Sunday, 21 February 2010

Considerday

Any governments or populations goal is surely to bring their nation to the state of being a utopia. Like a graph, the line representing economical success, happiness of the populace and so on can go up indefinitely but cannot hit a glass ceiling, since there isn't one. (Why would there be a limit to happiness?)
Additionally, were a "peak" reached, it should have to be maintained continually else it would drop.

Assuming we all seek out what contents us; Whilst there is a variety of people and opinion, there will always be some who aren't happy. The supporters of the party in power are happy - the opposition are not.

So, maybe to have a utopia and for everyone to be content we would have to all be satisfied by the same politics, leisure activities, work, opinion and so on or at least to not be dissatisfied by them. Either way we would like the same things - just more or less of them than others.
Perhaps a utopia is impossible to achieve since, basically, "variety is the spice of life" - I wouldn't want to be the same or overly similar to a large proportion of the population. Do you sacrifice variety or a state of utopia? Both bring content.

Tuesday, 2 February 2010

Press


Seven storeys down from my concrete perch an orange-jacketed man runs across the road to the car park of the flats. Behind the rain-flecked windows I sit on the backrest of a blue chair, smoking a beedi. An Indian cigarette, a simple tobacco leaf wrapped around raw tobacco and tied with a miniature pink thread. I imagine, somewhere, an Indian woman is busily tying the threads of a hundred thousand others. The world is nearly silent. Not eerie but peaceful. I cannot hear the drip drop of the coffee filter - the water has now all run through, dyed with the flavours of the coffee.

If I took a photograph of this moment and the serenity that accompanies it, it would not be as powerfully calming as it is for me now if I had not adopted the same state of mind.