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.
This is why ....write in places where people will read and discuss these things - one should do.
ReplyDelete(??!: 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?
ReplyDeletekuffir: not sure I understand the question.
ReplyDelete'More than ever it makes we want to shut up for a good long while.'
ReplyDeletebecause 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.
ReplyDeleteWhat 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.'
ReplyDeleteyes, 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:
ReplyDeleteYou 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.