Dusk

fair and far
and far and fair
remember
thou are warned

anybody remembers johnny carson`s portrayal of the sage?... with a twinkle in his eyes johnny the sage would hold the envelope to his head and utter the answer...then his side-kick ed mcmahon would open the envelope and read the question?

so

the question would be....what is full of fury and hot air?

Ozer: you seem like a decent chap, so let me try to give some friendly feedback.

1. No one likes criticism. You have presumably put in a good deal of time into writing this article, and so are understandably frustrated with the criticism.

2. Different people react differently to criticism. Some see it as an attack on themselves, others see it as an opportunity to learn something. Learn from the ancient Greeks - they used to PAY people to criticize their work (I am not kidding).

As for the 3rd world war and blood spilling all over chowk that you are threatening people with - I think you need to take it easy. As another chap (a writer like you, whom some call a Sheikh and others call a Pir and some call a Sheikhpir) had marked on his grave ``Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me``.

Come up with a second article that will have hamidm jump on his feet and applauding. And temporal doing backward flips with joy.

Ozer:
I am extremely sorry, but your 110 did not make any sense to me.

re. 112: Do you make extensive use of Microsoft Word Thesaurus?

Ozer:...Listen mate...it wasnt the varied use of metaphor that led me to make my prior statment...in fact it was quite easy to pick your critique of post modern society with all its incidental pecularities...point is..you might have overdone it ..and thus it has come off sounding quite pretentious to me...and a few others too it seems...nothing more..nothing less..perhaps a secondary more direct article on the specific reasons for the gradual emergence of some the factors that have led to this society could be an interesting enough read.

Re: # 107

Instant Karma

Time is a ``revocable`` privilege for it is incessantly ticking like a biological clock. Time is never on our side.

It is a scarce commodity in the scheme of life.

A lifetime goes by and with the blink of an eye we grace the Afterworld (or re-incarnation) depending on subjective belief.

Time can be revoked since it can be taken away from us with the click of a finger. By our Creator. That we should not waste time was the message I was attempting to convey to all the shallow urbanites.

Re: # 114

T Ahmed

Point taken with granular pinches of salt. You raised interesting observations. I would like to expand on your comment regarding ancient Greece, and thread its relevance to this article:

No Greek philosopher born before Socrates was fired with more ingenuity than Heraclitus of Ephesus (today Efes in Turkey). The dawn of the 5th century BC, ignited a prose that made him proverbial for obscurity, I guess I have been tarred with that brush as well eh ?

Heraclitus criticized conventional opinions about the way things were and attacked the authority of slavishly following social norms of writing. I too have skinny-dipped into non-conformist forms of prose, which demur prone to criticism but hopefully immune from banality. I welcome criticism much like he did in the 5th century BC !!

His surviving work consists of more than 100 epigrammatic sentences, complete in themselves and often comparable to the proverbs characteristic of `wisdom` literature. Notwithstanding his sporadic presentation and transmission, much like my own !! Heraclitus` sentences comprise a philosophy that is clearly focused upon a determinate set of interlocking ideas- a sniper aimed at conventional modes of thought.

As interpreted by the later Greek philosophical tradition, Heraclitus stands primarily for the radical thesis that `Everything is in flux`, like the constant flow of a river. This organic mode of thought is in tandem with my inner belief sanctums.

Although Heraclitus took this thesis to be true, I feel that universal flux is too simple a phrase to identify his philosophy. His focus shifts continually between two perspectives – the objective and everlasting processes of nature on the one hand and ordinary human beliefs and values on the other.

He challenges people to come to terms, theoretically and practically, with the fact that they are living in a world with an ever-living fire kindling in measures and going out in measures`. The flames of which tear integrity. This in essence is the spirit of my article ``Dusk``.

T Ahmed

I, like any other author am not immune to criticism, in fact I relish it. In most disciplines the great truth is that `All things are one`, but I feel that this unity, should encompass difference, opposition and change. Though not malignantly scathing diatribe.

Change and ``constructive criticism`` enveloppes our universe as a continuous state of dynamic equilibrium.

Day and night,

Up and down,

Living and dying,

Heating and cooling

From ``Dusk`` till dawn

– such pairings of apparent opposites all conform to the everlastingly reverential formula (logos) that unity consists of opposites; remove day, and night goes too,

Just as a river will lose its identity if it ceases to flow.

Re: # 115

Ok one last attempt at explanation. Tourists get aroused, excited (therefore titillated) when they hear meaningless symbols like the tolling bells of the Big Ben.

Re: # 116

Saj you constructively commented;

`` post modern society with all its incidental peculiarities``

That is interesting. Generally speaking, and not with specific reference to this article, what do you feel the incidental peculiarities of post-modern societies are ? Could you elucidate upon them ? for they are of great personal relevance/interest to me.

Furthermore you state;

``a more direct article on the specific reasons for the gradual emergence of some the factors that have led to this society could be an interesting enough read``

Saj,

In other words you are compelling me to expound on what has greased the wheels for an imbalanced punctured post-modern society ?

Fragrantly raped laws promulgated by Magistrates living in a Victorian era, switched-off mindsets utilising switched on technology to further their parochially diabolical interests. Financiers whose double-standards and promiscuity are as volatile as the unfettered stock markets.

Political impotence, barefaced aristocratic snobbery, unashamed male-hype for a “blingocracy” and all that glitters, unwarranted macho testosterone, gratuitous female lack of decisiveness in a consumption-addled social strata where status is worshipped and consumerism is its temple.

Alas this list incessantly goes on. The gist of this bewail has been re-cycled so many times which is why I thought let me present these travesties in a diverse light. As I commented earlier, if there are echoes of pomposity I do apologise for that was not the intent.

Re: # 113

Temporal

Iam unaware of the ``sage portrayal`` you allude to. However on a brief sejour to the land of ``liberty, stars and stripes`` I did catch a glimpse of Johnny Carson`s tonight show. What enthused me about Carson was his calm demeanour and unflappable nature. Carson habitually opens each show with a monologue, not as tongue-in-cheek as Jay Leno.

Carson should be a role-model for fellow ``Chowkies`` cause unlike Jerry Springer and Sally Jessy Raphael Carson tends to avoid anything controversial and was usually content to keep his audience ``productively`` amused.

A friend recently whispered into my ears that on his first ever show Carson was introduced by none other than Groucho Marx; Johnny`s first words, reacting to applause as he walked onstage for the first
time was

``Boy, you would think it was Vice President Nixon.``

Re: # 106

Miriam K

Professor Harry Frankfurt ingeniously pontifies `` BS has no actual relationship with the truth or falsity of the statements at all. Unlike lies, which depend on a construct of truth to succeed, BS stands aside from any objective thought of unreality and becomes, he says, a tool for asserting sincerity``. Miriam in other words what seems like BS to some is sincerity to others !!! It is all premised on value-judgments is it not ?

Re: # 106

Miriam K

You verbalize ``I would rather have the b.s to sift through then silence the much cherished ideal of freedom of expression``. This is a tellingly wholesome world-view.

More so, you articulate “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”.

This is by the startling French philosopher Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694–1778). One of my all-time fave quotes !

there are ways of saying the same thing..here are two examples

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hamidm:

….the juxtaposition of ideals and ideas couched in a language that is fancy and esoteric serves a purpose…sometimes!…as does an idea expressed so simply that your heart leaps and you feel like embracing the writer…guess which one is easier?…at the same time it is not that difficult to take a simple chicken and create a dinosaur out of it...a simple idea or thought, baked in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes…and out comes something that is perhaps just right…taste not guaranteed…appreciation dependent on the acquired tastes of the eater when the hunger is factored in…in my honest appraisal any noises ..read comments made here are misplaced…why?...this is only the first foray of the said writer here…let there be a body of work…let us see….if mother time and chowk editors permit us the luxury to animadvert …to see all the tools in the word cabinet used effectively….in terms of expression, fluidity, presentation, usage and comprehension…then one can make an educated guess…until then we need the intuition of a women that transcends logic….to utter the ordained words…where is sammi for crying out loud? rgds…t


animadvert

hamidm:

….the juxtaposition of ideals and ideas couched in a language that is fancy and esoteric serves a purpose…

sometimes!

…as does an idea expressed so simply that your heart leaps and you feel like embracing the writer…

guess which one is easier?

…at the same time it is not that difficult to take a simple chicken and create a dinosaur out of it

..a simple idea or thought, baked in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes…and out comes something that is perhaps just right…taste not guaranteed…appreciation dependent on the acquired tastes of the eater when the hunger is factored in….

in my honest appraisal any noises ..read comments made here are misplaced…why?...this is only the first foray of the said writer here…let there be a body of work…let us see….if mother time and chowk editors permit us the luxury to animadvert …to see all the tools in the word cabinet used effectively….in terms of expression, fluidity, presentation, usage and comprehension…then one can make an educated guess…until then we need the intuition of a women that transcends logic….to utter the ordained words…

where is sammi for crying out loud?

rgds

t

ps: hamidm did you wonder when the other shoe will drop re: # 56?

Ozer #118 You tread on dangerous ground my friend, when you start matching yourself with historical figures. Dangerous, because you set yourself up as a perfect target to get bopped yet again by hamidm.

I am glad you take the point (even if with a pinch of salt), but your post shows no evidence of it. You ignore the fact that hamidm and others were criticizing you for writing (sorry, but there is no gentle way to put it) gibberish - not for some highfalutin` reasons like those applied to Heraclitus.

Anyway, enough said.

On Heraclitus: thanks to you (and google), I learnt a bit about this guy today. I like this quote from him, btw: ``The people [of a city] should fight for their laws as they would for their city wall. `` For us Pakistanis, whose constitutional laws have been breached more often in the past 50 years than the city walls of Jerusalem were breached over 5000 years, I can only sadly shake my head. Heraclitus does seem to have been an argumentative chap - he seemed to have a low opinion of human nature - and thus would have no doubt fit right into chowk.

Cheers.

Ozer,

When I saw your UK Election article, I checked your profile...Ozer not being a very common name in the sub-continent. My first reaction was this guy is the self-proclaimed descendant of the Chahmanas - Mohd. Salim Chauhana. But I let go.

Now someone has expressed the same suspicion on this board and my curiosity has got the better of me. Are you :-)

rahulmal: what exactly are you suspicious of? that this is not ozer`s true name?? why is this so important to begin with? How do i know that your real name isnt Sri Mahareshchavalanapatnamavala rather than rahul mal? Why would I care?

please write something more intelligent. I know you can do it.