Sunday, January 29, 2012

The Deserted Island


The Deserted Island.

It's funny how everyone thinks "Deserted Island" for the ideal life. This fantasy of escape from influence of external control to spur self-decision. 

We want to be away from the everyday.
We want to out of the rat-race.
We want out of the confusion. 
We don't want influence.
We don't want societal control. 
We don't want pressure.

Some call it "Me" time, some call it reflection, some are monks. Though we might not admit it, us humans need isolation to an extent. No matter how easy & convenient things are getting, the modern world is designed to be out of kilter.
Despite our frantic love for technology, the glitter and glare of Tv's, computers, iPads/Pods, etc, we still yearn to leave them behind and dream of that island. 


It seems our societies, be it USA, KSA, Europe, squeezes our minds into a dark corner where imagination evaporates and inspiration dries up. We keep striving to be better, try harder, success is what they say it is, but yet the vision of this island  lingers in many minds.

Is it that the nature of an island humbles us? Puts us back into context? It does make the big picture easier to see. A few hours on a deserted island, just being ourself, rather than a busy, work-hard, succeed-at-all-costs person that we may be, is undeniably good for the soul. 

Finishing a book or allowing the waves to lap at your toes for an hour would never be described as “achievements”, but whose compelling you to do this or that on deserted island? 
Freedom is instinctive, and never what we live. We find liberation in our basic nature, of survival, of doing simple, natural things. Who doesn't like a lovely campfire or forest trek ?