In a response to my last blog “Closer”, Bahareh Amidi wrote:
“What a beautiful image, the spinning of the spinning top, such as the whirling of the Dervishes until they become one..... Until webecomeONE.”
Her mention of the dervishes immediately reminded me of another poem I wrote exactly two years and one day ago.
Awakening
10.01.10
A new day dawns -
amidst the mysteries of technology.
Notice:
The digital tree
branching through the world
hears the gurgling stream
speak a language never heard before -
a chorus of interconnectedness
communicating in symbols, links and tweets.
See:
Among those
speaking the language of We,
are the twervishes ,
twirling and whirling on the deck
of the flagship Internet.
From many countries, faiths and worldviews,
in the twitterverse
they #twance -
communicating with joy
and a sense of participation
the dance of liberation
as consciousness becomes aware of itself.
Awaken:
Stillness is at the center of these tweets –
the axis of the twervish twance.
Speaking of me, speaking of you
but more than this
Singing of We
as a new days dawns -
amidst the mysteries of technology.
10.01.10
I thank Bahareh, @BaharehAmidi, known as the “American-Iranian poetess of light”, for the reminder, and to spread this light in the world, I include here a video of her recent wonderful poetry recital at the Pavilion in Downtown Dubai.
Let's commune iCate uWho ^_^ my way Catch the sound Hid den in the let hers Hold onto the stories Captured in the pictures Swirl~ ~ ~ ~ing Twirl~ ~ ~ ~ing Across these waves Bringingusallcloser 2 ea other ~~~~~~~ like the colors On a spinning top
A little boy ran and played barefoot and joyfully in his village in India. A bright little youngster, eager to learn, he diligently applied himself to his studies. His name was Shubhra, a name which had its origin in Sanskrit and was used in Hindi speaking countries for both boys and girls. It meant radiant, pure, pure white.
His best friend at school was a Muslim, and throughout the years they maintained their friendship. After completing a Bachelor of Commerce, an undergraduate degree, they both went on to study for a Master of Commerce. At this point, Shubhra said goodbye to his friend who emigrated to Kuwait, and went to live in Bombay.
Earning 400 rupees per month, Shubhra was able to live comfortably and still save.
Time passed and his friend returned. Shubhra was immediately struck by his fine clothes and his jewelry. They had grown up together, studied together and had the same qualifications, yet their lifestyles were at this point clearly very different.
Shubhra immediately began to make inquiries around Bombay. He too would be bold and move further afield. At last he found someone who could organize for him to move to Dubai.
It was 1968, a year before a boeing 707 belonging to Air India would make its first flight from Bombay to Dubai.
A flight from Bombay to Dubai today, only lasts 3 hours. Shubhra did not have this luxury. Instead he bravely boarded a ship for a journey which lasted 3 nights. Dubai, at this point in time, was still a British protectorate and there were only small settlements on either side of the creek.
Fast forward to 2011.
Yesterday, Shubhra and I chatted. We had met before but had never shared personal stories.
He told me that he only knew of one person in those days who had air-conditioning.
With a smile on his face, he recalled a picnic in Jebel Ali. The return journey to Sharjah, a trip which today would take 30 to 45 mins by car, had lasted a day as he and a friend had a vehicle which kept getting stuck in the desert sand.
As he was about to leave, I asked Shubhra about his home village. The look on his face changed. He tried to return there every year but things were never the same. Where once he had run through the rice paddies there are now roads. Family relationships have become strained over time because of distance and lack of communication. People in the village no longer recognize him and ask him who he is. He should never have left.
I am reminded of the passage in “A Tale of Two Cities” where Mr Carton reflects on his life after he leaves the home of Mr Stryver. The two of them had chatted earlier about the divergent paths their lives had taken despite the fact that they had attended the same schools and university.
"Waste forces within him, and a desert all around, this man stood still on his way across a silent terrace, and saw for a moment, lying in the wilderness before him, a mirage of honorable ambition, self-denial, and perseverance. In the fair city of this vision, there were airy galleries from which the loves and graces looked upon him, gardens in which the fruits of life hung ripening, waters of Hope that sparkled in his sight. A moment, and it was gone. Climbing to a high chamber in a well of houses, he threw himself down in his clothes on a neglected bed, and its pillow was wet with wasted tears."
As Shubhra shared with me how he had come from here2here I suggested to him that he write his story. He simply nodded his head from side to side.
I share fragments of his story here. In the telling we are all brought closer together. In this here2here space, we realize that although we may be different in many ways, at our core, we are all the same. We all have dreams, some fulfilled, some shattered.
Today, thanks to technology we can all travel, if only virtually, to far away places and converse with each other. I live in Dubai and can instant chat, Skype or Facetime with family and friends far and wide.
How different would Shubhra’s life have been if he had had access to such facilities at the time of his move?
As we honor people like Shubhra, who even though he might not realize it, remains radiant to this day, let us at the same time be mindful of all the benefits of modern communication.
"There is a great crowd coming one day into our lives, if that be so."
- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, Book 2, Chapter 6
These words, spoken again by Mr Carton, were prophetic of the French Revolution. Today they take on yet another meaning as we recognize in them the “we” generation which is currently being born.
Originally looking more like a foot bag used for protection and warmth, the design of the shoe has evolved over time. Functionality soon made room for adornment and this in turn was dependent upon materials available and the culture in which the shoe found itself.
Color became important as accessories on other parts of the body called for matching shoes. Status in society enabled some to wear shoes that made a statement.
Today, your choice when buying a pair of shoes is obviously influenced by the shape and size of your feet which are part of your external attributes. Personal taste, part of your interior being, plays a role.
But let us not forget that each individual is also part of a collective “we” with its own interior and exterior. There are habits that are preferred in a particular group, as well as external systems supporting that culture. What this means is that the shoes popular in the culture you find yourself in, and what is on offer because of the manufacturing possibilities of this era, also influence your choice.
Popular trend, otherwise called fashion, is an interesting phenomenon.
That there are trend setters of a particular fashion, I comprehend. That advertising agents assist in spreading the popularity of an item, makes sense. That we now have communication technologies offering exponential possibilities for an item to either gain or lose popularity amongst buyers in a very short period of time, is exciting. That this adds a whole new dimension which needs consideration when fashion is designed, is challenging.
At the same time, users of products are beginning to take an interest in how a particular product influences the environment. Social issues, such as the unfair treatment of the laborers involved in the manufacture of a product can no longer be ignored. That both these factors must be addressed in fashion design, is becoming crucial.
That there are designers who give direction as to what the fashion of a particular season will be, I understand. What intrigues me, however, is what these designers are inspired by. What for instance has led to skyscrapers dominating the autumn fashions now to be seen in window displays in the northern hemisphere?
Skyscrapers?
A look at the history of skyscrapers sheds light on the question at hand.
In 1922 the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen and the treasures which had been undisturbed for more than 3000 years captured the imagination of the world. The decorative art movement which began in the 1920s and which was later called Art Deco, was greatly influenced by the discovery. The fascination for ancient Egypt was expressed in the design of jewelry, furniture, clothing and architecture.
Stories were told by ancient Egyptian art and so it became popular to put symbolic images on buildings. The Chrysler Building in New York, which for a short time was the word’s tallest building after its completion in 1930, is adorned with hubcaps and images of cars.
Art Deco skyscrapers also suggested Egyptian pyramids in their design. The Empire State Building in New York is one example of stepped design.
When we consider that the 10th anniversary of the collapse of the Twin Towers is still fresh in the memory of the collective, and that the world is still buzzing with the news of the Arab Spring which gained great momentum in Egypt, it is perhaps more understandable now why skyscrapers are influencing fashion.
Giorgio Armani, a leading designer giving direction in fashion, has a hotel in the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building at the moment. Could this be influencing fashion design choices?
When the world experiences a crisis it is not uncommon for creative people to find opportunity. Skyscraper fashion encourages individuals to stand tall despite the current economic crisis. Super-high heels were also in vogue during the Depression that followed the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Could designers be cashing in on our insecurities? Can we blame them for this?
Would it not be better to be mindful of all these influences?
These are my perspectives, influenced perhaps by the fact that I live close to the foot of the Burj Khalifa.
The shoe depicted at the start of this blog has skyscraper heels and sequin adornment.
Hopefully, you will now view it with slightly different eyes.
The minute I connect to the internet I enter a space, which though not visible to the eye, is filled with enormous activity.
Going “online” is an entry into a web of interlinked connectivity and information. Navigation in this space has to be learnt, but once mastered, opens the door to a world of connections and information.
This ever-growing web of interconnectedness is suspended, as it were, over all that takes place in the world today. We are reminded of what Pierre Teilhard de Chardin called the noosphere. In 1959 he wrote that technology was creating “a single organized membrane over the earth”.
Not only is this web of interconnectedness suspended, but the minute we crawl into it we become suspended together.
“Suspended together” is also the title of an artwork recently featured in the exhibition entitled “terminal”, which I visited in Dubai. The artist is Manal Al-Dowayan and the piece created in 2011 is neon with black paint.
Although part of an exhibition focusing on air travel, this piece also spoke to me of the concept, which I have chosen to call here2here.
here2here is first an foremost a space of community, a place of the “we”, a place where we are “suspended together”.
At first, I used to think of this space as an in-between place, a place where we meet before going our separate ways. In some sense it still is, but as advances in technology make connectivity and communication more instant and accessible, and with the advent of social media, this here2here space is also becoming a place where many of us spend a good part of our day.
My physical state of being, my location, what I am thinking, or that which I would like to share with another, is available 24/7 if I so wish, with others sharing a similar stream.
A collective stream of consciousness is arising as it were, and is flowing even through hand held gadgets of individuals.
Suspended together we ride virtual waves, we hear the opinions of others we are only able to meet because of this space, and we are challenged to broaden our worldview.
Our electronic interdependence also allows cultures to meet. It is enabling the taking of a planetary perspective, the taking of multiple perspectives, and is encouraging dialogue with other perspectives. We begin to recognize diversity and at the same time we realize the need for unity.
We are learning to develop empathy, as the “other”, we suddenly realize, is more like us than we had imagined.
Karen Armstrong, in “Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life”, states that compassion means “ to endure (something) with another person, to put ourselves in somebody else’s shoes, to feel her pain as though it were our own, and to enter generously into her point of view”.
As we are suspended together, the heart is encouraged to open to allow this all in.
The compassion so essential to a peaceful existence in a global world begins to blossom.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 9:56AM 
