Unfinished Sympathy - My interpretation

Here's the link to the video of the song by Massive Attack. I've seen this video at least a few times now and I've always found the song quite empowering. From the first time, the song has been a real work of art for me (When I say art, I mean it in a sense that all you see is not all what that can be seen. I don't know squat about art as seen by professional artists). The song starts off with a guy holding two metal balls (implying people think that they have balls of steel but are actually held in the hands of the powerful? - especially when viewed holistically - as the zoom out suggests) in one hand and holding a dog wearing shades in the other. Then, as the song begins, a guy and group of other people (some bearing close resemblance to the dog) are unveiled (probably suggests that the powerful control their men like their dogs). The song then progresses through the back alleys where kids are seen running across streets and another kid shooting at the viewer with a toy gun as a lady (the singer) in dark clothes begins to take focus. The ensuing scenes are rich and include various characters of different colors, races, personalities and abilities and there're vivid details of surroundings (the streets, shops, buildings, activities) captured in the background of the lady in stark black clothes. The song's lyrics possibly indicates towards the lady's possibilities of finding love for a partner and the aching she's going through knowing there's the potential for something good (that could falter?). All this time, I found this song empowering simply because the music ignites a sense of hope in a somewhat bleak environment. Especially, the scenes of a man walking with a kid as they go past a shop (possibly after the man convinces the kid that he'll the get the kid what he wants another day), the man (who's legs are amputated) on a skateboard who nonchalantly makes his way through the street and the old couple sharing a kiss - all these trigger a sense of hope. This presumably reinvigorates a fond longing that in one's life, despite some seeming struggles there are going to be moments that are worth cherishing; a moment where one finds strength, where one finds compensation, a moment where one is uplifted by love and sense of belonging. Then I thought about the song and the lady's attire. She has an aching for a potential love and yet the scenes of the surrounding show no indication of single person. Could this be the aching, not for a single person but an aching of a potential love from the whole of humanity (hence the scenes of humans)? She has a single dark dress. Does the darkness of the attire (worn by human herself) indicate a natural destructive inclination of humans that will never fulfill its potential of finding peace?(hence the fading away towards the end in untold and uncertain way)

Fear

There's a comic sense of relief in that without fear, living organisms would just be indifferent to larger/smarter predators nibbling at their heads. For this reason and for more serious reasons fear has been encoded into genes. Not one species of any stratum of any ecosystem has been spared of it. At least not that we know of. But in my opinion, fear that serves the purpose of survival has shifted in a paradigm way.

Fear is the most natural of instincts and it often leads us to the most stupid of decisions. I declare that I'm fearful and don't wish to be excluded from this grand daddy of a club but my intention is only to make an observation and to satisfy a pretty useless and whimsical literary pursuit. Fear makes you obey your parents, agree with your crappy teachers, tolerate the bullshit that your peers concoct, eat up the lies that your friends sell you, take up a harsh career (when all you ever wanted was to settle into a relaxing occupation that didn't make you feel all goofy), not ask a girl you adored out, make a girl that adored you not ask you out, marry a person you didn't want to marry and ultimately not change your life one bit. With the exception of truly nutty, I fear that it's fear that makes people kill, cheat, rape and commit other perjuries. With such characteristics, it is important to postulate where such ramifications stem from.

From the time we're born, there's one thing that we have all been taught - how to fear. Parents would always go - "Don't touch that! You'll hurt yourself!", "Don't put that in your mouth, you'll fall sick or choke",  "Don't run in the house! you'll trip and break your neck!" - among other rationales that have a finite chance of causing harm. These fall into the category of 'least potential life saving skills' a.k.a 'money saving schemes'. The other end of this spectrum is what I wish to express most about in this post - that something special about us that makes me want to take an intricate and delicately crafted ceramic pot and hurl it to the ground with all my might.

To see this as I see it I'd like to draw an analogy to a natural phenomenon. If I'm not completely wrong, cancer can be loosely thought of as unmitigated growth of some rogue cells. These cells don't care one bit about their neighbours, they destroy the whole of complex fabric surrounding them, killing themselves too in one final blaze. Cancer is prevalent not just in the body but in our minds and hence in the society. Religion is tantamount to that cancer. I cannot but surmise that religion could've sprouted only from something ill understood. It had to be a man firstly. No life giving woman would've liked to give credit to someone else other than herself and for good reason (Life may be technically created when a sperm meets an egg but a life has value in my opinion only after a few years of mother's care and nurture). However, it does make sense. Humans are good at learning and imitating and they saw that life was 'created' by procreation and this led to probably led to questions of their origin. Clearly evolution hadn't dawned on them and this led to wrong some wrong conclusions. But it is this innocent mistake that has snow-balled and scourged human civilization and progress. Religion fundamentally destroys human potential by breeding fear from the word go.

You belong to a religion because you're born to a family that follows a religion. Your parents and most of the society feed religious bullshit down your throat. You cannot question your parents' faith. You're never to question their authority as they drill you with empty religious values. You're born a sinner!! (Can you even come to terms with the absurdity of this tenet? All religions are so fed of up of mortal life they muse to reach god/heaven/salvation and pretend it's the thing worthy of striving for. Where does this bullshit come from?) You're taught about caste, race and creed and doctrines that make you distinguish brothers and sisters of your kind. You're filled with prejudice. You're taught to be very conservative. Forget sex!, No wanking off! This can only lead to desperation. You'll visit temples/churches/mosques/whatever. Pray. Sing praises for the holy ones. Cough up money. You're so sentimentally caught up with religion that by the end of it, at the slightest infringement, you will wage wars in the name of the religion, slit throats and burn the living. You judge people all the time. By the way they dress. They way they think. This breeds fear in you and in them. The list is pretty endless but I think at the crux of it all is the fear of god that dictates people to do the vile things they do. You're just a sheep. The lord is the shepherd and you're to be obedient and walk in line. He's the shepherd alright - no doubt. One day you'll be part of this.

Take a look at criticism and archaeological findings of the most popular religion in the world. There are virtually no grounds. Would you really believe in god if someone hadn't brought it up? Have you ever sensed god? (If you thought that the warm feeling you experience when you do or see good... its not god! Wait till you take a swig of good beer - you'll feel like a god :P). Many people go back to clamouring about the great things that religion has done for the world like morality and peace and care. Kindness and such traits are exhibited by animals too. It's just an animal response to look out for one another simply because it improves that the chances of it's own survival. To dumb it down - all living organisms are better off as groups. Animals have no idea about god or religion. Take a look at this for a quick digest of the evolutionary need for morality. On the contrary, religious institutions have, from time immemorial, tried to curb scientific progress because science is the one thing that's most likely defy their tales and explain the universe and its origins. Take a look at one of the best examples of what religious beliefs are truly tantamount to.

So what should we do? I don't want to preach something here! That may trigger a new religion!! (ok :P that's a bit too hyperbolic, I agree)I wouldn't want that. Every man and woman should think for themselves (and may be read a bit about some FACTS of our existence) and come to a realization of what's sensible. But with nearly 80% of world plagued by religion and accompanying fear, I have to think that realistically humanity has no chance. That we will go out in a final blaze thanks to a rogue few that started it all. I have to wonder though of possibilities of a world without religion and fear. 

The story of us

A first glimpse, oh it was so scandalous.
Dressed in “modest”, blinding pink but you did look fabulous.
Did it scare the daylights out of me ?
Or did those first few words make me go whee!! ?
Hope I didn’t make you pee!
Airy pretension,
Go on, go on till your heart’s content, you’re no sensation!
Soon to discover a ‘body of lies’,
What a sack of fries!, crummy and full of flies!
No! I won’t brook, why did you intend to court me?
Vain attempts and an ever increasing distance between you and what I see.
I returned to my ways, you to yours.
But something died thanks to the hours.
It wasn’t the quirky friendship that would stand the test of tides.
This which blossomed we would cherish as ours.
Sure. I went dutch.
Sure. You wouldn’t budge.
I succeed to forget
Was it me who kept coming back?
Didn’t you always call me a hack?
I like your puzzles,
Our chemistry grows and it fizzles.
You claim of prowess and mastery,
That single event pointed to your chicanery.
We’re as odd as an even and a one,
My heart surely you have won.
I’ve held you yours and you’ve held mine,
Hands you pervert! Its your company’s pleasure that I pine.
You may not have one, for you old friend, bestest chum, I’ll always be your valentine.

A Twist in the Tale

A journey to raze all,

The perils of a great big Fall.

The clutches of the frost,

Deters not at any cost.

The wrath of the serpentine path,

But me?, at the eye of the storm she hath.

All along an aquatic cover,

And atop a distant tower,

The sole thought of an enchanting goddess,

Of warmth and of immense fondness.

Shrouded in darkness and unwilling to unveil,

The course as uncertain as her trail.

Thoughts returned of that dreaded fall,

That hilarious night I vividly recall.

All the gallantry and all the pain,

Sheer mockery and in real vain.

The key to her kingdom?

She'd said-"later you bum!".

The lost love

For you I long,

O angel of the moonlight song,

With me you belong.

Draped in ravishing white,

Almost blinding bright,

Still soothing is your sight.

Dare peer into those eyes,

Larger than gaping skies,

Of wonder black and o so wise.

In the softest lilt,

A heart would wilt,

Upon my ears dearest felt.

A glance your way,

You turn and I scarper away,

This game of love I play.

Unknown universe to unfold,

Joy to behold,

But only for the bold.

Of passion and care,

Emotions flare,

It's cupid's snare.

With your warmth and grace,

Wash my sins without a trace,

Beg put me to my place.

Slake my thirst,

Shelter me with your trust,

To shores of Eden we must.

To make dear, your heart

Frayed has mine and is torn apart,

Without you is a life to depart.......

The journey to grace

She sneaked in right through the front door,

And dove straight into the deepest core.

She hung around a little while,

Until we were just about a mile.

The waves slapped against the shore,

Why would I want more?

I saw her slip and I saw her frail,

I didn't move I wouldn't bail.

A gentle touch, out came a smothered scream,

I wouldn't have it, I saw the seam.

She sowed seeds of birth,

It bloomed into the faintest mirth.

She had me coiled in her vine,

But vines support and it felt divine.

She looked grotesque at best,

But what lay within, no force would ever test.

But as I set, great shadows loomed,

There was a feeling that all was doomed.

As the beast within me unveiled itself,

That beauty wouldn't forgive herself.

I wander the shores, I look for the waves,

The seas are dry and my heart caves.

The tides have changed and so have lives,

I've enjoyed the rides and the heavy knives.

This day it ends and we part our ways,

But I'll love you forever and for always.

Poles apart

That silence is deafening and sets me into disquietude. Blaring sirens go off with consummate tranquility. As moments flit past thoughts recur, rewind. Each time driving the nail further down. Each memory turns into a piercing shrapnel. Its titillating and throbbing. One that tries to belie the inexorable truth. Her gentility a foil to my bestial ways. I wonder and marvel at her imperfections. Those which perfectly light up my world. Devoid of traits noteworthy, those which I see in others and those which they portray, which sits so fulsomely in that bloody biological void which palpitates in all its futility. I catch fleeting glimpses of her intentions whose kernels elude me. I forage for clues in those misleading trails. Flustered with her omnipresence yet contrasting absence. Stranded in a island whose shores she frequents and ebbs. She is the sea. She's the island's all and only neighbor. The island waits for the deluge. Tempests run amok this island as whimsically as wafts of insane sanity. A threshold so daunting and so chimerical as much as figment. The more I seek the farther, the more distant she goes, elusive her. Be rid of her I can't even if I may so try. I chase a shadow and the next moment try and run away from it. Not mutually exclusive not mutually inclusive. A drudging troll am I and she an angelic elf. My affection as profound as my blind hate. A venom without which death is a certainty. Life blooms or withers? Am I falling into an endless abyss or perfectly still? If we are poles apart then our universe is horseshoe-shaped. Not a moment later I'm an asymptote and her Descartes' Folium.