KV, CB and Me - The Novice having fun with some brilliant minds

We begin with the introductory aspect of Kurt Vonnegut trying to explain the why of human life : “Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly; Man got to sit and wonder, 'Why, why, why?' Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land; Man got to tell himself he understand. Why, why, why?

 There's only one rule that matters and that really keeps you happy and that is whatever is, whatever may be, you've got to be kind.  But to be kind sometimes, I often carry things to read or listen; so that I will not have to look at other people.

About passion and this continuous thirst of knowledge, understanding and need to be better, find your mojo, and when you do If you have decided you're going to try and go all the way, then begin immediate; otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, boyfriends , husbands, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on benches and chairs that do not respond. It could mean tiresome loneliness. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. But, Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do this one particular thing. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try and go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. what matters most is how well you walk through the fire. It's the only good fight there is, if there is any fight at all.  

 Find what you love and let it kill you. Let it drain you of your all. Let it cling onto your back and weigh you down into eventual nothingness. Let it kill you and let it devour your remains. For all things will kill you, both slowly and fast, whichever, but it’s much better to be killed by this lover.

But when you choose that passion, that ardor, that lingering notion of delight that never goes away, remember that it has to be from the brain, the heart, the gut and all over you it has to come out of your soul like a rocket, without of which would drive you to madness or suicide or murder, and if not, don't do it. Unless that Sun, that brightness inside of you is burning your gut, don't do it. And when the odds come, commit to memory that we are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that death will tremble to take us.

And if decided, clearly of this path and zeal, when it is truly time, and if you have been chosen which harkens back to the timeless hours that you have spent on this hence you shall be chosen, it will all happen by itself and it will keep on happening until you die or it dies in you. There is no other way of living a wonderful life, and there never was and there never will be of any other kinds.

We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down; this is all there is to it…

And while you are doing it, it is very important for one’s self to stay as close to the edge as one can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center, it is precarious but the roller coaster has always been better than the merry-go-round. Nothing has ever been accomplished by merrily circling around. In the meantime, while you are committed to this enormous but brilliant task of living on the edge with the dream, committed to your passion, I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”

While you are doing all this do not forget that everything is beautiful and nothing hurts, people are there, some people come, some others go, some are important, some matter more, some do not have any say, but they all add to the charm of a life lived. For lost people, important ones, we may feel like crying , all hell breaks loose sometime but nothing comes out at other times. It is just a sort of sad sickness, sick sad, when you can't feel any worse. I think everybody knows it now and then. I have known it pretty often, too often, but such vestiges stay with people and become lessons or become memories that pull you further every day and still everything looks beautiful albeit a little monochrome in tone.

Purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, and whatever passion is taking it further and making it precious and dear, is to love whoever is around to be loved and continuously pour that compassion to as many as one can. This makes it meaningful and god-speed-worth. The arts are also something of extreme importance, they are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. Sing in the shower. Dance to all the music. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward that of having created something.

Whenever the question pops up “- Why me?

The story goes:

 That is a very Earthling question to ask, Mr. Pilgrim. Why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is. Have you ever seen bugs trapped in amber?

- Yes.

- Well, here we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why. There are only moments and this is it…

We are all victims of a series of accidents and while the accidents continue to define this beautiful journey called life do bear in mind that “To be is to do  was what Socrates said, To do is to be is what  Sartre hollered and Sinatra simply made it Do Be Do Be Do” ; All three are worthy of great attention.

Find people of significance, of value keep them around you because you can't just eat good food or wine or read good books or listen to good music, you've got to talk about it too. And you've got to talk about it to somebody who understands that kind of food, wine, books and music. And find free souls; they are rare, but you know it when you see it - basically because you feel good, very good, when you are near or with them.

So jump into the bandwagon, and of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, "It might have been” so do not get into that lark ever.

Lastly be however you want to be because laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning to do afterward.