MALAYSIAN HAIKU/SENRYU ECHOES 597: MINGLE IN A TANGLE
mankind but not kind
image of divine, cast out
sake of sinful bite
in samsara round
paradox in paradigm
choice less or rebirth
surmount suffering
offloading outlook burden
open door leisure in
awesome real data
self trap in tangled wire
mingle to emerge
Note:
Covid 19 , with its B2 omnicron variant, infected massive population world wide. Two approaches: Open free policy to achieve herd immunity (UK, US and West) or zero tolerance (China), or mixed approaches (Singapore’s so called Middle Path). Most of the infection might be mild, but not the mortality figures on a large scale. And in a huge population like China and India, the death could run into millions. Besides, it;s the eve of Chinese New Year and Winter Olympics, and Western threat of war, plus natural calamities, inflation, rise of petrol price, unemployment etc. The world is not really a safe haven to live. Other than faith and serenity, religion and philosophy have not much to console us, except for the staunch believers.
In the context of SOP, how do the individual keep a safe physical distance, and yet maintain social ties. The pandemic affects us not only physically and economically, but also psycho-socially. In a small advanced nation like Singapore, fancy an old man could live in a forest (?) for so long without awareness by the family and community. Or the family or other citizens were not aware of psychiatric or social help. Of course, we have such cases all over the world, even in advanced West. Despite all the religion, sciences and knowledge, the end of light have yet to be seen. We are over burdened with choices (and we cant be right all the time); and uncertain on how real were the data to us, individually rather than collectively. We felt loss or trapped in the tangled loop of information. We are choked by excess knowledge that do not apply to us personally. Yet we had to be alive physically, economically, socially and well psychologically. We find ways to mingle and enable us to emerge from the entanglement of SOP. It’s looking at a meandering path with a different twist, not cutting corners, or short cut. I find a modify method of Moreno’s tele- psychodrama (and sociometry) useful, with soliloquy in loneliness. It is seeking a divergent way to get out of the chaos alive, or with lesser trauma. Many people find solace in ap gossip, zoom or video chatting etc. In the morning or evening walk or exercises, how safe it is for a large crowd to appear in a park, though we may wear masks. And then we expose ourselves in restaurants, cafe, pub and supermarkets, for human beings are also social beings. We may travel to UK (or US) and get infected without a place to stay . Nevertheless, life has to go on, but as senior citizens, we refrain from outing too often, or we chose better hours or opportunities, and that is only reducing the risks temporarily.
The Chinese character, men means door, an open one. The moon shines within it, making the character jian , meaning leisure. It’s good to chat with friends, sipping tea, while watching the moon and sky at night. Xian , with wood within, also implies leisure or idleness, but lack poetic ambience.
The narration and haiku are meant to be social chat, nothing political or religious in intention. If you prefer it is gossiping in prose and verses. All the pictures are copied and pasted from the web.
I wish all my Chinese readers a very Happy Chinese New Year.
wonkywizard 