Can we humans ever believe in existence of peace and living peacefully ever!? The endless question of faith, religion and human beliefs shred people to fight within themselves. All this is about is – (Does doing YOGA makes you a HINDU ? ) – An article by BBC which makes me feel shredded in the way people, their thoughts and media makes all this look so irrelevant of whom you should be.
Yesterday, I saw a picture on FB about a comparison between Islam and Christianity where one religion forbids the intake of bacon and other one forbids the multiple wives. But both in common have a point to not let the woman take the command (Man is the Master). How ridiculous are the examples, we live in modern life – believe in science – study and use technology to stay connected. Still the common sense of brain and how you make your decisions in life are commanded by religion – as if your whole life depends on it. For some I do understand they never outgrow to see out of their own existence – the point I raise is – what if you ever started asking yourself for what you believed all your life with reasoning. This is all about how you see life. Your religion gives you a faith of string to hold on to when your world breaks but it will not help you to establish how to be yourself – who to trust – how to know what you see outside your world is right or wrong because you see in the walls of your knowledge written in your faith.
When I was 13, a wise man once told me – Don’t grow on your age but grow on your experiences. I did as I was told – Believed to see this world not as it was shown by the masses but rather I believed in exploring it myself to understand – I travelled. This did not mean disrespect or arrogance but all it meant was to be open to make your choices what the world offers you. People fight all over the world in name of religion – the biggest ever weapon we humans developed and killed more humans than the deadliest bacteria known. That was the day I ceased to belong to any religion but decided to know them all for knowing but not being a part of one.
Today, for once when I thought someone uses Yoga for exercise some nerd of religion somewhere raised a question that this was more about Hinduism! Oh yeah, it is but if you are so hell bent on religion don’t go beyond your knowledge of understanding what is what. As I said, religion is the weapon people will use – all their lives to fight – create doubt and remove the parity of understanding. I sound like a well grown out of religion but that is what it does when you ask yourself – can you live without one – Answer is you will. Use your common sense of prevalence as to what is right and wrong. Your religion tells you to eat one form of meat over other but the question I ask is – Can we not exist without meat? Killing a living being is still a killing? Your common faith and common sense will tell you a lot more if you ever asked a genuine question to yourself – Science has the answers.
Now that all said, – I know but the question stands – can we ever not take something for essence of its right and wrong than digging where it all came from. Another great example of how religion now shreds the healthy exercise some just did for sake of being fit than being followed to be a part of another religion. Yes, Yoga comes from Hinduism but if you do it – it will not certify put a stamp on you to be Hindu – you can still follow your religion but what now it does is put a lock on your head once again.
No, I didn’t which means I have a reason to continue from where I left. I have been pretty much busy, sick and above all voiceless struggling human to get back full functionality of my throat. It sucks pretty much to know that I have not slept in past all these nights coughing to the worst and finding myself not able to relax. Well, these things in life come and go but this one very much has decided to not really leave me.
Anyways, so as we were saying about Paris & in rain it just has another dimension. The whole architecture gets a good wash, all the old dust and birds shit gets washed away – what better way to see a clean neat architecture. As I have been hovering in the vicinity of Notre Dame – this post pretty much goes around couple of hours spend around, in and away towards Cite station before making my stop in Paris Auto Show(that is for laters) but for now we go back to NOTRE DAME of PARIS.
Notre Dame of PARIS
Nothing makes it more majestic than the dull days. Of course the reality is very dull but who wants to live in reality – we all have our own imaginations to paint, create and be who we are. Being colourful to be being romantic – talking of romance – Yeah – it is a city of love, for those who come to this city to only fall in love or just may be make love – it ends up really very colourful even in the rain.
Paris – City of love
But it has not only got anything to do with age, we can still be in love regardless we are 18 or going towards 80 – All it takes is a courage to hold hand – find someone you can enjoy the life with and share your endless crappy jokes(No, they do not have to be crappy all the times) but in the end you still feel the pleasure of enjoying life.
Paris – City in Love
It just simply shows in how we want to see life. Some people are always the way they are never willing to look beyond their visions and some people are slaves of their own lives. I do not belong to any of the ones I mentioned but rather I believe in seeing the unseen and exploring the unknown. Besides not all the people with camera want to do that – they are bound to the rules of third or even the rules which their minds never allow them to change. I just want to see this world in a way we all have not really seen.
A view of Notre Dame across the river.
For once the views don’t really do the justice. I have to have birds, I have to see the freedom, I have to have emotions in a picture even though in cities the birds rarely exist – their flights don’t really go far but then again – It is how I said earlier – I want to see the life differently.
Birds of Paris
As I walk along the little path on near side to the wall – it all looks even more dull and gory. It is not really how one shall visit Paris, because it just keeps reminding me that I am getting wet and should have brought more water protected clothes unless of course you have plenty of latex to cover you in from the drizzling rain.
Notre Dame on the Seine River, Paris, FranceSeine River of Paris
Walking under the bridge and then over the bridge, NOTRE DAME is calling me. It has been a while that I have been lurking around its corners from far and away but it needs to be seen. It needs to be stamped on my life book – I have been there or I have actually stood under it – in rain and I shot it before it was long lost in the busy modern life of virtual presence.
Standing under the Notre Dame, PARIS, France.
It does gives me thoughts of what this world would have been – let us assume 200years ago when the power of Church and life of poor farmer would collide to say – I have never seen anything as amazing, as huge and as powerful as NOTRE DAME of PARIS. On the serious thoughts I really respect the architecture this city has still survived with through the period of world wars. Notre Dame is not just to do with the religion but it is marvelously crafted piece of architecture which needs more than just one look at it. You need to stand under it for hours and ask yourself each one of those statues and their emotions put together to create this huge living wonder – it is just simply astounding to appreciate it. Sometimes we just want to see what we are shown and beyond it – we are blinded by faith, religion, books or even our own minds.
Western side of Notre Dame
It does spark me with the questions in my head, the authority of Church and its existence through all these human years – this has been one huge evolution which nothing else has survived. Anything else that has survived has to be these faces standing still on the great architecture. Each of these faces bears a different emotion, each one has different direction but a single faith. The wheel of life always moved in a circle. The bigger the faith was the bigger its believers – the huge its presence. For some to look up even in the rain seems challenge but this is what is the essence of traveling light. You get to see the faith under its own glory in its own style. For I must not soak all the water from standing outside and there has to be way inside of the Church too.
Interestingly noticed that there is a huge long queue to get inside and then alongside someone just walk inside without even getting noticed by the people in long 300mtrs queue – This is really to the disbelief but I got to try it myself now and I managed to just walk through the crowd without even getting noticed. For heaven sake – it is heavenly, or call me whatever you may want to. Not every one tells you the full story.
Inside NOTRE DAME
So the insides, there is welcome corner with you to buy your souvenirs of the Notre Dame, some tickets for additional tours and for others they can rush through the huge architecture on their own. I preferred to be on my own – the best way to explore, ask and to collect new stories. I have not been so amazed but for few seconds I didn’t realize that my lens had a plenty of mist on it – producing its on foggy light effect without any effect. The deeper you will see the more you will be pulled into it. Each pillar, each window, each block of dome has stories embedded into it from the times of past.
Inside view of Notre Dame, Paris
If you are very much unaffected by the size and the depth of what this place offers to the human vision – you must be quite unappreciative of the beauty in architecture. I am not just “wow” but fully amazed, enjoying this glazing colourful painted windows, the huge radius of the dome, the size of the doors, the pillars which are beyond imagination to consider this was constructed in 1345(fully) after almost the period of nearly 200 yrs – Now can you imagine at the time when there were no modern machines – the humans still managed to make something as marvellous, huge and beautiful – which stood ages of its destruction, alterations, vandalism and restorations. On the serious note this is not just for the purpose of religion but to me it matters to understand how humans shaped this planet in the name of god. God – the beauty that is integral in each of the living creature and not just if you believe in one god. God exists in you, around you and in your nature – Just that for me GOD has a different meaning.
Getting back to the essence of NOTRE DAME, isn’t this getting amazing. There is a reason for you to even leave your imprint of being here just in case if your children, grand children or even their grand children want to come here tracing you – only if you leave a note for them somewhere that you have been to NOTRE DAME in 2012 .
Beauty of Notre Dame, Paris
For once, this place has something about it which makes me really wonder. The story behind the architecture is one bit but the story even today in front of our own eyes is something nothing less than a masterpiece of human creation. We “The Humans” never deter to impress when it comes to be being god creations. Humanity only loses itself when they go battling out in wars, living out in ego, raging their anger and hurt for others. Over and out with this chapter of Notre Dame and I must proceed back to the rain outside.
For once, I must have been still standing in rain if I was being very queue person. The proof of getting wet is quite subtle, I just did not plan for a full wet weekend still I did plan for full use of my camera and its shutter.
Queue for Notre Dame
Good luck to you if you plan to visit Paris in rain, it generally is quite impressive if you get to see some sun. Out of my two trips, I never managed to see the sunny side of Paris and yet I have possibly enough shots to call it a Paris well shot. Ah, yes – Indeed – “Paris – Well Shot” Candidly hasselblad shot 🙂 Only if I had a umbrella like him and patience to wonder under my umbrella – I would have brought you 10 shots in total. Photography is always about being candid – for others must stick to the studio and to their magazines which they subscribe life long.
Hasselblad Moment in Paris
My views are not the one of a photography magazine but of one who goes out, does it and share without being worried of who is going to see it. Cry all my life if I never won a “Photographer of the year” award because that is what happens now – you get a camera, you take pictures and you scream all along the way I took 2000 pictures for once – I feel the count is merely a number and with someone who started at 13, you stand no chance to compare – so move on like me and keep shooting. Ha ha haa… “Photographic Slap”
We say the “Goodbye” to Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France.
Shades of Autumn in Paris
For I must now find a place to dry up myself, clear the water from the camera and carry on calmly to my next destination. For once this day is really amazing – it does not seems to be coming to an end. Even the whole city seems to have spring back to life even under the rainy skies.
Nature of Paris City
Like any other city, this city has its own charm – the charisma and its own flaws. City of Paris, some call it city of love and for me it is just another city. City like many others this one is one for those moments when you are thoughtful, rich and with time to enjoy the busy pace of non stop life.
For now, I have next destination to reach.
Lets take you there too …
Paris people, would certainly know where this is leading me to.
More on the next post. Till then I have got to plan, pack and ride to North of England just a little south of Scotland.
We are born for a reason that we all have something to achieve in this life. We are born without a name, without any education and without any sense of good or bad. It is our own inner sense that makes us grow with regards to the outside world in which we socialize. A lot of out character revolves around who we want to be. Sometimes our parents influence us to be who we are and at others we have got inspirations from our surroundings(Friends or heroes) or the society.
What brings me here today is to share an experience from a friend who is in the middle of a job while noticing how life unfolds. She feels what she experiences is not just the dead people but how they decide to leave this life. She is a nurse in a hospital where she sees a lot of people in their old age deciding when to leave. There is a huge sense of misdoing or emotionally speaking “Karma” revelations cause a huge burden before they can leave. Dying is not easier when you are carrying a load of emotions from your life that needs to be emptied before you are allowed to leave.
Out of many such experiences one experience that counts towards all this is – A man in his late 80’s who knows he has lost this battle with life but to all sorrows is suffering because he wants to go and is unable to go. He expresses his sorrow of how he had two families at the same time without the other knowing of it. The tone in his voice is not melancholic but rather of a desperate need to put this out of his soul to someone who has got an ear to listen. She listens to the story of this man and soon after he closes his eyes – She knows his soul has departed and he has been liberated. In this life we get chances to commit a lot of things – some that hurt others while giving you a lot of joy and happiness but these alive stories of people on deathbed reveal only one thing. All the joys that you collect in this life for the misery and pain of others will come back to you in some shape or form unknown to accept that you committed things which need to be left behind.
Just to add on the above note, that was just one man but she has experiences of several such people who she has noticed and listened to before they give up this life. She says dying becomes a struggle once your body has given up and your soul is not letting it go. The worst of a kind is when none of your close ones want to come and visit you. Does this give you a scary feeling of what is being reflected here. Obviously the need to die is challenged and over ridden by your karmas of doings that you accumulated in this life.
One does tend to reach great heights but there is enough evil in reaching those great heights. This is always reflected in how you leave this planet. Not one but of many greats the one who closes his eyes in peace are the greatest of the souls. There are people on this planet that feel the need to kill themselves by abruptly stopping their lives is a way to get rid of their doings is not such a great idea either. You can make yourself force to die but your jar of endless negative karma is not left unanswered. It follows you regardless you kill yourself or you lie down on the deathbed. The sense of emotions here is more about respecting the life and not of expressing the need.
Tony Scott, the great film director decided to jump after the bridge in Los Angeles today. I don’t reckon this frees the soul but rather you left your soul in a jail that it will carry into the next phase of realm. We live here and we die here – the doings of our life are reflected in how we decide to expand or broaden our definition of living.
Base of all this and more is just a vision of how we all should emphasize on what we do and what implications it has on the lives that surround us. We must not be blinded for just ”Me” instead of us in this world. I give my respect to all these souls and spirits to be in peace and let the others rest in peace too. Shall we say – Peace, love and happiness prevail.
FreeBirD 