An empty road Decorated with somber street lights A hint of cold in the air Letting the sweat on my skin vanish My hair floating ecstatically with the wind. Accelerating wheels Unsure of the destination. Trembling mind Throbbing heart. Firm hands Determined to dissipate. No commitments No regulations No routine No fear. My individuality below the colossal sky My soul ready to soar towards the horizon. Leaving back the unpleasant memories the sleepless nights the fights the pain All of it. To start the creation of a new self Devoid of: fear self doubt expectations The sky is now showing its true colours orange… …red… …yellow… All spreading and making room for the sun I halt and behold this blissful sight Closing my eyes Feeling the heat; The hope it carries. Perceiving the new beginning..
Elements in this collage are taken from Pinterest. Superhero pictures are fan arts.
Having watched more than 50 movies this year, and a dozen of them being superhero ones, I have been wanting to write about these movies (and series) with a psychological angle.
All our superheroes have either had a messed up childhood, defined by loss and trauma of some significant sort, or have faced immense distress due to the inevitable identity crisis, because hey, which superhero accepted they’re duality in the first go? None of them, right? I mean even Superman or Captain America, for that matter have been shown to face identity crisis at some point in their lives.
I am not going to get into the technicalities of therapy here but will focus on certain specific elements related to it that should help you relate to the superhero-front of this article.
Every superhero, in my opinion, needs a therapist. I mean imagine having JARVIS and a therapist! (I personally love this combo). Ooh or having the Bracelets of Victory and a therapist; that would do wonders too! (see what I did there? ;))
The realization that every superhero needs some form of mental health support dawned upon me after watching Wanda Vision (or as some would say Wanda’s Vision, which would have been a very cool and an apt name for the series, but oh well). She channelized her grief and feelings of loss into creating a surreal world that had traces of similarities from the sitcoms that she used to watch as a child. Now, as brilliant as that idea is in terms of its theatrical aspects, from a psychological standpoint, it isn’t so desirable. Yes, it is considered to be a natural process, rather, an unconscious one to project something onto something/ someone else. This happens for the sake of that individual, for them to be able to process the overwhelming feelings of difficult and challenging situations. The thing that stuck with me was that if she had visited a therapist to help her out with her struggles related to loss and getting on with life, things could have been better for her and for others around her. I mean, she jeopardized every sense of security and privacy that there was in order to avoid her reality, her truth.
As against this, in the series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I was very happy to see that they showed Bucky procuring support from a mental health professional. I mean, the kind of things that Bucky had to go through, hands down, he definitely needed a therapist (and that is an understatement, I mean come on! You’re a 100 years old with a metal arm!) Through therapy, I found Bucky’s journey with his struggles to be relatively healthy and fruitful, if I were to compare it with Wanda’s journey.
I also thought of Batman and how he was kind of obsessed with maintaining Gotham’s safety; he believed that it was his duty to save Gotham from all the “bad guys”. I personally found it to be a little irrational. But, with the kind of money and power that Bruce Wayne had, sure, go ahead; but also remember where to draw a line (easier said than done, I know). On another note, the death of his parents really scarred him and for that level of trauma, you need therapy or some form of mental health support.
Well, these are just a few examples that I could think of and write about. Writing about superheroes from a mental health perspective helped me change my perception towards these movies and the characters. On that note, I think this is what brings us closer to superheroes, to some extent; I mean we all go through emotionally and mentally challenging times in our lives, or have been through some in the past, and like superheroes we fight and learn to live above our demons, because the enemy lies within us (more often than not).
Love is a beautiful feeling; it is a soulful experience to love someone, and a blessing to have someone who loves you back. Love drives us (well, at least some of “us” I’m assuming). It has done everything- right from testing one’s dedication to testing one’s patience.
However, there is something related to love that people do (not sure since when) that really irks me- The act of buying celestial bodies for their loved ones, or in the case of narcissists, for themselves (!)
Yes, we’re talking about humans claiming their rights on a star or in some cases a planet (a huge rock floating in the cosmic ocean) from a company/ shop on earth :). Read this out loud, and tell me the proportion of absurdity and idiosyncrasy in that sentence.
I should have mentioned a disclaimer (like every other artist in this country should 🙂 ) about the dominance of subjectivity in this article that you as a reader may or may not be able to relate to.
I first came across this weird act in a movie called “A walk to remember”. To cut the long story short, a girl with Leukemia, who is also passionate about stars and planets falls in love with a dedicated young lad who makes it his life’s mission to build a telescope for her so that she could “rest in peace”. This is not the best synopsis that you’re going to find about this movie, but I think it works for the sake of this article.
Coming back to my point, I am not against or allergic to romantic gestures, but as someone who believes in the idea of the Universe and as someone who has high regard for the Universal energy, it seems absurd to me that people have a scheme of buying stars and planets. There are some questions that I have about this:
How do you possibly know that the star that you have bought or claimed your right on is still alive? I mean, for all you know, the company could either be making it up or that star might have died a long time ago. OR someone from across the planet may have bought that same star/ planet from another company!
Are these celestial bodies, really something that we have the power to claim our rights on?
After paying a huge amount, all you get is a paper saying that so and so star/planet is named after you or “belongs” to you. I mean, if they were offering me a trip to that place, I would definitely sign up for this scheme, but it’s just a paper! (I can already hear some of you say, “It’s all about the gesture”).
To me, it does not make any sense, maybe because I believe in other concrete gestures that really show your love for someone, or maybe it’s just that I perceive humans to significantly insignificant (when in comparison to other residents of the Universe). By that, I mean significant enough to make an attempt to understand the mysterious workings of the Universe and insignificant to intervene in that process.
Anyway, my intention was not to hurt anyone’s feelings and sentiments about these things; just sharing my thoughts. *peace*
I have never really been an admirer of crows; but not so long ago, I happened to witness a pair of crows indulging in the act of making a nest. This nest was being built on a tree that my window faces. It was for the very first time in my life that I saw two crows engaging in a patient and a mindful activity, and not rapaciously fighting for their share from a dead mouse. It was also the first time that I wasn’t scared to look at a crow for a long period of time, else, I’d always find myself overwhelmed by their gaze and colour.
I began observing them sometime in the month of April. Their struggle to accommodate the raw materials for their nest, in a valley of branches was very evident, so much so that after a few weeks, it made me want to build their nest for them.
Observing them became an activity for me that I took up consciously in order to change my perception of crows and to keep a tab on their progress. I started hoping that their quest for finding raw materials for the nest was successful and safe; because surely one of them might be pregnant (Is that the word you use for “to-be mother” birds too? No clue).
During the course of this observation, I realized how skillful birds are in general with regards to manipulating different objects to suit their purpose, (here, making a nest); finding objects with the right amount of malleability to fit their requirement, and most importantly, NOT GIVING UP! Their dedication inspired me and made me think about their level of cognition. They certainly do have some GOOD planning skills and craftsmanship! I mean, I literally saw that crow weave a plastic thread between other twigs to create a base for the nest; that was a mind-blowing sight. Doing that with nothing but a beak and two legs!
I never thought I’d say this, but watching these crows working on their nest has been a beautiful experience for me. It made me aware of my surroundings, and the fact that zooming out from the thought of “me, myself and I” is actually a liberating experience and helps in broadening your perspective about reality.
Friendly suggestion: Take a break; look around. If you are surrounded by trees, nothing like it! Sit by the window and notice everything about that tree or whatever greenery you have around you. Allow Nature to surprise you!
PS: The significance of the title lies in the tree’s position with respect to mine. ‘Withering’ because there are fewer leaves on this tree as a result of the weather these days (this made the viewing of the nest-building easier for me). ‘Heights’ because of the relativity of the term; the view of the nest that I get from my window is different from the one that I get when I am standing below that tree.
I have come across people who hold the notion of “being replaced” or replacing someone themselves to be true. This makes me wonder if we can actually “replace” people. (Can we?)
When I thought about it, it didn’t fit my conscience. I believe and know for a fact that two people cannot be the same no matter how identical their reactions or responses to certain situations may be. I mean this whole idea of wanting to replace someone because they are not there with you anymore is something that does not make sense to me. The role that an individual has played in your life, the way they made you feel, the way you made them feel is and will be very different from your equation and rapport with someone else. I am not limiting this understanding of mine to just romantic relationships, it could be any sort of relationship that humans are capable of sharing with each other. Every human is unique in their own way. We are all a mixture of good and bad; complete acceptance comes with an awareness of this fact. This is what makes my stance on not “replacing” people stronger.
The act of “replacing” someone is an insult to the person who you think is a potential candidate for the replacement. What about their individuality? What about the prospect of distinction that they can bring in your life? Your strongly held schemas will dictate your interactions with them, thus, not allowing you to be surprised by them, by the things and experiences they have to offer you. There is no sense of permanence in the act of substitution; it’s an endless cycle.
Spare yourself and your fellow human from this agony. Learn to let go; not the memories you have of that person, but the idea of being attached to them. Relieve yourself from the unnecessary pain and try opening up to the possibilities for something good, something new.
Self-actualisation, as stated by Abraham Maslow, is a desire to become everything that one is capable of becoming. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, self-actualisation is at the top rung of the pyramid. The apparent explanation for this lies in the fact that self- actualisation can be achieved once all the lower level needs are fulfilled. Now before you jump up and oppose this, let me make it clear that, that debate deserves another article. However, here, I would like to talk more about this desire that Maslow refers to- the desire to be more. Can we actually quantify this desire? What is more? Will that “more” be more after we achieve it? Also, is it logical to define self- actualisation? Subjectively, sure. I mean how else are we supposed to navigate through our individual journeys if we don’t know what actualisation means to us? To me, it all boils down to one’s purpose of existing. As gray and ambiguous as that question is, I think the journey towards self- actualisation requires us to challenge and question everything. By saying that, I am in no way hinting at a rebellion of any sort whatsoever; challenging and questioning your perceived reality. On a personal note, having been indulging myself in this activity, I have come to realise and experience the magnanimity of life. The uncountable fragments of reality that exist around me make me wonder about the possibilities that we have been blessed with, with regards to working on ourselves. Making sense of our existence is something that is going to take years for us to figure out, and I think that’s where the beauty of life lies. It’s going to grind us down, throw us up in all its cryptic ways; almost making us want to give up; but don’t, it’s just a game. Play along; you’ll grow.
Breaking The 4th Wall 