc., it is nothing, i guess. but you've set me thinking..
KM:
You know I know you wouldn't do that. And you know I don't doubt the sincerity - just the effectiveness of it all.
I may be too pessimistic.
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