The Lightness of being

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The Lightness of Being

“Once more there sounded within me the terrible warning that there is only one life for all men, that there is only one life for all men, that there is no other and that all that can be enjoyed must be enjoyed here. In eternity, no other chance will be given to us.” 
― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek (Greek writer and philosopher 1883-1957).

“The heaviest of burdens crushes us, we sink beneath it, it pins us to the ground. But in love poetry of every age, the woman longs to be weighed down by the man's body. The heaviest of burdens is, therefore, simultaneously an image of life's most intense fulfilment.  The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to the earth, the more real and truthful they become. Conversely, the absolute absence of burden causes man to be lighter than air, to soar into heights, take leave of the earth and his earthly being, and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant. What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness?” 
― Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Czech literary icon 1929 - )

“Quite a lusty lot, those sages. What was the name of the fellow who ravished the fisherwoman smelling of fish, right in the boat and gave her body a permanent perfume? And now, look at these poor Brahmins, descended from such sages...Let’s see who wins in the end - you or me. I’ll destroy Brahmanism, I certainly will. My only sorrow is that there’s no Brahmanism really left to destroy in this place- except you.”

-UR Ananthamurthy, Samskara (Kannada writer 1932-2014)

Life is a conundrum and many philosophers and thinkers have written and shared their insights about its unravelling. The above writers have explored whether a human being should take the path of ‘weight’ or ‘lightness’ in their novels.

In a world where the sacred and the profane exist together, we are lost in a maze of big questions such as whether God exists, which religion to follow and  ramifications of our choices in our understanding of virtue and sin. We revel in segregation, compartmentalizing ourselves on the basis of religion, border, colour, language and caste.  The alienation does not end here. There are widening gulfs tearing the hedonists from the pious within communities and families, too.  This rivalry has left many perplexed.  After all, who is the man of God – one who is good but indulges his senses or the one who prays religiously and has no hedonistic desires? The former is wild and nomadic. He loves partying, drinking and gambling. He doesn’t consider having a string of mistresses as an immoral act. On the contrary, the more religious man is celibate and a crown jewel of Vedic knowledge. He considers it vile to give into his senses. For him, it’s all about mind over matter. Which one would you rather be, or to put it concisely, what would you choose - ‘weight’ or ‘lightness’?

The epitaph on Kazantzakis’ tomb illumines the path of freedom - "I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free." Kazantzakis’ works, especially ‘Zorba the Greek’, are full of joy. The book is a hymn to life and love that is personified in the character sketch of Zorba, epitome of the pulsating life force. It urges you to stop reading words and go jump into the stream of life and live it king size. An excerpt from the book reads, one must be “wrapping oneself in an atmosphere of daily sights, sounds and smells – wild sage, savoury mint and thyme.”

Zorba, the wonderful Macedonian man lives each day as if it is his last, completely involved in what he is doing, be it making love or working the lignite mines. When he cannot express his feelings and energy in words, he dances with gay abandon to the beat of each moment. He lives in perpetual awe of everything around him. He looks at trees, the sky, flowers, women, children as if he was seeing them for the first time. He revels in the mystery of creation and considers the world his playground to frolic and indulge.  His zest for life is all inclusive. The narrator in the story is a foil to Zorba. He is a writer wrestling in his lair with his writings on Buddha, trying to comprehend the world through words and mysticism.

Friedrich Nietzsche’s concepts, ‘God is Dead’ and the ‘Man as Overman’, patterns the exchange between the narrator of the novel and Alexis Zorba. In the end, it isn’t squiggly inky impressions on paper or endless ruminations and reflections, but the act of living that makes the difference. An Irresistible performance by Anthony Quinn made the lusty, life-affirming character of Zorba the Greek a popular icon.

Milan Kundera is a contemporary writer who has dwelled on similar themes. His novel, ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’ compares and contrasts cerebral weight with sensual lightness. The first lot are bound by duty, honour, karma and the search for truth. The others live a full life indulging their senses. Self-centeredness, detachment and enjoyment in the present mark their guiding principle in life. They are not guided by regret or the thought of an afterlife. Nonetheless, the climax does not render any type of character contented and happy with their choice.

Ananthamurthy, the doyen of brahmanical practices, initially pitches the moral superiority of Praneshacharya’s yogic existence against the degenerate living of Naranappa in his book ‘Samskara’.  Each character is principled and staunch in his armour. Praneshacharya is an ascetic who is married to an invalid girl and is regarded as the crown of Vedic knowledge. His route to salvation is open, asexual and clear. But Naranappa can see through the bigotry of the entire clan and lives life on his terms. Naranappa dies and has to be cremated by a Brahmin, but no living Brahmin wants to perform the rites for an outlawed one and stain himself. Thus the battle of wills continues even after death, with Naranappa demanding death rites across the void. Pranesacharysa meets his nemesis in Chandri – the prostitute-mistress of his rival. He accidently embraces her and thereafter in his act of loving her, he becomes Naranappa. Thus begins his journey of rebirth, wisdom and a questioning of what he believed to be true.

he common thread in each of the books forefronts the conundrum of the yogi versus the hedonist. What do you choose – weight or lightness?  Perhaps, the wisdom that the duo rest on an even plane leads to the true lightness of being!  If this is the case, ‘Samskara’ would provide the tenet for transformation, liberation and ultimate freedom.

Zorba the Greek

                    ZORBA, THE GREEK

I just finished rereading Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis – a book that sets you free every time you visit it. Kazantzakis works are full of joy, especially Zorba the Greek. The book is a hymn to life and love, personified in the character sketch of Zorba; the epitome of pulsating life force. It urges you to stop reading words and go jump into the stream of life; and live it king size.
Zorba, the wonderful Macedonian man lives each day as if it is his last, completely involved in what he is doing; making love or working the lignite mines. He dances to life, actually, authentically and practically. When he cannot express the feelings and energy in words, he dances with gay abandon to the beat of each moment. He lives in perpetual awe of everything around him. He looks at trees, the sky, flowers, women, children as if he is seeing them for the first time. He revels in the mystery of creation and considers the world his playground to frolic and indulge.  His zest for life is all inclusive. The catastrophe of the closure of the mine is another challenge from which he rises unscathed. He understands life in all its colors and is awake to each of its tests and turns. If ever there was a role that Anthony Quinn was born to play, it was the lusty, life-affirming character in Zorba, the Greek. The film made the book world famous.
The narrator played by Alan Bates is a foil to Zorba. He is a writer wrestling in his lair with his writing of Buddha, trying to comprehend the world through words and mysticism. In a bid to realign and rethink the paradox of man’s life on earth, he decides to partake of life with the day-to-day life of workmen. He travels to Crete to inherit a lignite mine. He hires Zorba who turns out to be Man Friday. The dialogue between the two is the core of the book through which Kazantzakis throws light on metaphysical, existential questions in people’s lives and the varied perspectives to it. Friedrich Nietzsche’s ‘God is dead’ and the ‘man as Overman’, are concepts which pattern the exchange between them. In the end, it isn’t squiggly inky impressions of words on paper, and the endless ruminations and reflections, but the act of living them which can make a difference in our lives. 
Kazantzakis was an existentialist as much as Franz Kafka, his contemporary. But their philosophy was so very different. Whereas Kafka battled with a meaningless existence with paranoia, absurdity and madness, Kazantzakis pitched into the flow of life with a madness of sheer abandon and love. While Kafka is disturbed and depressed by the cruel universe, Kazantzakis is delighted by its mystery. He does not know if God exists or truth exists, but he has an amazing appetite for plain existence. Life is simple, devoid of Cartesian duality. Therefore the ordinary is extraordinary for him. The Kafkaesque ideology imbues us with dread and gloom.     
Franz Kafka’s quote on books reads: “I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound or stab us. If the book we’re reading doesn’t wake us up with a blow to the head, what are we reading for? So that it will make us happy, as you write? Good Lord, we would be happy precisely if we had no books, and the kind of books that make us happy are the kind we could write ourselves if we had to. But we need books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone, like a suicide. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. That is my belief.” Readers who have read his story ‘The Metamorphosis’ will appreciate and understand his message very well. A contemporary writer who comes to mind in the same line of thought would be Milan Kundera.

 On the contrary, Paulo Coelho and the erstwhile Nikos Kazantzakis deliver the same content through a symbolic parable or through characters who serve as illustrations for different philosophical principles. The story of the butterfly emerging out of its cocoon is recounted by Zorba to the narrator, a lesson in nature’s mysterious workings. ‘A man spent hours watching a butterfly struggling to emerge from its cocoon. It managed to make a small hole, but its body was too large to get through it. After a long struggle, it appeared to be exhausted and remained absolutely still. The man decided to help the butterfly and, with a pair of scissors, he cut open the cocoon, thus releasing the butterfly. However, the butterfly’s body was very small and wrinkled and its wings were all crumpled. The man continued to watch, hoping that, at any moment, the butterfly would open its wings and fly away. Nothing happened; in fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its brief life dragging around its shrunken body and shriveled wings, incapable of flight.’
‘What the man – out of kindness and his eagerness to help – had failed to understand was that the tight cocoon and the efforts that the butterfly had to make in order to squeeze out of that tiny hole were Nature’s way of training the butterfly and of strengthening its wings. Sometimes, a little extra effort is precisely what prepares us for the next obstacle to be faced. Anyone who refuses to make that effort, or gets the wrong sort of help, is left unprepared to fight the next battle and never manages to fly off to their destiny.’ The tone is optimistic and full of faith. The mysterious universe will connive to deliver to us our wishes and desires, provided you align your energy with it! It is indeed an appealing and interesting way of passing on philosophical teachings where parables are interspersed with nuggets of wisdom.
Kazantzakis was beset with existential, metaphysical questions since his growing up years and his trilogy Zorba the Greek, Freedom and Death and The Temptation of Christ patterns the path of a human being on earth. Zorba, the Greek is about attaining individuality. Reveling in the spirit of freedom and relishing a human life of pleasure and pain. Wrapping oneself in an atmosphere of daily sights, sounds and smells – wild sage, savory mint and thyme. The orange-blossom scent worn by Madame Hortense, silvery olive trees, fig and vines, kitchen gardens, swims in the sea, the wine drunk; dancing to strains of the santuri, friendship, sex, separation and loss. Freedom and Death delineates life in a community, of living for a cause. It celebrates the idea of extending oneself beyond personal needs. It is about commitment to others, loyalty and patriotism. The Temptation of Christ is the story of Christ, the man who struggles with his own human needs of love, family and companionship. He wrestles with guilt, pain, fear and emotions and rises above them to fulfill a cause for the wider humanity. Kazantzakis’ Christ is a human who becomes God.
The epitaph on Kazantzakis tomb further illuminates the path of freedom - "I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free."