Tom Hanks in Cast Away. 

In Our Minds...

In Robert Zemeckis' movie "Cast Away", Tom Hank's character is left all alone on a deserted island. He transforms himself from a city guy to one living deprived from any social interaction.
An important part of the adaptation process was him creating his own friend. It was nothing but the volleyball he had with him on the ship. That volleyball became a friend that almost cost him his life at one time during the movie, while he was trying to "save" it from drifting away from the shore of the island.

At another instant, when Chuck (Hank's charactrer) was leaving the island and woke up to find that his friend (i.e. the ball) has fallen off the raft he built he almost gave up his whole plan just to keep the ball with him.

This "thing", the volleyball which shared all that experience of isolation with him, was his only friend who he could talk to, and at times provide advice (in Chuck's head ofcourse) and much needed help. It gained life and became a soul of its own.

Ofcourse that was only a movie, but in my opinion it goes much farther! In situations when we have no friends, we are willing to go to an extreme of creating our own out of pets, or even things.

I find this interesting since it is also similar to us imposing a figure on people which does not necessarily reflect their real personalities.

Images of best friends, idols, politicians and other people we feel connected to. I believe this behavior plays a pivotal role in the life of all of us. In a way it is ironic that much of our concepts are some times (maybe a lot of the time?) nothing but illusions of our own creation.
This is starting to sound a bit budhist, I think the books I'm reading have something to do with this!!! I'll stop now...

Our Patient God

I was coming back home after a long day at work. I passed by the Chinese restaurant, picked up a chicken curry dish and went to the bus stop and waited. Five minutes later, the East Residential Bus arrived- not my bus. Out of it came a guy wearing very old and dirty clothes. He sat on the bench inside the bus stop, and started humming some sort of song.

It was a sunny day, with blue skies and a lovely breeze. Something very rare in Ohio. You could say I was enjoying the moment. My morning presentation went well, my adviser was happy and I was heading home for some rest before I could continue writing my project progress report. Yes, it was a fine day.

I looked around at the man next to me. I saw him move from the bench and headed towards the trash can. He looked inside of it- his back to me. He turned my way. I looked away and pretended I was day-dreaming. He looked inside the trash bin again, and removed a plastic bag, opened it, and started humming again.

A girl passed by, he said something to himself. As if justifying his action. The girl got into the stop and took a seat close to me, when a lady said hello to her and approached as well. It was clear the lady was one of those people who harrass you for one reason or the other. She started talking to the girl, with a big smile and know-it-all kind of way. She was spreading the word of God she said. The girl told her she didn't believe in God, and, instead believes in evolution.

"I believe in evolution", the lady striked back "but how can you not believe in God?"

She was very astonished, she sounded like she was!

"There is a lot of injustice in the world" says the girl, "isn't God supposed to stop injustice?"

"Ofcourse he will... but He is a VERY patient God", the angelic, tender lady said.

My bus arrived, I picked my stuff, gave the man five dollars and got in. He was eating the dinner he got from the garbage, the lady was still busy trying to win a believer into God's party, the poor girl was struggling for justifications, and I was wondering whether God would want them to sit around and masturbate their thoughts about Him, or just notice the injustice sitting right next to them and do something symbolic about it.

Maybe they are only being VERY patient as well.

Nafnouf

الى تقلا

أشتاق اليكِ, ويقتلني هذا الفراغ الذي يطوّقني من كلّ الجهات. يعتصرني الألم وصار صدري بركاناً صامتاً وصرت أيّوباً جديد. فكلّ شيءٍ منذ غيابك في سكوتٍ مطبق. وكلّ أيّام حياتي صارت تكراراً مقرفاً وقاتل.ا

انّي لا أحسُّ بشيء. لا ألوان في عالمي الموحش. لا رائحة للفصول ولا طعم لصداقة, أو لعلاقة أو كلام. توقّفت ساعتي على موعد الفراق. فأضحت لحظة الحزن تلك تختصر أحداث حياتي ومشاعري كلَّها.ا

أنا لا أعرف كيف أعيش الان. لست أدري ان كانت هذه اللقطات المتكرِّرة في مسلسل أيَّامي تستحقُّ اسم الحياة أصلاً. أنا هنا, رجلٌ وحيدٌ في دنيا واسعة, لا بل في غابةٍ باردة بعيدة, أينَ منها دفء عالمكِ السّاحر؟ أحتاجكِ بقربي, ففي وجهكِ مُختصرُ كلَّ ما أردتُ أن أحيا بقربه. وفي عواطفك تشتعلُ أحلامي وتُضحي حقائق صافية طاهِرة.ا

انّي لا أعرف الفرح الّا بسماع ضحكتك الطّفوليّة البريئة, تعيد اليَّ كلَّ ما كنتُ أخشى أن أفقده في تراكم الأيّام ومرور السّنين. أعدتِ براءتي, بل أنقذتِ روحي من أن تصير رقماً اخر في عالم الكبار الأسود بجدّيّته, المقفر في فراغه, والمهلكِ في ملله وتصنّعه.ا

متى نعود سويّاً؟ اشتقتُ الى الحياة... لا أريد أن أبقى ميتاً هكذا. لا أريد أن أبقى ضائعاً مشوَّشاً كما أنا. عودي هيّا اشتاقت عيوني لضوء نهارك المشعِّ السّعيد. والعصافير وبيوت القرميد, كما أشجار الصّنوبر والبلّوط البرّي على تلال لبنان بانتظارنا. أحلامنا هناك لمّا تزل بين ربوع تلك الحقول الزَّكيَّة العطِرة, تتنعَّم برائحة تراب أرضنا بعد مطرٍ ربيعيٍّ طويل.ا

ها أنا عائدٌ فلنلتقي هناك. فعيوني قد جفَّت مقائيها منذ زمن, وقلبي قد صار قلبَ كهلٍ في جسد شابّ, وأنا لا أريد أن أضيع شبابي أكثر الّا وأنا في حضنِك الدّافئ النّاعم.ا

Beirut 

My companion for the moment... Mr Hemingway.