Rocking in the Free World

The first fleeting taste of Japan felt like the answer to some unspoken question. For through whatever curious affinities propel us towards people or places we have never met, I have always been powerfully drawn towards Japan. Ever since boyhood, I had only to glimpse a Hokusai print of peasants huddled under driving rain, or to enter the cold beauty of a Kawabata novel, to feel a shock of penetrating recognition.

…..And though I knew almost nothing about Japan and had never had the chance to study it, I felt mysteriously close to the place…..

From afar, Japan feld like an unacknowledged home.

Reading through these lines of Pico Iyer’s from his book, The Lady and the Monk, I couldn’t help but feel goosebumps at how precisely he had encapsulated the feelings he felt towards a place he had never been to before. I confess that I feel the same way, albeit about a different place.

The very thought of being attracted to some place on earth towards which you have no reason to be connected to is quite irrational, but it is wonderful when someone else shares this very feeling of irrationality.

The same goes for people too, the only difference is that you have to meet, and in your first few interactions with them, you know for certain that you’ve made a friend for life. True, the probability of getting along with people depends entirely on the type of person you are, but what I am referring to is the instant connection that you can make with a select few, that results in a life-time of friendship.

I seldom quote on posts, but this one was totally worth it. I have read half the book, and I recommend it highly. But don’t take my word for how good it is, pick it up and knock yourself out!