On focus
I had a very interesting and unique conversation yesterday with an acquaintance of mine on the subject of, believe it or not, focus. It was a highly entertaining conversation, and at the same time, it was an exchange that made me think (The wise course of action, and one that I would highly recommend, would be to stop reading this post right now, for when I start thinking, bad things happen, as I am sure all of you who have been kind enough to visit this blog regularly for a reasonably long period of time would know. Go read the archives instead. They'll be funnier). I learnt a lot from the conversation in question. Although I don't really consider myself a focused person, I learnt that I might well be one. Most importantly, the conversation reminded me of an extract from one of the books I had read a very long time back and had immensely enjoyed, and which I read again very recently, and continued to immensely enjoy.
The book, strangely, happens to be Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. Even more strangely, It happens to be one of my favorite books. Maybe it is one of my favorite books because it suits my intellectual level, for contrary to popular belief, it is not a childish or non-serious book; I think it is one of the deepest and most profound books ever written. Or maybe it is one of my favorite books because every time I read it, I find newer and deeper meanings in the text (most of which are completely baseless; unrelated to the text; illogical; and predominantly, merely figments of my imagination). Or maybe it is one of my favorite books just because, for a book, it happens to be a very funny and entertaining one.
The extract that yesterday's conversation reminded me of is one I particularly like. It is a passage in which a conversation is taking place between Alice and the Cheshire Cat. Although it is, in itself, an extremely simple conversation, the message it conveys is a complex reflection on life and reality. Every single line has a deeper meaning, and if at first you don't see it, don't worry, for for quite some time (Hahaha. Correct grammatical usage of two 'for's together. Take that, Mr. Misra), I couldn't either. The passage goes something like this.
Alice was a little startled on seeing the Cheshire Cat sitting on a bough of a tree a few yards off.
The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice. It looked good-natured, she thought; still it had very long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt it ought to be treated with respect.
"Cheshire Puss," she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider. "Come, it's pleased so far," thought Alice, and she went on, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to walk from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don't much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn't really matter which way you walk," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
Nice, wouldn't you say.
I had intended this post to be a lot longer, but I don't really have much else to say. In any case, I have a lot of work to get done before my Rendezvous Marketing meeting tonight.
So back to work, as Master Yoda would have put it, we must get. For otherwise, in deep shit, as he might or might not have continued, depending upon his views on such language, we shall be.
The book, strangely, happens to be Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. Even more strangely, It happens to be one of my favorite books. Maybe it is one of my favorite books because it suits my intellectual level, for contrary to popular belief, it is not a childish or non-serious book; I think it is one of the deepest and most profound books ever written. Or maybe it is one of my favorite books because every time I read it, I find newer and deeper meanings in the text (most of which are completely baseless; unrelated to the text; illogical; and predominantly, merely figments of my imagination). Or maybe it is one of my favorite books just because, for a book, it happens to be a very funny and entertaining one.
The extract that yesterday's conversation reminded me of is one I particularly like. It is a passage in which a conversation is taking place between Alice and the Cheshire Cat. Although it is, in itself, an extremely simple conversation, the message it conveys is a complex reflection on life and reality. Every single line has a deeper meaning, and if at first you don't see it, don't worry, for for quite some time (Hahaha. Correct grammatical usage of two 'for's together. Take that, Mr. Misra), I couldn't either. The passage goes something like this.
Alice was a little startled on seeing the Cheshire Cat sitting on a bough of a tree a few yards off.
The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice. It looked good-natured, she thought; still it had very long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt it ought to be treated with respect.
"Cheshire Puss," she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider. "Come, it's pleased so far," thought Alice, and she went on, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to walk from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don't much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn't really matter which way you walk," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
Nice, wouldn't you say.
I had intended this post to be a lot longer, but I don't really have much else to say. In any case, I have a lot of work to get done before my Rendezvous Marketing meeting tonight.
So back to work, as Master Yoda would have put it, we must get. For otherwise, in deep shit, as he might or might not have continued, depending upon his views on such language, we shall be.
posted by Manu Saxena at 12:40:00 pm
15 comments
15 Comments:
my favourite boook.
i never go on long journeys without it as it helps relieve the monotony of the ride.
it has innumerable such lines which have deep meanings the deepest being the following one
'things are getting curiouser and curiouser'
the last line of the above comment applies to bihar
It looked good-natured, she thought; still it had very long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt it ought to be treated with respect.
I love these lines from this book, especially because they were taken by a kind lady called Linda Goodman to describe leos.
well dear manu
knowledge or understanding as a whole is a sea and your mind is the vessel...If you're a spoon you'll capture only a small amount but it depends if you're a bucket you can get a whole get.. certainly the best thing would be to jump into the sea.
(how much you got from this also depends on ur volume so as to say)
and also
i request you to forget the comment-conversation we had in the last post..(btw i forgot a word in the sentence u didn;t understand)
And here I was, thinking I was the only one crazy enough to love Alice in Wonderland.
Akanksha, are you, by any chance, a Leo?
Maniraj, thanks for the extremely philosophical comment.
And also, the comment-conversation we had in the last post has already been forgotten.
Saira, you haven't. And you're welcome.
The theory seems opposed to the kind of person I think you are. Correct me if I am wrong.
Well, yes I am a leo. Why, though?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Mr Andy/enigma/TSW/chap-with-too-many-names you do have a flair for putting your foot in your mouth. As some wise chap once said, "little knowledge is quite a dangerous thing" or words to that effect, so next time you go search for a word you don't understand, do try to look at all the results otherwise there's a good chance you'll end up looking like a complete ass.
http://www.answers.com/ruddy&r=67
Do scroll down this time.
TT, I have no idea what you meant there.
Akanksha, I ask because I am one too. Always nice to come across fellow Leos.
Andy, it's good you deleted your comment yourself. Saved me the trouble of doing so. For that, I thank you.
Rohan, for once, well said.
You bet, it is!
WTF? I never got to read that comment. Post it again. I want my share of laughs.
You, as a person, wouldn't want to keep walking simply because u know u will reach somewhere if u walk long enough. You seem like a person who would want to know where and how and why.
This is what i meant when I said,"The theory seems opposed to the kind of person I think you are"
oye hoi manu!! Chuk de phatte!!We are famous!!drooling idiots, guavav juics and urdu books make a successful combi eh??phurrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!
Aidoneus, I didn't get to see that particular comment either. But considering it was from Andy, I'm quite sure we didn't miss much.
TT, you are, as always, right. I am not the kind of person whose impression one forms from the extract I posted. But that doesn't stop me from liking the way the extract is written. The way it elegantly talks about profound subjects in the most simplistic way.
Smita, we are, indeed.
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