Thoughts over Miniclip Paintball

 I spent the morning playing Miniclip Paintball and reflecting on the priest's words from the previous day's sermon. Was my grandfather's month-long mind a success? There was a large crowd for the 2 month minds and death anniversary mass. Also praying for the Konkari community's souls. My estranged aunt arrived; she'd been sitting in front of my mother and grandmother throughout the service, but they hadn't noticed her. When someone later asked my grandmother if she'd arrived, she said she didn't know because she hadn't seen her. The priest preached that "when we were kids, we were afraid of our elders, teachers, and parents. However, we are now afraid of our children." Yes, I agree with these words. They are the children of war. Those who arrived in the aftermath of a war. After independence and the 1950s had passed. Our parents were born during a time when riots, terrorism, and acts of violence were commonplace. They were right to be afraid of their parents, who had been hardened by the war and lived in poverty as a result of its nature. They are the children who will always be afraid. But this is the information age. Where having access to specific knowledge puts you ahead of the competition, being hardened by experience and strength does not. Don't get me wrong: those are the natural heroic ideals to which we hold ourselves, what a true man is. What a true lady is.

I believe we now have unrestricted access to the grammar and syntax of how the world works. We see it in fiction, in our daily lives, and in the news. The psychological aspects of a man in war, of a person under duress, and how the human mind works. And when you feel like the world is crushing you from within, you can always remember that there are a million others in the same boat, and you're never alone.

This brings me to the next point I'd like to address. What is the purpose of art? I've been considering an answer to this. Because my mother believes that art is only for those who are academically challenged or those who are linear. Those who are unable to think for themselves because anyone who has ever thought for themselves is aware of the boundaries that art imposes on everyone. Anyone who is anyone is in it and succeeds in the world because science allows them to.

Art is for the people who are in pain. It evokes hope, hope for a better day. Relaxation is hoped for. Of a cold beer on a Friday night after a week of battling deadlines left and right in the office. Just the right sip and a good film. Perhaps an idea occurs to you. "This is how I want to leave this earth." Why do we work for a living? So that we can survive. So we can eat and drink, and what do we do when we have extra money? We spend it on tours of beautiful cities with amazing Gothic and Brutalist architecture. So we can bask in the essence of what the world has to offer through the eyes of directors and visionaries. Watching movies, reading poetry and literature, developing characters, and discovering the truth in life. So why is it that such noble things never follow the noblest of pursuits? Why do artists have to fight everyone in their lives in order to attain mastery in their craft?

I'll never understand why my cousin is never asked what she wants to do with her life. Instead, she is told that she will become a dentist. And for what purpose? Comedic relief? Who is it up there who is going to ask you if you have ever done anything meaningful in your life? God is unbothered. He doesn't mind if your hair isn't oiled or if your shoes aren't tied. If you're a thief, a cheat, a scientist, an artist, or someone involved in finance (only he knows what they do). He is only concerned that you pray twice a day and love your neighbor.

Is there anything meaningful that comes from science? Maybe you'll get to the top and build an A.I. that understands human expression and can give you the exact answer to any of your questions. Or if your child is ill and you require immediate medical attention. Science simplifies life. It maintains your health. However, it does not always explain things that require explanation. Why are some people not people who are busy with work or academics, but rather busy bodies? What makes my parents so terrified of everything? Perhaps science can help by conducting a quantitative analysis and a detailed psychological study of post-World War II individuals would classify them into some category of scaredy cats. Also, explain why some people require the hormones secreted during the process of bashing someone, or explain the mental state of a nosy neighbour who always has time for a chat. Sorry, if I'm going the extra mile and delving into tomfoolery and unabashedly embarrassing myself by saying this.

Point being: art evokes hope. It explains life and society. Why to make it difficult for creatives to make art a career if most of our lives go into earning money so we can relax and enjoy it?