I ocassionally post articles feom other writers, whose ideas and words that house them, i resonate with. There is then one that trumps them all though she writes barely. It's my pleasure and privilege to share then here and to have her as my travel companion and life partner.
_________________________________
It's been a while - a really long while - since I wrote for pleasure or for recall. The hum drum of day-to-day leaves little time for such indulgences. I'm often just churning along by habit, getting as much of the day's to-do list struck off that inspirations seldom strike - there doesn't usually seem to be much to write or discern about.
Serendipitously while packing for this month-long trip, I read a linkedin post by Kuik Shiao-yin who was addressing the point about those in her circles who had ceased to write for fear of joining the humble brag bandwagon. While she understood their reticence, she extolled the virtues of writing nonetheless, especially for leaders, for it sharpens perspectives and articulation.
And so motivated, so I shall resume.
Starting with a stray thought on the way to the airport: Which would be preferable - the anticipation of travel or the reminiscing of experiences, having travelled? I wondered.
Besides Ms Kuik, I'm humbly following in the footsteps or keyboard strokes of the two prolifics in the family - M who has been first typing, then writing since three years of age, eager to record all the stories in her head and later on, trying to make sense of all the thoughts there, stringing these together and pouring them out as a form of solace as well as reflection. And V who has been a wordsmith and poet from the day I met him over three decades back, filling notebook pages with inconsistently spaced verses, artful prose i guess, handwritten travelogues bursting with observations and aspirations, and now revelling in the pleasure of blogging, uninterrupted by the demands of hectic work schedules, fuelled by the sights and sounds of his carefully curated cairo to cape itinerary.
I hadn't realised the lengths we'd be travelling through Egypt, our first stop. Literally. Starting with a cruise up the great River Nile, from Luxor in the north referred to as lower Egypt, to Azwan in the South referred to as upper Egypt. I learnt that upper means lower and lower. Such interesting contradictions. Upper as the ancients and locals take reference from the source of water flow instead of the land orientation as drawn on world maps.
It was awesome. All those intact carcasses of monumental temples, tombs and terraces and the volumes they speak, whilst standing silent in the scorching sun. Echoes of days of old, of the life and rituals that filled their hours, weeks, months, years; worshippers of imaginary Gods, obeying real ones in the guise of their long procession of Pharoahs.
Visualising oblelixes in shapeless rocks, moving mountains with ingenuity, etching stories of daily life and devotions in the vast surfaces of polished rock walls, columns, capitals and ceilings.
Walking through the mammoth structures that remain, preserved in pristine state by the hostile weather, I couldn't help but marvel at the qualities of the ancient Egyptians. Their strong leadership, single minded purpose, shared passion and disciplined precision transcending generations.
They must have had really well organised armies of scribes to carve ribbons of narrative with carbon-copy consistency, overseers who ensured same colour palette and hues for different subject matter regardless of surfaces or locations, artists who ensured the right proportions and meticulousness for every detail, and so much more. Those hauling rocks, polishing surfaces, farming produce, feeding and healing, the amazingly clear plans and SOPs captured in reams of papyrus and evidenced in the still standing buildings and discovered tombs.
Perplexing then the ruins all around the city today. Brings new meaning to living off the land for they seem to live off what's long buried beneath, and what's erected above from thousands of years ago. It's as if the unrelenting heat of their ancient Sun God Ra, along with the passage of time have sapped the passion from their bones and what's left is mostly pride from their heritage.
No comments:
Post a Comment