“There are other worlds, other kinds of dreams, dreams in which failure is feasible, honorable, sometimes even worth striving for. Worlds in which recognition is not the only barometer of brilliance or human worth. There are plenty of warriors whom I know and love, who are more valuable than myself, who go to war each day, knowing in advance that they will fail. True, they are less successful in the most vulgar sense of the word, but by no means less fulfilled. The only dream worth having, is the dream that you will live while you are alive and die only when you are dead…To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.”
-Arundhati Roy, lecture entitled, “Come September.”
Far from any warmth or comfort and intended to be a poignant critique of the powers of governance and the dangers of large corporations, Come September lays bare the horrors of humanity meant to jolt one out of their complacency. It is hard to come to terms with such horror without the fear – of what feels like- losing a part of one’s own humanity. And more so, when just outside Spring bustles with joy, people constantly fall in love and children make merry in their land of milk and honey. Yet, all the critique and hope somehow coexist; must fit into one life. Maybe, humanity is not as fragile as we think it to be. Maybe, we quite simply are the world to ever be victimized by it. In its poetic conclusion, Come September presents its Sapience – another word for wisdom – a critique containing a hope, an appeal, a reminder to humanity to see through its blind spots and not stop till it sees its own participation in what it calls reality – more importantly to choose how we participate! The prettiest part, however, is how the conclusion transcends its own context and becomes a more pervasive, humane reminder.
If anything, it is hard being a human- being aware of one’s awareness; questioning one’s judgements; finding something to love and then learning to cope with it; navigating failures and measuring happiness in height when it lacks length – If anything, wisdom prays to have some appreciation for how hard it is being a human.
Sapience is very much like kindness – fully experienced only when it is extended to you in a severe, unkind moment. Very much bestowed than acquired. It is then you witness the miracle unfold- when the very world you were drowning in moments ago, now carries you aloft to shore. It is then you are absolutely sure of your participation in this world. It is then you smile at finding what you always had within you; at what Albert Camus meant when he wrote “In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that in the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
“Greater than scene, I came to see, is situation. Greater than situation is implication. Greater than all of these is a single, entire human being, who will never be confined in any frame” wrote Eudora Welty. In the phrase ‘never confined to frames’ coexist the greatest liberation and the greatest limitation of human beings.
We wish we had an equally eloquent way to describe the Sapience – some way to better express how it transcends the context of its flavors and conveys its appeal to the part that our senses feed in to; some connection to vocabulary that expressed what more it has to offer besides the usual neurochemical response. But it baffles us – How to call a tea ‘nourishment’ and make our appeal? How do we express the promise of a tea to make its revelation in time? How does one convey extraordinary simplicity with extraordinary insignificance? What is the flavor that prohibits rushing to meaning too soon?
“Greater and greater is all we see and we experience both our limitation and liberation in this offering; Without vanity prevailing over a wish for more time”: Large leaves-quiet ferocity- Vanilla and Olives; ‘Antifragile not ‘un-fragile’ – oily thick; delicately floral but bold and persistent; traipsing – floral to fruity; never outstaying welcome – kiwi to fruit jam; returning ‘distilled’ – hibiscus and honey; pleasant, elegant, critical – citrous.
If I reveal myself mercilessly, what will I not transcend * Like God I will leave an arc of implication – Rae Armantrout
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