Sunday, March 6, 2011

The Best of All Possible Worlds

Posted by A Great Liar

 “All that mendacity!” I exclaimed. “I am so sick and tired of it. Just about everywhere you go in this god forsaken town, two things you will always encounter; people and women.”

“People and women!” She asked. “What’s the difference?”

“Well, as people they represent a form of nuisance minus the sex appeal, so they can always be avoided without any significant degree of self application. But as women, hmmmm, you might forgive most of them for their human frivolities simply because they are beautiful.” Paused. “Well, to come to think of it, you might forgive just about anyone willing to share a night or two with you.”

“A night or two you say! Since when were you a one night stander, Lev?” She looked at me, amused. “I always took you for a dreamy type, a little shy boy with a streak for poetry and heartbreaks. If I count down the number of women you almost netted, and I do mean almost, you made quiet a career out of heartbreaks.”

“That’s so nice of you to say.” I winced. “Sometimes I just wish I could shoot myself.”

“And go straight to hell?” She chuckled.

“Yes.” I replied. “Can’t be as bad as they say. After all, we do live in a country that suffers from major social calamities. Starvation, poor sanitation facilities, badly constructed roads, cops who act like blackguards most of the time, clergymen who never tire out of telling us how irredeemably sinful we have become, and national leaders who make the Sicilian Mafia look like Santa Claus. In short, the citizens of this country die more deaths than one. I mean, isn’t that what being in hell is all about, dying without an end.”

“Sometimes you contradict yourself. I mean, here you are, talking like an infidel with a beard on your face.”

“Beards are overrated, Ammo.” I replied. “How many times have I told you that? Besides, in my case, it is simply an attempt to nullify this modern cliché, you know … all that stuff about beards being an emblem of piety and religion. I call it my own little statement against the epidemic of stereotyping so common in our society.”

“What’s the point?” She asked.

“The point is … I mean, simply because someone has a beard doesn’t mean he has no right to be damned.”

“You think you are damned?” She asked.

“Absolutely.” I replied. “This beard of mine, it’s simply a pious overture to all things dark and sinful, my own version of it anyway.”

“You are the Devil, aren’t you Lev?”

“Yes, indeed. That is what I am, an honest down to earth disciple of the Satan himself, someone who is perpetually in love with all things dark and wicked, so long as they are done with finesse.”

“With finesse!” She exclaimed. “You mean it is all right to do all the wrong things so long as they are done with finesse.”

“Indeed, it is. And why not. I honestly don’t see any problem with that. After all, isn’t finesse treated as a social masquerade of modern day; a yardstick by which the morality of action is gauged nowadays. To put it in simple terms, these days, it isn’t about what you do, but how you do it. Beautify everything, add an element of finesse to anything you do, be it murder, theft, or any other so called act of delinquency, and rest assured you will get away with it, and with flying colors mind you. And on top of it, your each action will be followed by the resounding applause of the society.” I smiled. “I mean, isn’t that a nice thing to happen?”

She replied. “But simply because society approves something doesn’t make it right, does it?”

“No, but it makes it democratic. Every action or argument, if it carries the approval of the society, needs no other moral justification.”  

“Such as?” She asked. “Give me an example.”

“Such as the death of the governor, or have you forgotten. Wasn’t that a perfectly democratic thing to do?”

“How can you say something like that?” She asked. “It was murder in cold blood.”

“Indeed it was.” I replied. “But majority wanted it done, remember?”

“You don’t think killing the governor was wrong?” She asked, appalled.

“Surely, it was.” I nodded. “But you miss the point, Ammo. It was done the right way, and an overwhelming number of the population wanted it. And what’s more, the act of murder was carried out with a certain degree of bravado by the man they now hail as a national hero, and now everywhere he goes, he is …”

“Followed by the resounding applause of the society!” She cut in. “Ok, I get it.” Paused. “But there is something fundamentally wrong with this world, isn’t it, Lev?”

“No, there isn’t.” I replied. “Absolutely nothing wrong with anything that happens in this world.”

She replied. “You surely don’t mean that, do you Lev? I mean you don’t find nothing wrong with all that we witness day in and day out.”

“That isn’t what I am trying to say, Ammo.” I replied. “What I really mean to say is that I don’t mean anything, because you can’t give a meaning to something if there is none to it.”

She replied. “Lev, sometimes it is just as futile talking to you as trying to devise a meaning out of everything that is in this world.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean to say you don’t make much sense.” She replied. “Never did. And no wonder you don’t have a steady relationship, you really are a little too crazy for most of us fair kinds out there.”

“Perhaps that is so.” I agreed. “Perhaps there is nothing wrong with that either.”

Silence followed.

I continued. “Or perhaps it is more like how Voltaire once put it, that ‘all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds’.” Paused. “And maybe that’s all there is to it, I am afraid.”

[Do leave a comment, it matters..., And if enjoyed what you just read, do follow the blog, it matters just as much]

28 comments:

  1. I really like what you writeeeee.. alwayss :)



    "..an honest down to earth disciple of the Satan himself, someone who is perpetually in love with all things dark and wicked, so long as they are done with finesse.”

    I'm dark and wicked and do things with finesse :P :P

    But i don't kill governors. Why don't you have a beard in your dp?

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  2. @AL: Thanks Al. You are a dear! And it is exactly the point I am trying to make in the post, that appearances (beards etc) are misleading and the 'absolute good' or 'absolute bad' of every action is simply an overrated (and much abused) notion.

    And for the record, I dont kill the governors either. :)

    As for my profile pic, this one is about a year old, and u can close your eyes and attach a very small pointed beard to it. Whether for better or worse, I leave it for you to decide :/

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  3. I guess one can say there is no 'good' or 'bad'.

    It's just points of view that make it so.

    Since, everyone is going on about *sigh* yes yes, I don't kill governors alsooo.... blah. :P

    Life is grey, all the way, it's rare if anything is ever just black or just white, and even if it is.. there is ALWAYS a loophole,
    it that good or bad?

    I dunno.

    :s

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  4. This is the first time i have visited yr blog and man you are good!!! : ) Awesome post and you have raised an excellent point that we should stop judging ppl from the way they look.

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  5. d good part first- that's a fantastic point of view....exceedingly well thought n crafted.
    but despite dat, i hav a few reservations-

    frst, its one thing to hail a murderer as a hero when he isnt behind bars and quite another for even one person to hav d guts to stand up in his favor if he were to face d music.

    secondly, where cums to appearences, the beard as u pointed, how do u mark d line between creating a statement n being plain rebellious in ur head?

    i musss say i do like ur posts very much bt it gives me a grt complex to c everyone in d comments column concur wid u completely...n go 'yea man, deep stuf man', wen honestly im nt even sure i got d entire thing correctly :o

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  6. Your posts are always interesting. I don't necessarily agree with you about the 'finesse' thing. But it was an interesting point of view.

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  7. “Sometimes you contradict yourself. I mean, here you are, talking like an infidel with a beard on your face.”

    Loved this.People think beareded ppl as biased muulahs whereas it's men choice to keep facial hair or not.

    It's always good to read you.

    BTY,I have Big difficulties in imagining this profile picture guy with a pointed beard.
    Could you help me out with THAT..?..:D

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  8. hmm..there is so much confusion around...so I have so many times instruct my mind not to ponder over GOOD or BAD.

    We used to (like good people) think that world is gradually becomining GOOD and all BAD would end BAD-ly...and all GOOD will get reward in the end...

    hmm....someone is pulling the sheet....and now its difficult to stay sain with such notions....

    So...yeah...hmmm....no comments !

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  9. YOU'RE BACK! hurray!
    the governor thing is awful. a murderer, no matter what his motives, shouldn't be free to roam the streets. it's true about it being done 'the right way', though. in a twisted sense.
    you aren't the devil, are you? i would be very sorry if you were. because you seem like a nice person, it would be pretty disappointing if you've declared yourself to go to hell (in the literal sense) already.
    but whatever, as long as you keep on posting amazing stuff like always :D and you MUST post a picture of yourself with a beard!

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  10. @Smokey_Cat: Yes, I agree, everything is so relative that branding them as good or bad hardly matters.

    @Kiran Ashraf: Hi there, welcome aboard. And thanks for being a follower. :)

    @Sadiya Merchant: Thank you so much, and its perfectly all right to differ in opinions.

    Regarding the first point, behind bars or before it, isn't he(ghazi) still a murderer. I mean, what's the difference.

    And the second point, "how do u mark d line between creating a statement n being plain rebellious". My answer would be 'by actions'.

    I mean, would you still consider a guy religious if he was frequenting a bar or cuddling in the dark corners in some fancy night club, beard or whatever!

    Well, regarding ur last para, all I meant to say is that I have absolutely nothing to say. Nothing matters, but opinions and more opinions. I mean, people will go to either extremes driven by opinions, ranging from ppl going to bed together to ppl shooting eachother's head off, it all boils down to an opinion, or call it an idea!
    Hope that explains it. :)

    @Aseela Haque: Hey there, nice to have u back on my blog. And u cant take everything I write so seriously, like most writers, I dont always mean what I say. A blank page has its own way of enticing the unintelligible out of the writer, so long as it sounds good while reading.

    @Anonymous: Well thanks, though I dont really like to reply to anonys, I mean, if u want to comment, why be a anony. I am sure u can do better than that. :)

    @Hamza Bin Ladin: Well, thank you so much Hamza. And I am so sorry but I wish i could help u regarding the pic, none of my recent pics are available on the hard drive. If there is any other to lend u a helping hand in this matter, do lemme know).

    @Thinking: Well, thanks. Grey is more like it. And why stay sane? What good has it done us. :)

    @Furree Katt: Hey Furree. Yes, I am back, and thank you so much. :)

    And yes, exactly my point regarding the governor murder. Not particularly fond of the incident myself.

    And regarding the hell stuff, come on!, listen, u cant, cant take everything I write so literally, its just fun and entertainment.

    "i would be very sorry if you were. because you seem like a nice person, it would be pretty disappointing if you've declared yourself to go to hell (in the literal sense) already."

    That is rather nice of u to say, and dont worry, i aint going there any time soon :/

    And I am so sorry but I wish i could help u regarding the pic, none of my recent pics are available on the hard drive. But mind u, this one is only a year old, so not much has changed.

    (On second thought, may be I should throw a little party for all of my esteemed khi bloggers, that should feed the curiousity, mine and everybody else's. To come to think of it, wouldnt be rather nice.)

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  11. Satiating read after what seems like eons....
    great work dude.
    the part i like most is
    " in this god forsaken town, two things you will always encounter; people and women" ...
    simply loved the subtle humor..

    and your's is not the only country going through such doldrums rather every other country is like that is one or the other way...

    and yeah that party wala idea seems really great as I would love to meet your gal over a bong or a pot and can smoke some grass...;)

    and i really detest it when people go on judging you without actually knowing you... phew!!!

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  12. a very valid point you made here... we often make opinion for someone by looking at his appearance n his looks..which is not good anyway... as usual a gr8 write up.

    BTW nice to have you back here after a gap....

    Best wishes,
    irfan.

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  13. ye blog bahut acha hai,.

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  14. @Rolling Stone: You are most welcome man, any time u are on this side of the fence, just drop a word. Any time :)

    @IRFANUDDIN: Thank you so much for your kind comment. Plz do keep paying a visit, its a pleasure. :)

    @anusha: Thank you so much. Glad u liked it. :)

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  15. Hmmm nice thoughts shared about breads... I think we should not take bread as a mask and not to judge a man on the behalf of bread. It is so common in our society if a man grow bread people start to call him "Molana" or a learned man... Being learned and growing bread are two different things. Three is a saying in Sindhi, face alike "Molana" and have robbery as profession... :)

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  16. This was really Goood. I completely agree with the "dying without and end" part. Its exactly like my point of view.
    Glad to have you back. =)
    I used to literally check your blog everyday to see whether you posted something or not. I am a little crazy like that. =)

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  17. Heyyyyy i gave you an award! Check my blogg out!!!

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  18. i agree with u
    good n evil both exist
    if there is no evil thing gone around how would u be able to knw that something good there do exist anyways nyc write up
    Quite impressed :)

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  19. @Asma Khan: Thanks Asma. Robbery you say? Well, here is a food for thought ....

    @Maryam Malik: Every day? Wow, dunno what to say, but Thank you so much :)
    (Btw, I normally make a post on weekends, sats or suns)

    @AL: Thank you so much, AL. :)

    @anummunaf: Thank you so much, anummunaf. Hope to see u here again.

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  20. hi...first time here and i am absolutely bowled over by the brilliant post...so thought provoking and almost preaching minus the over bearing tones of it...

    i soooo agree and sooo loved it that i am sharing the post on my facebook page..the length had deterred me at first but once i began the easy flow kept me going on n on...

    please expect more of me here:-)

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  21. suruchi: Thank you so very much, and you are most welcome here. :)

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  22. Have come via Suruchi...enjoyed it..You lie aesthetically...lol.

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  23. @Alka: Thanks. You are most welcome here :)

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  24. beautifully expressed fiction greatliar., simply superb

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  25. @lataranganath: Thank you so much, Lata. I am so glad you enjoyed it. :)

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  26. i find the whole irony summed beautifully.. ur definitions of worlds of beings are all paradoxical and a paradox it is. i loved it :)

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