Thank you for this moving review of my short story 'My Sweet Lord' Steve! This means a lot to me & I am grateful. And yes, that was a chilling line that you quoted indeed, but see the difference in our conditioning, when you read it for the first time - you were shocked & horrified beyond measure as a Western Reader. I however even when writing it did not feel perturbed about it at all, in fact I regarded that scene as something respectful & full of self-composure, calmness & almost natural - nothing of worth! But I have suddenly realized when Western readers read that line in my short story, they are horrified beyond measure! Good - I'm taking down my notes from these observations from reviews for my further work in social issue fiction!
If someone was reading it from around here though (South-East Asia), they would not be too overwhelmed by it, believe me on that - we get lynched to death all the time back here (there is no such country as Raktsthaan, I created it to mean India).....drop of a hat sort of thing....so these things don't really perturb us. We just try to witness to it, maybe Western Readers like you may help us out or speak about the plight & awareness may be created - long-term action may be taken to see that all parties receive their just dues in whatever context et al.
The problem is, there are not many witnesses out there to do the job, there are martyrs galore - & the irony is that the Greek word 'martyr' means 'witness'.
When I taught this point to my IBDP students, they almost gave me a standing ovation. But I was not happy about it. I was not happy about the fact that I was the first to tell them that. I hope & pray that we keep witnessing to those who suffer unjustly like the monk (per se) here in this short story of mine who suffered & we can keep them in our memories & remember them, because in remembering - we are rebelling against the powers that be, in rebelling & remembering we become witnesses to things people don't wish to see, & then as witnesses we bring about accountability for suffering unleashed upon the innocent - then justice comes because of that accountability, & then the world remembers the dead martyr & realizes that he/she/they too were merely.....only....witnessing. So it is a circle.
Pardon me, but I am fatigued & highly sleep deprived. And when I am sleep deprived, I talk & type a litany. I shall get some sleep & then type something to you in thanks - more like my sunny-side up self! :) :D
Been working for 11 hours straight! Typing away! My mother says - 'How about writing a social issue short story or novella on a karoshi death next - YOUR OWN!' :) :D
If someone was reading it from around here though (South-East Asia), they would not be too overwhelmed by it, believe me on that - we get lynched to death all the time back here (there is no such country as Raktsthaan, I created it to mean India).....drop of a hat sort of thing....so these things don't really perturb us. We just try to witness to it, maybe Western Readers like you may help us out or speak about the plight & awareness may be created - long-term action may be taken to see that all parties receive their just dues in whatever context et al.
The problem is, there are not many witnesses out there to do the job, there are martyrs galore - & the irony is that the Greek word 'martyr' means 'witness'.
When I taught this point to my IBDP students, they almost gave me a standing ovation. But I was not happy about it. I was not happy about the fact that I was the first to tell them that. I hope & pray that we keep witnessing to those who suffer unjustly like the monk (per se) here in this short story of mine who suffered & we can keep them in our memories & remember them, because in remembering - we are rebelling against the powers that be, in rebelling & remembering we become witnesses to things people don't wish to see, & then as witnesses we bring about accountability for suffering unleashed upon the innocent - then justice comes because of that accountability, & then the world remembers the dead martyr & realizes that he/she/they too were merely.....only....witnessing. So it is a circle.
Pardon me, but I am fatigued & highly sleep deprived. And when I am sleep deprived, I talk & type a litany. I shall get some sleep & then type something to you in thanks - more like my sunny-side up self! :) :D
Been working for 11 hours straight! Typing away! My mother says - 'How about writing a social issue short story or novella on a karoshi death next - YOUR OWN!' :) :D