Naveed Burney

The Paleo Diet; The Vegan Diet; Low-Carb Diet; The Dukan Diet; The Ultra-Low-Fat Diet; The Mediterranean diet …and the list goes on. In fact, there are hundreds of diets which may be considered popular and then there are uncountable numbers of other ones besides. For the obese or overweight, just choosing one diet over the other is a dilemma and when it comes to complying with the chosen diet, that, of course, is a different story. In the end, for too many or any one, every diet fails leaving them frustrated at unsuccessfully fighting unwanted weight. And in the meantime, the incidence of obesity throughout the world is progressively on the upswing. WHO reported that obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. And associated with this the morbidity due to obesity has jacked up, too.

The increasingly pervasive problem of obesity, and our quest to address this problem has spawned a burgeoning weight loss industry. It was reported: “The total U.S. weight loss market grew at an estimated 4.1% in 2018, from $69.8 billion to $72.7 billion. And the forecasted growth is 2.6% annually through 2023. Just the component of Prescription obesity drugs in the USA alone is estimated at a whopping $655 million per year and most likely will grow, as pointed out in the Contrave et al study. But despite all the money amassed by the weight loss industry, will people on diets lose weight and successfully keep it off? Apparently not!

As Traci Mann, UCLA associate professor of psychology and lead author of the study appearing in the American Psychologist informed “You can initially lose 5 to 10 percent of your weight on any number of diets, but then the weight comes back,” Furthermore, it was found that the majority of people regained all the weight, plus more. Sustained weight loss was found only in a small minority of participants, while complete weight regain was found in the majority. So, it seems diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people.It appears, the diet industry is the most successful failed business.

The question then is just how does one lose weight, keep it off and assist their overall health?

I think it all starts with the resolve of the persons who want to lose weight and get healthy. By eating any well-balanced diet (not a fad diet) people can achieve their goal. The task then is finding and formulating a balanced and realistic diet with less caloric intake. With the help of the internet and other resources this exercise can easily be achieved. But it is the second component in the equation which is the hardest–The resolve, commitment, will power and perseverance and execution to eat healthy and eat less. And this can’t be derived by relying on external sources—all of it has to be generated by the person wishing to lose weight and stay healthier. All of it resides within you and if you can’t help yourself nobody else can.

Those brought up to curb their desires and forego immediate gratification are the only ones who can lose weight and keep it off. But to have the right disposition of being strong willed, it all starts at a young age and in the brain of the child. Thus, it is so important to challenge a child to sacrifice pleasure for pain, and immediate gratification for long term benefit. If you have not been taught this and never learned this then it can never be a part of you.

Much superlatives can be used to describe those brought up to aspire for an ascetic lifestyle and not a hedonistic one. But in our times, curbing pleasure has become a taboo with everyone pursuing immediate rewards. The trend is, and has been for a long time, to bring up children by providing them every material item or pleasurable experience possible and as soon as possible. Early childhood is the most important learning time and parents have failed to instill asceticism as an important component in their child’s psychology. If this continues and, it probably will, especially in affluent countries, then the future of the race is doomed to the path of more obesity and ill health.

What Aristotle said long back still holds. He said, “Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man.” The incredible Greek was not suggesting that a fat child at age seven will always be fat, but he was talking about the development of the brain of the child which would determine his personality. If one of the traits in the personality lacks self-control and a need for sacrificing immediate pleasure for long term goals, then this will manifest in later age where the person would lose out on many things, except their weight.  

It is common to hear sales educators and trainers talk about the world as a market and everyone as a salesperson and a networker. It is a very common thought and yet, I have heard and seen how this evident truth is delivered, by many sales instructors, with uncalled for pomp and circumstance. The last time I was sent by my corporation to a sales-course, the trainer delivered this sentiment almost as if he was waiting for some applause for the sage point he had made. I could see the smile of satisfaction on his face after having said such words of wisdom and I am sure he heard an imaginary albeit thunderous applause from an absent audience as a response to his delivery. I saw it very clearly in his face as he appeared very flattered by himself as he leaned back in his chair after having thrown a gem for the audience to chew on, all the while remaining silent for an inordinate time after his initial comment while concomitantly revealing a body language challenging anyone to prove him wrong.

Of course, nobody did, because he was 100 percent correct. But his worse move then was to continue to reinforce his point by telling how even a child is a salesperson and is cognizant of the importance of networking. “Have you not seen a little child using selling techniques if he wants his elders to grant what he wants?” Have you not seen the creative methods a child would use by soliciting support from his network if he wants his parents to buy candy?  He would say. “Oh daddy!  But mummy said I can have a candy and after all my friend Timmy’s parents always buy him candy.”

“Even a dog has to sell himself in order to benefit”, he said. Then he threw in a few more analogies to strengthen his initial comment about the universe being a marketplace with everyone a salesperson and networker. Finally he closed his bombshell of an idea by commenting how the squeaking wheel gets the oil.

“Agreed. Agreed”, I said to myself, yet hardly impressed by his attempt of belaboring a point and almost enjoying himself speak by providing number of more examples to prove his point.

Indeed, there is never a great enlightening when someone backs up an axiomatic truth by giving examples for no reason at the expense of consuming expensive time. It is like someone telling you that you will burn your hand if you put it in fire and then pointing out how an old man can be burnt same as a child or even a dog or a cat or for that matter any animal exposed to fire.

But then I decided to wait and see how he would proceed from here, saying to myself. “Sure nothing wrong with his initial comment and perhaps he got a bit carried away in giving unnecessary supporting material, but perhaps he will compensate for his stance that did not impress me thus far.” “Perhaps he will give me beneficial and concrete ideas on selling and networking,”== the basis for this whole meeting. But alas, this never happened as he moved on to more generalizations connected with selling and because this session was on selling and networking particularly about: How to network effectively to enhance sales he directly moved on to ideas related with social networking and how to effectively do that. Sure his ideas were well researched and worthy enough but not for me. And you may ask, “Why was that when I have admitted his ideas were good?” 

That is because this guy. Like very many others, committed the cardinal sin of not having understood what his audience was looking for. He was as incompetent as a car salesman I had met when I was in the market for a new car and had visited this dealership, a friend had recommended.  Don’t get me wrong, the salesman was very proficient and well versed with features of the car he wanted to sell. He very fluently explained the horsepower and torque of the car and the active lane change feature that was standard. He talked about how I can add on other options such as a head roof, and the infotainment display etc. etc. Of course, he reminded me this coupe he was showing was the most popular model and it could go from 0 to 60 miles in 9 seconds! He showed me at least 5 recent sales invoices with name of buyers all along emphasizing the mayor of the town drives this latest car.

Unimpressed I left like anyone else in my position would because I wanted a car so I could take my four children and family with me. Why would I give the time of the day to a person who does not know what I need nor does he ask? He was hell-bent on selling me a fancy car when what I wanted was a safe car with good space for all family members. If he had tried to sell me a minivan and explained all safety features and perhaps a gaming monitor for the back seats I would have bought it.

The basic question he was supposed to ask me before going on a tangent was: Do you need a car only for yourself and your partner or for your family? And then the following question could have been how many members in your family you expect to travel with at times?

For me then this car sales person was of no use and he was just like my instructor at the networking and sales conference. The instructor had nothing to offer me because I work for a computer firm where I do computer consultant work and I get added incentives–and it is even considered  a requirement that  I hold on to the old accounts and get new ones for the company. Most important is the bottom line of revenue I generate.

But you can learn more sometimes by the mistakes of others and by avoiding these in your strategy. For instance in my position as a computer consultant I need to incorporate the following points to be successful:

My 20 points of which some might be applicable to you

1. Know the main person or persons who make decisions in buying or implementing services
2. Discover the hot button (everyone has one or even more) which drives these people, For this make sure you do as much research and continuing research in developing the profile of the person/persons you are dealing with.
3. Know the budget constraints of the customer you are dealing with and know what they consider as most important features and the less important features in considering a product.
4. Polish your technical knowledge so you may answer pertinent and expected questions.
5. Try and provide a solution to the problem which you need to identify first, before presenting or selling, and emphasize the features and benefits you can provide.
6. Evaluate which accounts are the bread and butter accounts and give them more attention.
7. Promise something only if you are sure you can deliver.
8. Give an objective and balanced description of your product without embellishing non-existing things or unimportant things
9. Keep in constant touch with your network of customers and interact with them, take care of their needs.
10. Keep them abreast about new additions of the product that could be beneficial to them
11. When you are selling or giving demo ask them questions. What would you consider very important features for your business? What do you like in our product? Who will use it? Etc,etc.
12. Be polished with the product knowledge and always provide an objective and balanced presentation with no undue embellishment.
13. Make an attempt to know your decision maker customer well –send birthday cards—meet for dinner—golf and don’t always discuss the product.
14. Start conversations that are related with their interests and you don’t have to be some glib or smooth talker, just be your self
15.  Understand people will like you for what you are if you show sincerity and understand you are not in some popularity contest.
16. Know your competition
17. Use social media where appropriate.
18. Acknowledge people buy for their reasons not yours
19. Understand people like dealing with those they like and they like those who they feel are going to take care of their needs.
20. Recognize everything takes time after all Rome was not built in a day.

World War 1, it is estimated, resulted in 40 million casualties with at least 20 million dead. The total world population was about 1.7 billion in 1914 of which the population of Europe was 25 percent or around 425 million Even if conservative casualty figures are considered, they indicate a huge proportion of casualties per capita of the then population. It certainly was the mother of all wars until it ended in 1918.

One can imagine the trauma it must have unleashed and, when things simmered down it must have taken a number of years for the shock to be absorbed even to some degree.

As if this wasn’t enough cause for awe and anxiety, within just 21 years from the end of WW1, in 1939, WW2 armed with more sophisticated weapons of annihilation wreaked havoc, this time engulfing more countries than ever and, killing and maiming far more people. It is estimated over 60 million people were killed, about 3% of the 1940 world population (est. 2.3 billion).

Previous to these two colossal upheavals, there were always battles and conflicts between warring factions, but never was the breadth of destruction so jarring. For the first time, after WW2, man stood facing the reality of being wiped out from the surface of the earth.

The main impact of these wars was bound to have an indelible effect on the very psyche of the people during the war and post war, and on the western philosophical thought. Mankind had collectively come face to face with the fragility of its existence and its mortality.

Confronted by unaccountable trauma, it was inevitable that there was a deep reflection about the very meaning of life and its absurdity, which created an ethos of despair and anxiety in post war society.

This mindset was in stark contrast to the period during the Age of Enlightenment –an epoch marked by euphoric optimism where man felt reason could conquer everything. On the other hand, the ethos of postwar psyche had suddenly encountered a dark cloud which had descended on mankind. The feeling of immense helplessness of a disproportionate magnitude had conquered the mind and spirit of the postwar population.

The logical consequence was a unique sense of despair which crept into the philosophical thought of that time–a philosophy suddenly overly conscious of absurdity and desperation. This phenomenon was the logical progression of the historical events. Nihilism and absurdity of life had suddenly jumped to the forefront.

Mind you, nihilism and absurdity of life was not founded in that time but had existed from the very time of the emergence of a thinking man. There is evidence, man was conscious of the ephemeral quality of life from the very beginning of human civilization, as can be discovered in earlier religions, philosophies and social institutions, but it certainly was not an obsession. It was the task of a select few to highlight the fleeting nature of life. The bards or travelling poets enunciated the vagaries of life, and though we relate the concept of a bard with medieval British and Gaelic culture, their counterparts were present in every culture and civilization of old times. The presence of wise ‘God men’, as far back as Mohenjodaro and Harappa in the Indus Valley may be observed with their religious ritual practices.

Religion and belief were directly related to man’s mortality, in the earliest of civilizations, but that was very different than the feeling of a new found anxiety unleashed by the World Wars, and especially WW2, with weapons capable of wiping out human life from the world.

This profound anxiety and apprehension about the human condition of the post war era was unique. It truly was defined by the term angst. In fact, the very origin of the word angst is from 1920’s and from Germany, a country always the central player in both of the World Wars. The ethos of the post war era was riddled with a novel breed of anxiety in the form of angst and was a departure from the 16^th century connotation of anxiété, or Latin anxietas.

Scholars, intellectuals and Philosophers are the best mouthpieces for the revelation of the ethos of a society and a discourse on the thinking of their time. They take the zeitgeist or the mood of the time and create a picture of their times. It is no accident then that we find the origins of the philosophy of existentialism with its central theme of angst and absurdity as a post WW 2 occurrence.

Post WW2 thinkers, especially Albert Camus and Jean Paul Sartre and even the less known scholars of that time wrote from a similar platform. They were all concerned with the problem of human existence in the face of absurdity of life which lead to a sense of despair and nihilism.

So how is man to put meaning to his existence?  Absurdity spawns feelings of nihilism and Camus is forced to address the problem of suicide and death. He asks, “Does the Absurd dictate death?”

He emphasizes the point that “There is only one really serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Deciding whether or not life is worth living is to answer the fundamental question in philosophy. All other questions follow from that.” So the dilemma then is… “Is life worth living?” And if not, why not end life? After all, there is no meaning to life in any event.

Camus accepted the Absurdity of life as a reality not even worth questioning because of its axiomatic nature. As he put it, “This world in itself is not reasonable, that is all that can be said,” and one has to resign to the fact that “impossibility of knowledge is established.” So Camus considers reasoning as futile, and consequently embracing absolute truths is pointless, and man has to live in “revolt” and rebellion and discover his own meaning of his existence subjectively– a thought very contrary to that advocated by philosophers driven by the idea of reason as a pivotal point in their works, as was evident in writings of Voltaire, Hume, Kant, Montesquieu, Rousseau Diderot, Beccaria, Adam Smith, and others, in the age defined as the Age of Enlightenment.

Sartre, too, acknowledges absurdity as a central issue. However, he views it as an ontological component of our existence. Unlike Camus he feels, even though man is frustrated by absurdity this does not have to “restrict our understanding.” He differs in his treatment of absurdity from Camus because he considers absurdity to be a component of existence, while for Camus absurdity is a key part in our interaction with the world.

Camus it is reported denied with acerbity the validity of the label of existentialism attached to his writings. Perhaps rightly so, as existentialism is a philosophy with various themes and threads of thoughts comprising writers of different stripes. But existentialism best defined its central obsession with Absurdity and Camus was no exception in this respect, same as the other existentialists such as Sartre, Jasper, and Shestov, of the many who may be considered to be existentialists.

It may be then surmised that the thinking inherent in the philosophy of existentialism and its domination of thought of a certain historical period had to do with the new found angst unleashed by a reinforcement of the precarious nature of human life  in relation to man’s power to destroy mankind itself. Existentialism, it may be said was a philosophy, arising out of the ashes of upheaval unleashed on man by irrational forces capable of mass destruction. It truly represented the ethos of a certain period marked by historical events same as the enlightenment represented an ethos of a certain time when man had embraced science, logic and empiricism, glorifying it to the limit.

In stark contrast the ideology behind postmodernism is very different and unique.

We are told we live now in a postmodern society. If postmodern means current, it could be considered appropriate, but if the ideology of postmodernism is said to define postmodern times then this becomes a contentious issue.

The period further down the road, after despair of World Wars had abated somewhat, morphed into an era of postmodernism. It carries a heavy load of ideas put forth by existentialists. In addition, it is a potpourri of many other notable thinkers and philosophers of the past and is weaved together into a very attractive and credible philosophy.

But certainly the philosophical elements in postmodernism are not necessarily in response to our times. It does not reflect the ethos of the time we live in any more than it does of any previous time in history. To that extent, it is more an ideology superimposed on the present times. It may be classified as an attractive philosophy, and even a fashionable philosophy, constructed from abstract principles. It was the brainchild of the intelligentsia and the academia, contrived for a select scholastic audience; it had esoteric overtones, and was welcomed by the upper echelon of an educated society. Postmodernism was more a nuanced work, an abstract examination of philosophical ramblings which provided great consumptive fodder to those pursuing studies at universities, and later holding key positions mainly because of their educational credentials.

Postmodernism had some eminent scholars behind the formation of ideas dealing with “skepticism, subjectivism, or relativism, a general suspicion of reason and an acute sensitivity to the role of ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic power.”

Postmodernism got its momentum through the work of intellectual minds such as Derrida and Foucault, who to a great extent helped formulate key ideas in the philosophy of postmodernism. Other notable names in the French tradition of postmodernism were Jean Francois Lacan and Jean Baudrillard.

While there are many other famous thinkers who have contributed to the development of postmodernism, the contribution of Quine should not go without mention. He has been dubbed by some as being the “Father of postmodernism.” Willard van Orman Quine, though a very influential philosopher as any student of philosophy would concur, is not as recognized for the crucial part of the postmodern construct of ideas.

In addition, there is an extensive contribution of the post structuralists in the makeup of postmodernism. And it has to be acknowledged, the cogent and thought provoking content in this thought is not only attractive but replete with ideas not easily refutable.

Postmodernism from its inception has grown into a cottage industry of new dimensions of thinking and has spawned ideas that have been a takeoff on its core philosophy. As postmodernism developed, it moved in different directions and its core ideas were used in other disciplines, especially in humanities. It spawned newer sub disciplines, such as semiotics and feminist studies and public discourse and cultural studies, with a new twist.

The artisans who designed postmodern theories leaned heavily on past philosophy, ideas, and intellectuals. One finds a little bit of Nietzsche, parts of Karl Marx, contributions of existential thought, and of course, wholesale contribution of poststructuralists.  But above all, its raison d’être appears to come from a leitmotif which appears as an urge to mount an assault on ideas of The Enlightenment age and its emphasis on reason.

Not only did postmodernism bring forth new disciplines of study, as an academic rich thought process, it influenced many conventional areas of specialties. Its influence may be discovered from Literature, Arts, to even Technology.

It had some die hard adherents in the field of Architecture, who expressed the ideas of postmodernism in their work. An example would be the Pritzker Prize recipient and popular modern architect, Robert Venturi, who recently passed away at age 93 on September 18, 2018. He in tandem with his wife Denise Susan Brown were instrumental in reflecting postmodern ideology in their designs.

The very famous artist Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) who was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1993 and the Leonardo Da Vinci World Award of Arts in 1995, ran with the ideas of modernism in his artistic pursuit, in areas of painting and sculpture.

Postmodernism borrows heavily from the existential thought. It rejects objectivity and emphasizes the element of subjectivity. It takes the element of chaos in society from the existentialists and further magnifies it by “considering any order to be only provisional and varying from person to person.” It tacitly promotes nihilism by postulating the belief that there is no truth per se to be believed in, and anything is both right and wrong depending on whose perspective we are considering.

Existentialism on the other hand did try to offer a way out of the problem of not believing in absolute truth, by trying to resurrect subjectivity as the driving force and a salvation for society. In a world where objective truth was not meaningful, man was supposed to find his own values. The task then lay on individuals to find their subjective value in society and thereby create meaning for themselves. This very thought was a positive one, challenging men to live with passion and not as bystanders watching life go by, but rather jumping into the thick of things and defining their existence by this act.

The postmodernists, on the other hand, are far more abstract in their array of thoughts that are designed more as an indictment of past and present social systems, where chaos itself becomes its own framework of action by default and, moves beyond our control when social interaction is accepted as a series of “metanarratives”, or simply stories of more stories. The tyranny of language and the motives of those in power in any society, are responsible for ‘truths” which are not necessarily truths. This incites the dilemma of not knowing what fact is and what is fiction.

Post-modernist theories begin with the assumption that language is too flimsy a vehicle for relating objective truths about the world itself. And since meaning is created by social groups and its languages, the truth becomes a relativist entity. The very nature of language is such that it molds our thinking and because it is in essence a cultural product, meaning of the language itself becomes a social construct.

It cannot be denied that postmodern philosophy with a broad spectrum of varied ideas challenges us to think differently and above all skeptically. But it is no more than the trophy of the elitist groups and is especially an invention of academia in the incubators far removed from the world of the common man, going about their daily business of life. It is a philosophy with a tenuous connection to the person on the street. There is no element of any grassroots participation in it.

When we trace back in history, we find the overall ethos and philosophy of thought of different periods originating out of different historic events. Essentially then, philosophy inevitably followed history; it was a logical and reasonable extension of historical facts. The case with postmodernism is very different in that it is not an offshoot of any particular historical factors in any strict sense but, an appealing string of well-crafted ideas.

Noam Chomsky categorizes the contribution to postmodernism of scholars as being an array of simple concepts which may be described in “Meta syllable” form, and he feels these concepts have been complicated and obfuscated simply to look intellectually impressive.

The point though is: some simple concepts whether they are from the field of humanities or sciences do need complex explanations. Consider for a moment some of the concepts presented, for instance, by Stephen Hawking in his book: A Brief History of Time. He tried to explain basic concepts like space and time, building blocks of the universe we live in and the key forces like gravity that describe the functioning of the universe. Big Bang and black holes were some other concepts which though simple needed complex explanation. The book was meant for the lay person to get acquainted with the universe we live in, and yet it was too complex for the reader to understand, with the consequence that numerous other books subsequently were published to try and make the concepts even simpler and yet they remained confusing and complex. Just the equation E=mc2 though explained simply was beyond the comprehension of many. It is the same with postmodernist concepts—though apparently simple they need extensive explanations.

But Chomsky’s criticism of postmodernism is not completely invalid, either. It is a legitimate criticism if levelled against opportunist university educated population which has hijacked the original ideas and the nuanced contribution of scholars in the construct of postmodernism. These opportunist, educated but pseudo scholars, have interpreted and morphed a complex philosophy to suit their purpose. But more important, they have tried to turn the postmodern ideology into a manifesto of radicalism against society and against ills of society perceived by them based on their personal biases. This in no way was the intention of pioneers of postmodernism, when they painstakingly worked on concepts later categorized as post-modernist.

The whole postmodern philosophy may be considered to be an intellectual construct which was deliberately modified to ridiculous limits to be used as a notorious tool, convenient for a group of people with biased views and agendas.

The insistence of certain group’s or segments of self-serving communities to represent postmodern ideas in concrete form, as a revolt or a birth of some new order, has resonated with some minority groups such as, for instance, large numbers of LGBT and disgruntled and dissatisfied women, hell-bent on pushing their agenda down the throats of the silent majority. The modus operandi is the dumbing down of abstract ideas into ill-thought of plans of action suited to justify shocking behavior, contrary to what is recognized as acceptable by the majority.

There is an attempt to rely on spurious commentary and interpretation, or misrepresentation of ideas drawn from the classical studies of what evolved into postmodern ideology; it is an attempt to legitimize specious ideas and behavior as acceptable and proper.

However, postmodernism while it draws attention to certain key truths within our society does not lend itself as a practical work book for any movement capable of drawing the masses to any radical course of action. Unfortunately, the pseudo intellectuals, albeit formally educated people, are casting intellectual integrity aside and employing postmodern ideas as a call to action. The motivation is to put everyone on the defensive in the evaluation of certain groups or the famous ‘other”.

There are many present day charlatans who are guilty of using postmodernism as an axiomatic truth to be melded into social movements. The one that comes readily to mind is the contemporary feminist movement–the METOO movement. This has done injustice to majority of women and is a hijacking of the discourse of what feminism is, should be, or ought to be. It is a welcome course of events for those leaning toward ultra-feminist doctrines attempting to gain social power. It has nothing to do with the majority of women and their concerns and related issues.

And this is where Chomsky’s verdict on postmodern philosophy as simply an exercise for gaining power fits in. It fits like a glove the misdirected feminism, as in the #Me Too– a movement deeply complicit in an attempt by some to wield more power on the institutions of society and the very political decision making process.

Upon reading the works of the third wave feminists like Judith Butler, Mary Joe Frug and Luce Irigaray, one can detect the liberty these authors have taken in relating ideas of Foucault, Lacan and Marx to suit their purpose. This form of interpretation of postmodernism is too farfetched and it hardly resonates with the majority of the population.  In fact, the cause célèbre #METOO movement, which has been pushed by the mostly urban, formally educated women, enlightened by the postmodernist ideology, is just a frenzied expression of a marginal but privileged population.

Germaine Greer has succinctly phrased in an interview to Sydney Morning Herald about the “whingeing” #MeToo movement: “…if you spread your legs because he said ‘be nice to me and I’ll give you a job in a movie’ then I’m afraid that’s tantamount to consent, and it’s too late now to start whingeing about that”.

By no means was Greer downplaying the sexual and social victimization of women. By no means is she an alt rightist. Her sincere sympathies have always been with oppressed women all over the world and this is evident from reading her very many books on the subject of feminism. After all, she was the prominent figure who championed the understanding of womanhood and pioneered the cause of feminism.

The ideology of postmodernism while it does try to explain the role of people in authority, and especially authority of the state and the corporate world, was certainly not meant to be a manifesto for any movement such as what has now found a role in the #MeToo movement.

Postmodernism does have shades of social anarchism and radical thought similar to other western philosophies. But in the hands of self-serving groups with vested interests it has been pushed to the point of absurdity. In fact, it smacks of elements of McCarthyism in the hands of groups on their high horses, ever ready to shut up any opposition which seeks to, let alone question, debate about important issues. Any person questioning or even clarifying the agenda of radical feminist groups is cowed by terms like racist, misogynist, sexist, anti- progressive, and various other pejorative labels. By systematically influencing the media discourse, the spokespeople of certain groups are trying to set a stage where any legitimate discussion is considered obnoxious and insensitive toward women.

The movement is self-defeating because it does not even care for women it professes to represent. Case in point was how poor Dr. Christine Ford was used as a pawn by feminist groups to appease their paranoia of Kavanagh as someone who may reverse the freedom of women.

In the end, this feminist hysteria and the expression of sexual exploitation through the vehicle of the #Me Too movement has done a disservice to the majority of women.

Designed by intellectuals, postmodernism has now become a plaything of a privileged class, self-entitled to have the authority to indulge in “discourse” of right and wrong in society. Had this group been intellectually honest and ethical, and above all non-polemical, then one could have had the good experience of truly understanding postmodernism. Noam Chomsky’s claim then, that postmodernism is simply an ‘Instrument of Power’ would not have had any merit to it.

Others may see it differently, but I never considered my love for Australia as some tenuous connection. When I was at school in Hyderabad, India, 5 of my teachers, including my cricket coach, were from Australia. And I adored all of them; they were the best.

Deep down, I always craved to go and visit Australia sometime in my life. But then fate had it that I move to Canada for further studies and, between running a house trying to provide an intellectually stimulating environment for my two boys, and burdened with many other responsibilities, traveling anywhere far off was out of question. Sure a trip from my hometown in Edmonton in Alberta to nearby places in Canada and USA came my way, but the possibility of a long and expensive travel to Australia was never in the works. Even if I could arrange for the money to travel, I did not have any time from my busy schedule and even if I were to steal some time from my responsibilities, the cost of travel was a luxury I could ill afford.

Pretty soon the burning desire to go to Australia simmered down and later it all but vanished. It got ignited once more though, when one of my teachers from my alma mater came for a visit to Alberta and quite accidentally met me. Just a chance meeting in Calgary with Mr. B.Hood ignited the desire once again to visit Sydney in Australia where he lived. He was kind enough to extend an open invitation to me to come see him.

I remember it so distinctly when my Mon Garcon More, (I used to call Moe my son that) came home one day and announced he was going to Germany. With a heavy heart I let him go, what other choice did I have as he had decided to pursue his career there and had already landed a job in Berlin. But presto! Within a month from that time, he phoned me saying he was moving to Australia and was engaged to be married to a girl who lived in Canberra. He urged me to come Down Under and meet his bride to be.

Without further ado I found myself in Australia, landing in Sydney and then proceeding to Canberra. My son showed me the beautiful countryside near Canberra, and later we spent a long time in Sydney where he eventually snagged a plum job and lives there with his lovely wife in a stunning home that he built.

Though sad, as my teacher had passed on, I still felt I had not let him down because at least I came to visit, if not him, the city he lived in.

And, turns out, I simply fell in love with Sydney, where I have been again and again from my present place of residence in Ottawa in Canada.

Sydney is indeed a lovely city nestled in the most pristine and scenic surroundings. With an almost unending coast line with expansive beaches including Bondi, the city lies on the east coast Of New South Wales with Pacific Ocean on its eastern front. The scenic Blue Mountains are to the west, the Hawkesbury River to the north and the Woronora Plateau is south of Sydney.

I love to hang out, and where better to do this than in Sydney—a city teeming with people from almost every nationality and ethnic background. This is an important fact which  has largely contributed to the exotic and diverse nature of the appearance of the city itself.

As I travel around the city, the feature which impresses me is the distinct character of different areas. More days than naught, I find myself in central Sydney where there is so much to see and do.

The Rocks and Circular Quay are beautiful and vibrant areas, with ferries regularly leaving from the Quay to the different close by islands, or for just a round trip back, with stops at Watson’s Bay, Darling Harbor, and other worth visiting and scenic areas. As the ferry takes off, you drift closer, and past the iconic Opera House. The imposing Sydney Harbor Bridge referred to by locals as the coat hanger, because of its shape, is visible from different angles, in all its splendor, as you sail along.

Opera House, of course, is the famous building which has the most unique architecture by Jorn Utzon and extremely popular with tourists. It is a center for performing arts. Under its visible exterior shells are the interior halls and theaters designed with the best acoustics. The ceilings and walls of the theater are painted black to try and keep the attention of the audience on to the stage. This building took almost 14 years to be completed and far surpassed its original projected cost. The concert halls have beautiful views especially from the Utzon Room. In the foyer of the Opera Theater tourists are captivated by a very famous mural titled Detail of The Possum Dreaming by Tjakamarra Nelson, who is from the desert part of Central Australia.

On the west side of The Rocks is the Darling Harbor which has within its boundaries a bustling China town. I have made sure to visit the Botanic Gardens, a lush green paradise within the heart of the city just adjacent to the Rocks and Circular Quay which are the oldest areas in the city’s inner boundary. Further east is Darlinghurst and King Cross heavily lined with cafes and restaurants serving delectable cuisine, and it is a very busy place for everyone, particularly the rich and famous. Note, you should not miss out Paddington with its 19^th century character still intact with its famous terrace houses.

Though excessive drinking is a cause of some inappropriate behavior on the part of some misguided youth, it is never a common occurrence in this part of town. I have to admit though, I did see a brawl, in front of Misfits, which proudly advertises itself as a “Swank and Fab Little Bar.”  It is swank alright, and fab because of the elegant variety and quality of cocktails served here.

New Hampton is a more prestigious bar close by on Bayswater Road where the T-bone steak they serve with mash is out of the world, even though here it might have a dubious distinction of being pub fare. Mind you, if you want serious steak you can go to the nearby The Cut Bar and Grill.

If you want to dine at a restaurant with a view then the logical place would be The Dining Room, a restaurant where you will enjoy their dishes and ambiance. I have ventured here once and had a buffet breakfast that gives you the choice to order any item from the a la carte menu while savoring the beautiful panoramic view of the harbor. I did not regret forking out 45 AUD for a sumptuous meal and a café with a view.

If your budget is good for a moderate eatery, then try The Silly Tart Kitchen at Potts point; their corn fritters are remarkable. If you are craving for a burger you might like to consider Buns and Balls nearby, and even though it is designated as a pub, who said you have to buy a drink here?

For French food try Craperie Suzette. Apetito is a good choice for Italian food. But there is other ethnic food from every background in this area itself. Some good ones I have been to: Chinese, King Chef Chinese Restaurant; Thai, Wild Ginger; Indian, Malabar South Indian Restaurant in Darlinghurst. Besides these there is delectable food at Lebanese, Persian, African, joints nearby. In fact, virtually preparations from every part of the world are to be found. So suit your mood.

If you relish good coffee then you should amble on to the Clock Tower Mall close by and enjoy the brew at Café Daniela; Starbucks pales in comparison. I have tried at different occasions, Mochaccino and Piccolo Latte and both varieties where tops.

Sydney also has its share of museums and art galleries. I have been to a few, they being: The Museum of Sydney, The Museum of Contemporary Art and The Art Gallery of New South Wales.

I intend to go to The Hyde Park Barracks, a place constructed by convicts to house themselves and later used to accommodate poor female immigrants. The sketches, I am told, in this place depict the life of these miserable souls and serve as an informative chronicle of the past. The misconception that Australians are mostly descendants of convicts  is just that—a misconception.

It is amazing how much history there is in this bustling young city. The first British ship under command of Captain Arthur Phillip landed in 1788 and, for a period the development of The Rocks and Quays was dismal and decrepit. But that was then and now it is a different story.

But in the end it is the denizens who make or break the lure of any city. Sydney is blessed with the most friendly and laid back, cool people. Most of them know what is cricket and what is not cricket! Even though a few would know that the first Sydney cricket test in Sydney was played in February of 1882.  I can’t wait to watch the Ashes–so much a tradition as die hard cricket fans wait anxiously for the English cricket series to commence.

My affection for Sydney has strengthened and if my teachers where alive they would have been happy.

They walk. They had started with a run as volatile horror ascends from the death pyre of decency, turning the sunny day grey.

Some of the world sleeps as some sit in pleasure domes, the waiter running with a delicacy laden tray.

Horror has become the next element in the periodic table here;

it reigns supreme, it further darkens the faces of its victims’ already macerated, gaunt ghost-like silhouettes, cowering with lack of feed, choked with time, furrowed by fear.

And yet they still soldier on hoping for hope to push them on to nowhere. They don’t march, they stagger, an unruly herd of sows, as the rest watch from their ringside seat near their 65 inch gadget.

Should I buy Coco Channel or Donna Karan? No we’ll go to the Rockies, no the Alps, or wait how about Reiteralm or La Plagne? I will buy the Bugatti Veyron and you may the Koenigsegg Trevita lets not fight and bury the hatchet.

Bet on this stock sez Harry; he is the inside trader guy.

Money is all you need and the world you may buy.

Would it be CNN or Fox tonight? Daddy can we have chicken tonight? Coffee or tea honey?

Do you love me? Say please please!  Don’t talk with food in your mouth dear Johnny.

Triumph of equal opportunity. See, see, each one walks in accordance with their capacity. No one pushes anyone they all walk with a common goal what it is even the leader does not know.

But that is unimportant they have a common goal somewhere inside their cut up heart recipient of myriad lashes. Poor wretched souls.

Money doesn’t come easy. Gods of Wealth do not always smile so catch them while you can and fill up the holes.

Too bad. Down with capitalism! Down with Communism! Down with Oligarchy! Down with Maoism! Down with Islam! Really! Down with your goddam pants say they or could, or would, if they will survive the arena of human sacrifice, the predator on their back.

Up with Human rights! Sure good idea but the notion is still in your mind it is still cooking in the incubator of intellectual posturing…good fodder it is for you to tweet to your heart’s content for the next few days, and news-mongers rejoice, here is enough stuff for some time so keep track.

In stark contrast to your theoretical construct the boy the girl the little child brethren of your own children walks, not some kid with satchel to school but the child schooled into walking when their frail bodies cry for relief from unrelenting gush of disaster from every which way. The mother straightens her burdened frame almost collapsing under the weight of the saddled piece of bones you may call an infant as her motherly instinct is still alive. She tugs, devoid of energy to coax, the laggard faltering child once a while, knowing the rapist is not far behind, knowing the killer is on hot pursuit waiting to punish the lost and disenfranchised for what? Who knows?

The old and the weak give up the ghost and though their spirit is keen their physical capacity buckles them down as they wait on the wayside for the buzzards and vultures and other animals to devour them. Their only wish now is to die at the hands of animals but not those in the form of humans. The human misery in its grotesque shape is up top and it shows.

The dwindling ghost like half dead figures stamped with the clear markings of the world that has forgotten them are still moving as if to demonstrate the human will and determination against every odd.

They will go it alone even as they create a ripple, a small end of which might reverberate in the corridors of the U.N or forums of genteel speak spaces and hallowed halls of learning. Don’t forget this is just a distraction for a few days to plod.

As your nation sells arms to Burma and the glistening tanks

You have done your bit you sent money from your piggy banks

Viewer discretion advised for those who have no time

And miles to commute to work for their salary dime

Money to count, and fortunes to reap in their mind

The dreams to nurse, the coffee mill, the daily grind

Why get into things that are too gory and deep

You have miles to go before forever you sleep

In my recent visit to India, I found repulsive the conduct of those who were consensually considered economically better off than the otherwise hoi polloi. This group is under the delusion of having hit the jackpot of knowledge and of everything and anything worth knowing.  A sense of self righteousness pervades their being.Lodged in their brains is a conveniently conjured up representation of the Western world fed through their biased filters of judgement, and far removed from reality. They act as if they know whatever there is to know about the lifestyle in North America and Europe.  They feel they have discovered the dirty secrets of the West, which they had wrongfully glorified in the past out of ignorance and now they are entitled to celebrate their own superiority. As they would assume: Isn’t America, and the whole western civilization, all about permissiveness, moral corruption and ignorance?

Ironically though, these same people religiously ape what they perceive to be representative of a Western lifestyle. They are preoccupied by the fashion, music, food and American slang, which is bolted out in fake American or English accents and smacks of hinglish in every respect. They unashamedly use, as if it were their birthright, Western inventions of gizmos and gadgets that had long eluded them, but are now theirs to call their own because of their sudden prosperity. In their minds the availability of the Internet, American TV programs and channels, latest and expensive cars and other technical contraptions they had been deprived from  for a long time are now the tools to feed their ego. They all exhibit an overwhelming sense of ecstasy in feeling superior than those living in the western world, especially North America.

Paradoxically this group while it copies everything they perceive as western is inebriated with a sense of patriotism that it feels need not now be in the closet as India, according to them, has proven to the world that it has advanced in every field. After all, all they were lacking was material goods for spirituality was always their invention.The constant hammering by the media in pointing toward the rising GNP/GDP of India is enough ammunition for these miserable lost souls in hailing the successes of India as being legendary. The purported economic gains of India, and hence its standard of living is enough to convince this group that the gap in the standard of living between India and the West hemisphere, including America, is now negligible. The reality though as everyone blessed with even an iota of brain ought to know is very different.

To me, all these strange assumptions of the mostly nouveau riche seemed  glaringly in contrast with the reality. I could see the  hunger, the misery, the hardship, the ill health and the hopeless state of the majority of the population around me to which these lotus eaters are oblivious. I could not even imagine how these somewhat well-heeled people could not see what I could; how myopic can they be I thought.

Then it occurred to me that the mindset of these people, who have economically gained ground, and who are now part of a minuscule group of those who can pursue a lavish, comfortable and an even extravagant lifestyle, are all callous and self serving. For them, the economically challenged majority has become invisible and is of little or no consequence. For this minuscule community, the only humans are those with economic clout and wealth, a prerequisite to belong to the club of those deemed human. The majority, well,  they might as well be animals.

More given to sensuous imagery, descriptive sensuality and joys of nature, dead in 1821 at the age of 25 after only six years of writing poetry, John Keats still remains fresh in our collective memory. His poetry can be viewed in stark contrast with our modern day obsession with practicality, pragmatism and profit. And yet, despite Keats’ antithetical quality vis-a-vis our present day preoccupations, he still remains a mysterious and compelling force.

I appear to run into Keats in a sustained way for short times and that has been true in the last number of years. But my share of him always remains reasonable and within the range of a plausible explanation. For instance, when I abandoned my place on the Piazza di Spagna and wandered next door to visit the room where he breathed last in Rome, I did so because my wife was too busy shopping near the Barcaccia Fountain. Or when I last read much of his work, I was preparing for a University exam where a question on him was most likely to appear.

Later, I would discover an occasional article or reference in some current magazine or newspaper. Even this I found to be unusual, considering that Keats had departed long time back.

But to have a week where you are reminded constantly about a long dead poet through different sources and conversations— when not even pursuing him on your own— is surrealistic. And this is exactly what happened to me in the summer of 2012.

First, there was that article on him in the Sunday newspaper section. Then, there was the occasion of perusing a review about him and his times, I found in the stack of magazines at Starbucks. Then that very same evening a friend from school days, in town for a convention, in his conversation quotes, “a thing of beauty is a joy forever” when I nostalgically remark about the great times we used to have at school. Then a day does not go by and my son requests me to edit his essay on John Keats—an assignment for his university course.  And then, there was Keats’ famous line, “heard melodies are sweet….”  I stumbled upon in a fortune cookie at a local Chinese restaurant. And it doesn’t end there. I should not forget mentioning about the faded picture of Keats I saw the very  same week in the barbershop I had abandoned patronizing after Pete the barber retired, but oddly enough I had decided  to visit.

It was almost as if Keats was compelling me to pursue a more nuanced study of his works.

In studying Keats carefully, the point I was struck with was one which is rarely, if ever, forwarded by his critics and commentators: his proximity with Mysticism and above all his capacity through his poetry to invoke a mystical transcendence in the reader. But the nexus between Keats and Mysticism is not clear until one digs deeper.

In presenting my thesis I understand that it would be incumbent on me to first outline at least certain aspects of mysticism before discussing specifically about Keats and the effect of his particular poem, “To Autumn.”

Mysticism is a hard nut to crack. It is elusive to define because in a broad sense it encompasses an array of definitions. However, in describing the essence of mysticism certain assertions are valid. Mysticism it may be claimed is part of the struggle to grasp the meaning of reality and is an attempt to develop a perspicuous vision of its inherent character, not through reasoning but by using the interplay of intellect and sensations and the filtering of intelligible realities through the symbolic significance of material images and forms. This is a noetic activity or a noera ergasia, very much a characteristic of mystical thought process as it appears in various cultures and religions from Jewish Kabbalah, Islamic Sufism to Christian spirituality.

In a dynamic sense, mysticism is a change of perception in an exercise to grasp reality through a vision that changes the consciousness. It becomes a spiritual awakening that transforms the person who in the pursuit of understanding reality, or the universe, uses a unique medium of contemplation that facilitates this understanding. Mystics in the Sufi tradition claim that to achieve this experience requires a certain mind-set and an attitude toward life before the real experience of oneness with God or Posse Ipsum (Nicholas of Cusa’s term for God with “His Unbounded Potentiality”) can be experienced. In other traditions also, to be a mystic, similar characteristics are a prerequisite. Some of the characteristics of famous mystics in history are: disdain towards material wealth, capacity to live an abstemious life, piety, compassion, patience, asceticism, abstinence and humility and chanting of select words, loudly or silently, to spiritually transcend the material world.

So through submission, humility and extreme contemplation the mystic’s journey moves towards the ultimate objective that should ideally terminate in oneness with Posse Ipsum. This is the search for God were the consciousness of anything material is gradually negated to end in rapture as in the Christian tradition, or nirvana as in the Buddhist tradition, or baqa billah as in the Sufi tradition. Other traditions define this experience with different terminology, but the end result and the experiential component is similar if not the same.

The properties of an authentic mystic are thereby restricted to a select few in history. Indeed, the component of rigor and insight essential to be a true mystic is beyond the bounds of possibility for most of us. However, this does not preclude one from experiencing a mystical experience for a fleeting moment, where for a time, albeit a short time, the sensations of mystical transcendence may be perceived and relished. This ephemeral mystical experience can be uplifting and is within the grasp of many. The experience is within the reach of an amateur mystic (my terminology).

To be this amateur mystic, a certain desire and a capacity to appreciate words and verses in poetry, prose or prayer is essential. Words are the pivotal media in any mystical experience. Verses, or the power of words in them, appear to be the life blood of religion or literature. “In the beginning was the Word” as the Gospel according to John makes it clear. Any Quranic reading commences with selected words: “Bismillah ur Rehman ur Raheem.” And it is this power of the word that presents itself in the form of a prayer. It is the similar power of words that translates in the pursuance of mysticism. This same power incites a mystical transcendence in literature.

But certainly it is not any words that have the power to facilitate a mystical journey.  The words have to be special and in the correct syntactical order. Muhiyid-Did ibn Arabi (1165-1240), the great Arabic scholar points out that in achieving transcendence the repetition of certain words in a sequence can have tremendous power in religion and so, too, in literature. Most of the current day gibberish that passes for literature like so much of the rubbish of past, purported to be literary, is incapable of any uplifting experience. In the genre of poetry, the capacity to trigger a mystical transcendence can only be discovered in some poetry. My contention is that John Keats’ “To Autumn” happens to be one such poem.

Keats, mind you, is hardly ever characterized as a mystical poet but is universally accepted as a “romantic” poet.  Unfortunately, restricting Keats to a narrow interpretation within the confines of the term “romantic” has meant an inadequate understanding of his poetry. A more nuanced study of Keats is required for an understanding of the mystical element in his works. By experiencing his work on an intellectual and emotional level, we discover the all-powerful relationship of mystical undertones woven in his poems. The shades of mystical thought are heavily laden in his poem “To Autumn”.

Unlike other English poets such as John Donne and William Blake, John Keats, not famously known to be a mystical poet, in his poems, especially in some of them, effectively sets the stage for the occurrence of an experience of a mystical transcendence in the reader.

While it is easy to detect the mystical vision in William Blake, in Keats we find a similar insight present in a more subtle manner. William Blake, it is known was influenced by Jakob Boehme, the German mystic and Swedenborrgianism, a fact which influenced his poetry, earning him the reputation of being a mystical poet. He understood, as is apparent from his poem Auguries of Innocence, that the “world can be seen in a grain of sand…heaven in a wild flower…and eternity in an hour”. Keats while he does not narrate such possibilities makes such experience possible through the magic of his poems. In this respect, John Keats was different and not a mystical poet in a traditional sense, as he did not comfortably fit this definition. After all, there is a qualitative difference in being recognized as a mystical poet and, on the other hand, having the capacity to facilitate a mystical experience. Keats had the latter quality.

The other reason critics have tended not to tie Keats with mystical inspiration is because it is generally believed that he was not heavily influenced by mystical thought. But it is very likely Keats was inspired by mystical writings. We hardly know of all the literature he read and was influenced by. As Plato once said, “poets utter great and wise things which they do not themselves understand.” This is a correct observation and perhaps he should have also noted that poets do this because of what they are impressed with through reading or experience that lurks in their sub-conscious and is then used in their work making it hard for others, as well as for them, to identify the fountain of these “great and wise things”. So if John Keats evokes a mystical element of thought in “The Autumn” that arouses a mystical experience in the reader it does not necessarily mean his effort is intentional. While he may not have focussed on the task of inducing elements capable of triggering mystical transcendence in his reader, he inadvertently does so simply because he had that uniqueness of expression and selection of words to move the reader into unknown directions.

John Keats uses different means and techniques that are responsible in presenting nature and “things” in a way where the senses of the reader merge with nature, with the overall effect leading to a feeling of oneness with it. The reader is left with no option but to identify with nature and become part of it, and this entity in turn has an opportunity to transcend and see reality from a very different angle, even if it be for a fleeting moment. In this fugacious moment a mystical experience becomes possible.

In his poem ‘To Autumn’, the overwhelming abundance of nature aligns our senses to fuse with nature to such an extent that we are slowly merged with it. Nature, then, represents an all-encompassing manifestation of God. This is very much similar to Rumi’s conception of mysticism where everything blooms with its root in what he calls  one “natural stem” ,or to paraphrase the famous mystic Ahmad Ibn `Ata’Allah: everything around us points to the oneness of Him. In the Christian tradition this becomes a sequent, where God remains the cause of the creation, of everything, and then each thing originates from God or is a sequent to God. A similar thought appears in early Kabbalists concept of “Echod, Yochid, and Myuchod.” Even Hinduism with its 330 million or more gods claims that the worship of different gods is simply an appreciation of the attributes of one true God.

With Keats the things around us, manifested as different forms of nature, are not simply depicted or recalled but they invasively affect our senses so as to truly become a part of us, with the capacity to generate mystical overtones. The medium for this transcendence is nature, but only possible because Keats rolls us together with God’s manifestations, effectively creating an oneness, through sensory experience. This act is the first in a series to prepare us for a mystical episode with Keats showing us the road that had not appeared before.

Though the mystical overtones are present in different works of Keats, “To Autumn,” I found strangely influential, for it carries a heavier load of symbolism and allusions which slowly, as the poem progresses, fade away in the background of the tapestry of effective language leaving an indelible mystical experience akin perhaps to an out of body experience. The delicate fusion of the color of language in “To Autumn” is like passionate strokes, on a rich background on the canvass that is progressively mellowed to the extent that the reader is left alone, one on one, with the poem, and without ever stepping on the toes of the richness of its background.

This unique technique and style of Keats is what I believe sets the stage for the reader to go through a mystical experience in a setting similar to that of a devout disciple who initially explores “Truth”, conscious and overawed by  the richness of material surroundings replete with gifts to mankind from God. The exercise here is a slow rejection of the initial material surroundings and a gradual transference to a different plane. Nature that sustains the very life of the devotee serves as a prerequisite. It is rich, mysterious and life giving, and yet it slowly exerts its force, unconsciously, in the mix of a “focal experience”.  Keats offers transcendence from the material to the spiritual and the reader is lured through the sensuousness of nature and its sensory richness which heralds the reader to a higher plane of experience.

Keats strives in “To Autumn” to infuse the poem with an epiphanic insight into the very “elemental essence” of autumn, bringing to the surface the intricate patterns of associations that lie dormant in the heart – patterns of joy and pain and anything in between. The verses of the ode, act like a catalyst to jolt the reader from the imprisonment of the present, forcing her to scramble to resurrect complex memories – distinct and unique – tied to the core of an experience of Autumn in the cycle of the seasons of life; of many Autumns and many indefinable memories of them, some fresh and clear, others dull and remote or as gloomy as if they were soaked in “hemlock”.

To accomplish this esoteric effect, in “To Autumn”, Keats in three stanzas almost propels the reader in to a different world. Initially a sensuous perception is nurtured that is subsequently shaped to appreciate the latent forces of nature and its representative essence, and this then finally leads to a transformation of the visual into the auditory when the “gathering swallows twitter in the sky.” It is like a progression in the meditation process that, by degrees, transforms into a nearness and oneness with the sublime.

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun,

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;

To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For summer has o’er-brimmed their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?

Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,

Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,

Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Steady thy laden head across a brook;

Or by a cider-press, with patient look,

Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of ring?

Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too—

While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,

And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue:

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

Among the river sallows, borne aloft

Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft

The red-breast whistles from a garden croft;

And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

The interweaving of muted sounds and rhythms in the above stanzas start building from the very first line of the poem, denoting the thickest conceivable abundance of seasonal plenty that rising to a crescendo, reaches its zenith. The role of different things in nature grows progressively to captivate our senses with what appears to be a cosmically inspired interaction, a depiction of protoplasmic activity meant to find its respective place in the scheme of nature.

The remarkable mastery of the construction of the ode inebriates the very frontal lobes and its various nerve conduits connected to the centers of senses by a formation.  A collage repeatedly challenges different perceptions, from the sounds of the “bleating” of  lambs and mourning of small gnats in a “wailful choir”, to the sight of the “maturing sun”, and “stubble-plains with rosy hue”, to the smell of the “fume of poppies”, to the “taste of hazel shells with a sweet kernel”, or to the thought of the soft touch of  “Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind”, transferring the reader in one fell swoop into the realm of oneness with natural beauty. It is this relentless and incessant involvement of all our senses that compels us to perceive nature as an act of God that pervades our existence. This constant assault on the senses provided by forces and experiences of nature in “To Autumn” melds our consciousness with it and transforms us into yet another thread in the fabric of creation.

All this builds into a sense of a strong link and inter-connectedness with nature, where we become part of it, no longer aliens exploiting it as a mere resource with our place outside of its realm. In Keats, our fate is inextricably linked with nature, leaving no room to distance ourselves from it. Like the “warm wind” that “lives and dies” Keats juxtaposes our fate with the elements, to live and die along with them. He appeals not only to our five senses but also to our archetypical sense of the concept of beauty. He captures all our senses, bundling them in a matrix of a sublime experience that can potentially serve as a platform for a religious experience with mystical overtones.

Most likely, Keats was moved by the wisdom offered in the body of old religions –pagan, animistic, polytheistic, gnostic, anthropomorphic and nature-governed. All these, very blasphemous and heretical in his times, but appealing and alluring just like nature. Keats’s verses celebrate life with a frenzied expression of joy and gloom and the whole gamut of feelings in between is rendered in glorious form. It is this Dionysian quality of joy with a hint of melancholy that Keats brings to life in every verse of his ode in “To Autumn”. The frenzy of the natural forces around us and the turmoil of our inside in one gush are assimilated to compel us to look within ourselves, as if peering into the realm of our soul that potentiates a probe into the reality of the creator and creation.

To truly understand Keats and his mastery of sensory involvement that directs us into the mystical realm, it is necessary to “experience” him by understanding the true context of nature and offering our unencumbered services of all our senses

This mystical quality can be inferred from his poetry. Its origin is in his thought, perhaps the result of his readings of mystical works, or perhaps some unique God given gift to a poet who has the power to act as a medium, to generate a mystical ecstasy in his reader. To quote Henry Miller: “We have only to open our eyes and hearts, to become one with that which is.”

The debate whether Exodus holds the children to be liable for the sins of their fathers or makes them responsible for their own iniquities is confusing, as both edicts are outlined in the Exodus in different verses. And to further muddle things, in Deuteronomy it is stated “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death, everyone should be put to death for his own sins.”  (Read Exodus 20.5, 34 6-7 and Deuteronomy 24.16.)

Very unclear and a mixed message for sure!

But if we consider the present day situation, in reality the message seems to be crystal clear: The sins of the fathers will be left at the door of the children for their demise.

I am talking about the practical drama unfolding today where our present generation is guilty of ignoring the global warming of our planet though they should know better than this.

This “sin” will kill our children, wipe out the whole next generation or annihilate future humankind. Granted the catastrophe of a dying world may not happen in the time of the next generation, it would surely leave the coming generations—referred to as our sons in the holy books– completely doomed once it becomes irreversible.

The cardinal sin of our present generation in letting climate change progress unabated by ignoring its causes is deplorable. And you don’t have to be a follower of any particular religion, or any religion, to know this.

Those who fail to acknowledge the disaster we are courting are on the side of mammon and wealth over the welfare of the future of humankind.  They readily produce feeble arguments—against science and against common sense. They erect superficial polemic to justify their greed. They are the ones who would rather abet the guilty parties let make more money at the expense of an unprecedented crime. The crime is the rape of a planet which can’t even say, “Me too.”

Strange, but not so strange, the main culprit in the mix is the mecca of capitalism—The United States of America.

The ascent of human scientific progress, even the unraveling of the complete process of human thinking and hence its history, whether categorized as progressive or regressive, based on different point of views, strikes me to exist due to the interaction of human psychology and humankind’s interaction with Nature and the material world.

This certainly is not a radical idea and perhaps even appears to be a tautology if viewed from one perspective. But once the human psychology and its inherent nature is characterized as having an elusive feature at its edifice, the pervasive radical element assumes a different dimension. The individual psychology and in turn the collective human psychology then has to be viewed as a driving force with an elusive entity as its centrality in the grand scheme of my theory.

So what is this elusive entity or abstract element in the psychological mix or in the very matrix of the consciousness or psyche of humans and thus humankind? For one thing, it is an entity that neither science nor reasoning can define, at least so far. In visible terms it is the entity which may be detected obliquely as a force which has moved different histories in different directions, and the common history of mankind in the direction as we know it, though all along with the distinct foot print of that something that is looking for that etwas which it never can find or be satisfied with. This because, its quest to move in any direction or to find something or act in a certain way in conjunction with our material world itself does not have any blue print of what it is looking for. It only knows it wants that indescribable something that can never be objectified. So when we, or on a macro level, humanity moves in a certain direction, it discovers the void of satisfaction and is then forced to move in a different direction to pursue its relentless search. The urge of the mysterious elusive entity in our psyche is then forced to explore other avenues all along not knowing exactly what it wants, even though it certainly wants what may be akin to the Lacanian Das Ding–something which we can’t define or objectify.

Lacan, though, associated Das Ding to be a pleasurable quest but my exploring of humans is based on what I would term as die Ausstrahlung of Geheimnis and not necessarily based on the pleasure principle of the sought after object.

I think It is the urge to find this something, incessantly, but not grasping it, while all along stumbling into something different which defines a process of a very chaotic and unpredictable historical process of mankind.

It most certainly is the driving force which kept the mythical Sisyphus moving on with resolve in pursuing the most boring and repetitious task thrown at him.

While Albert Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus underscores man’s herculean task in finding meaning in an absurd world, his philosophy is more to highlight the absurdity of the world rather than ascribe any motivation to the actions of mankind in the process of making history.

With Hegel his dialectic conception, though to be fair to him may not have a rigid triadic version of movement of history, nevertheless describes history as a consistent forward movement based on rational thinking to be actualized to the supernatural level in the end. Even though it is not as rigid in its framing as historical materialism, Hegel’s dialect while it has mankind and history in its mix does not rely on the mystery of human psychology or Geheimnis.

What transformed into diamat or dialectical materialism was more a face given by Russian and Soviet Union propaganda to the theoretical works of Marx and Engels. Based on Hegelian thought with a twist dialectical materialism was predicated on Marxist dialectics. It gave a direction to how history evolves and it saw its glorified end in an egalitarian and classless society for the masses. While both Marx and Hegel were giants in the field of philosophy and Marx in Economics, too, they seemed to have predicted an order of things in history and the role of society in convenient and predictable terms.

In reality, the movement of history is not as smooth nor simplistic; it is, in fact, very volatile and chaotic. In short as I see It: The essence of human history is a movement brought about by unfulfilled dreams and expectations. It is too chaotic and  can not be gleaned through the spectacles Hegel, Camus and Marx provide– though great thinkers all of them.

Mustafa Akhrothy is 83 years old, lives in my community, in my neighborhood, and he doesn’t look a day older than 55 years. Hardly any signs of aging on his face, no crow’s feet, no ugly wrinkles, he attributes his youthful looks to what he claims to be his original slumber technique.

In fact, he runs the STC (Slumber Technique Club) with good success and surprisingly, draws people to cluster together at his once a month meeting held at random city coffee shop venues, without using social media or any hard copy advertising to draw a crowd of which there are devoted members. It is all just the old fashioned marketing approach and it is purely a word of mouth publicity which draws people to gather to listen to him as he assures them at the outset saying: “I am here to spill my secret of staying young and you need not even buy me coffee to peak into the secret of the technique, and I emphasize technique, for acquiring the ‘fountain of youth’”. It is true many of his attendees would readily have bought him coffee, and even far more than that, as they leave the meeting having gained what one person said is “King Solomon’s mine of wisdom for Free!”

“I don’t make a red cent out of this,” Mustafa says proudly as he opens his session and he has been conducting such meetings since the last one plus year. His passport attesting his real age is available and lies on the coffee shop table for anyone who doubts he is 83.

“So why do you do this?” I ask him.

With a broad smile revealing his, well laid, all original teeth—no, no dental interference here– he counters: “It is the vibes, you know…the good vibes you see… I get from this and the more you collect them the better for you.” Then as if  to confirm he is no blast from the past, he quickly and perkily adds: “Hey it is better than collecting Pokemon rewards.”

One retiree jumps in “Or the McDonalds Monopoly tags!”

“That too.”

“He he he, ha ha ha.” There is an appreciative laughter among the fairly large crowd huddled around this unassuming but imposing gentle looking man.

So, like others, I was curious to know more about this technique Mustafa wanted to share.

Hearing about it I felt it was based on different pillars of belief and practice and one of which was in close proximity to a theme you might find in Inception, a 2010 released Christopher Nolan movie starring Leonardo di Caprio, where you have to wrap your mind around the possibility of various levels of reality that are presumed to be lurking in the minds of human beings. Exploitation or exercising of these can accomplish the impossible as does Dominick Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, when he beats all odds through a heavily schemed “Inception” heist used to dismantle his now dead father’s corporation. The puzzling ‘spinning top’ scene of the film certainly indicated toward a phenomenon of lucid Dreaming according to me and many others.

The concept of lucid dreaming where the dreamer almost consciously augments or even manipulates the outcome and content of their dreams and is aware of the fact that they are dreaming is a key component in Mustafa’s claim to maintaining a youthful appearance. It certainly was a key component to Christopher Nolan’s popular movie.

The idea of lucid dreaming it should be noted is not a new one even though it has enjoyed more popularity and attention at certain times in our history. The great Greek Aristotle famously observed: “Often when one is asleep, there is something in consciousness which declares that what then presents is but a dream.” The Committee of Sleep, by Deirdre Barrett is a good book to read if you really want to know more about lucid dreaming though it is very different than what Mustafa has in his technique to stay young.

The conception of lucid dreams also has had its share of detractors and in the 1970’s, when it was intriguing people, the skeptics claimed it to be an episode of a brief awakening or ‘micro-awakening’ as they called it. Stephen LeBarge, well known psychiatrist and researcher, blunted this criticism by establishing through experiments that lucid dreamers were not awake but indeed physiologically asleep while dreaming during REM periods.

“So Mustafa,” a person in the crowd says, “you are really advocating lucid sleeping to stay young.”

Hearing this Mustafa protests and points out that while lucid dreaming is a key component of his stay young technique it is much more than simply that. He explains that his technique is much more involved, as it is a fusion of dreaming, meditating and relaxing during sleep, of which everyone should get 8 hours in a 24 hour period. “But please don’t forget the key element of spirituality in my method, too,” he pleadingly points out as he re-explains that component in his technique.

In Mustafa’s stay young formula active meditation is to take place during sleep. A kind of a yoga type therapy though very different than yoga as taught in various schools in the western world. For that matter very different than yoga in India and extremely different to what the Beatles were attracted to when in February 1968 they latched on to the coattails of the Transcendental Meditation teachings of maharishi Mahesh yogi at the Rishikesh ashram.

Mustafa’s technique of injecting spiritualism in dreams struck me as being closer to that practiced by the Tibetan monks. For an easy understanding of it we in the west call it ‘dream yoga’ though this is an oversimplification of the whole process. The Tibetan monks derived the practice of dream yoga through the esoteric experiences of hermits or munis of India who are mentioned in the Upanishads and rig Vedas. The main idea around all this is that of moksha or liberation.

Mustafa in a private conversation with me after the meeting told me he had modelled his technique and the power of lucid sleep and dreaming by being inspired by Carl Jung’s idea of archetypes of the collective consciousness. He explained to me that archetypes are in the physical makeup of every person and hence we need to consciously get the best work out of them by using techniques to make these release endorphins throughout our system to negate the free radicals which cause havoc if left unchecked. An impressive example indeed, I thought.

But being a person with a very skeptical disposition almost a disciple of Dr. Michael Shermer and very much a child deriving solace in the tenets and beliefs of the enlightenment, I certainly am not the best candidate to buy into Mustafa’s methodology of staying young. But as Hamlet said to an educated person influenced by the humanist tradition and not given to belief in the supernatural, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy”.  Perhaps Mustafa is on to something big.