PLATONIC LOVE, ADITYA CHOPRA..... AND ME

Its been described as attraction purely spiritual in nature. Cut off from bodily pleasures you may derive from consolidation of values we call Lover.
To aspire for Love thats beyond you. Beyond not just your current context, but beyond your potentialities,capabilities, abilities. Looking upto the unearned, to put more bluntly.
Always in the realm of longing, never to be achieved.

Before we delve into the details of Platonic Love in culture, lets look into the core of Plato's Philosophy.
Motivated by his Master Socrates, Plato began seeking answers into questions regarding nature of reality, concepts, and their response in man. Traveling across continents for 12 years, he came up with a Philosophical system.
Essentially, it was a monument comprising of what all religions preach.

"This world is but a pale shadow of an other, supernatural world.
The imperfect replication of those things is what we observe.
But in order to understand the nature of observable things, man somehow needs to communicate with the other world.
E.g. there can be several things with attribute of circle(rings,rolls, wheels etc. ).
But in order to know what circle as such is, he has to connect to that world."

There has always been a duel between Plato`s 'other worldly' and Aristotle's Philosophy emphasizing Life and things on Earth.
Fought across spectrum, most notably in the institution of pre-renaissance Church.Augustine deriving original sin, city of Satan and God etc. from Plato. St. Thomas Acquinas' interpretation of Aristotle, transforming Western world through Renaissance. Among medieval Arabs also, signs of Platonic influence are there. Deriving formless Allah, plus strict prohibition of portrayal.(Remember cartoon of Mohammad controversy).

Platonic love is similar in essence. Always looking up to unreachable. Pushing people into the domain where the earthly stands as synonym for unworthy, miserable.

Lets see how it has played out in Indian Cinema.
For most part, the lack of Physical connection, attributed to Platonics, has been ambiguous at Best. Mainly due to the culture of restraint and policy of censorship. I don't think there was any conscious attempt to promote Platonism.
Not until this man arrived at the scene.

The movie was "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge".
Setup of Love Story amidst practices of arranged Indian marriage.
But for me, Simran's poem on "Andekha Anjana Chehra" epitomized the ideology.
Somewhat more subtle variation came later. Farida Jalal reaching out to the daughter, telling her she has come to snatch away her happiness.Proclaiming rather boldly the inevitability of sacrifice Simran's Love demands.

The situation resonated brilliantly with the Indian psyche, where most girls spend their childhood and adolescence in dreams of Prince Charming. Only to end up with carefully chosen guy next door.

Impact of the movie was hard to sense. It planted Platonic version into the sub-conscious. Urging and pushing, only thing desirable can be unrealizable.

"Mohabattein" got more audacious.
Here was Raj Aryan, talking with deceased Ash. Deriving each little action, infact injecting her Ghost into his life stream.

No surprises then in "Rab ne Bana Di Jodi".
Lady is completely indifferent to her "this worldly" husband;Drowning instead in spunky fellow, and his savvy moves.
Even father Yash could not resist son's influence. For normally sensuality driven direction created Rahul and his Maya.(DTPH)

Extent of the influence is hard to measure.
On the personal sidenote, writer has been the victim.
Mirage chasing and falling for unrealizable. At times, the only qualification for the object of affection being that it is beyond achievement. Degrading most important choices to the realm of whimsical.
Have I gotten over it completely, I don't think so. But the self-discovery has been done, and the optimism persists that cleansing shall follow.

ERASING MY PLATONIC SELF

Now that I start deleting Platonism from my "Cupidity", there is a dilemma.
Does it mean that I erase concept of ideal itself, and confine myself to the status-quo?
Certainly I cannot do that. For the Hero, a vision of perfection, forms my Life Force.
Pushing us to greatness.
Therefore I hold back; further introspection is needed.

The mind-body integration still eludes me. When I reject Adi's Platonism, there is this danger of disposing ambition itself.
The LOVE has to be analyzed further. NOT by being blind, but with most perceptive of all visions. NOT through heart or any kind of intangible emotion.But with highest of conceptual faculties.(Though the emotions and feelings I get will serve as clues to the accuracy of direction I am going into.Still, the fact remains, emotions are secondary to volition and conceptions. And cannot be considered as fundamental).

So how is "Platonic Love" different from the "vision of perfection"?
Desire for Hero emulation comes from our values.The values are chosen by individual based on his Life's requirements.(To survive and excel).
So essentially Heroes are very much integrated into our life and actions.(That is if we don't actually betray them, as many do).
Therefore, if I keep my vision of perfection, I will aspire for a girl who actually makes me happy. For she will embody a being who is reflection of my deepest convictions.
Here I also need to consider the complete sensibilities and sum of that person, rather than few isolated attributes. I have to map each attribute of hers to the sensibilities she possesses. From trivial tasks like how she carries herself, her dressing sense, to the most complex choices one makes with regards to career, work ethics, hobbies, friends etc.

It is possible though, that the person in question has seemingly contradictory value system. But here we need to check hierarchy of values and the root cause of these "apparent contradictions".
For e.g, You may think that the lady is not sincere in her tasks, yet you feel irresistibly attracted to her. But on the other hand you hold sincerity dear.
Here comes context into the picture. Does conceit arise from actual dishonesty(conscious or sub-conscious in nature). Or is it because she thinks that sacrificing and slogging in a mediocer system is not sensible. And therefore, conceit is a way of protecting her integrity and sanity.
(Attraction to wrong person can also be due to your own hypocrisies).
Of course, errors in judgement are possible. But I think as long as I hold my sense of life and values as benchmark criteria, self-correction will lead me to my soul-mate.
Rejecting Platonism also gives opportunity to actually apply abstract principles into real life. So I can stylize my proposal, work out a course of relationship; And actually snap when it is found that there are irreconcilable differences in our value system.

Accepting Platonism instead will lead to evasions. Looking into one quality, ignoring other vices. Evading also how her character maps to mine. And most importantly, it shuts me to facts - Can I create reasonable circumstances for courtship? How shall I be appealing to her?(Without sacrificing my Egoism and values that attracted me to her in first place). Surely I do not want to be closed from the possibility of reciprocation. For after spending tireless efforts in wooing her, I do not want to be eluded from the happiness my effort deserves.

Rejecting Platonism will always keep me aware to the probability of positive outcome. I wont be ambiguous to earthly concerns anymore. And therefore my Love will be selfish in the true sense of word....
...As it ought to be!

BOOK REVIEW: FOUNTAINHEAD

A vision of perfection, Hero we all need.

Earlier civilizations, and many today projected it as god.
It took forms of icons like Caeser and Napolean for some.
It continues to be embodied in likes of Dhoni, Sachin, Bindra in sports;
cult of Amitabh in cinema, or contemporary reality bosses.

For me that vision has grown into Howard Roark.

'Fountainhead' he is indeed.
From his days in college, where he fights 'Out Of Context' classical architecture copying system.
To his initial career, after his brilliant(but continuously frustrated) mentor Henry Cameroon fades away.
Then through his own architecture consultancy.

Those wishing to see him destroyed range from intelligent but society driven Peter Keating.
Always looking towards others, either for career advise, or design solutions; in essence for self-esteem.
Therefore he was a selfless soul.

Attracted to Roark is immensely beautiful Dominique Francon.
She worships greatness embodied in his being, and in the designs of his buildings.
But the 'malevolent universe' premise makes her hate him. Precisely for his greatness.
For she believes that his creations will be used by the likes of Keating and Toohey, for his own destruction.
Therefore, she too works for taking away his projects.

This brings us to Toohey, the true anti-thesis of Roark.
A critique of architecture, whose ultimate aim in essence is to enshrine mediocrity.
And make world impossible for Roarks. Social and charitable institutions being his means.

This is no doubt a great book.
But flash Act III, Enter Gail Wynand, and it rises to the realm of spectacular.
Occasionaly we do see genuine greatness around, piercing like rocket to the top.
And then, like Nietzsche's Übermensch, they conclude that they have to control the masses; or else masses shall destroy you.
Shahrukh Khan in real life, and Meghna Mathur from movie 'Fashion' come to mind.
Gail Wynand creates the system, where Toohey and Dominique write articles in his newspaper.
Peter Keating develops his estates.
Also, he takes Best minds, and forces them to betray their ideals.
Ends up realizing in the climax, he had sanctioned every other man to control him long ago...!

But Roark is above all.
His love of Architecture transcending all adversities.
He creates Heller house through his conviction for organic design, growing from a cliff top.
There is tireless endeavor in designing Enright's building.
Stoddard temple for exalted soul.
Therefore he was selfish, and rationally so in the true sense of the word.

Have you been too clouded in soulless literary verbiage?
Got entangled in contemporary cultural maze?
Lost Heroes to anti-heroes?
Get ready for Renaissance...
To be dazzled by the spark thats silently enlightening at a scale unprecedented, AYN RAND.