I was reading John Berger’s About Looking. The essay about the painting of Seker Ahmed – ‘The Woodcutter and the Jungle’ talks about the crosslinking of cultures because he talks about the presence of time and distance to self by comparing it to Heideigger’s papers. If you have time do read it.

But the actual thing that I want to talk about is the idea to write about things. Berger must have linked these things, encountered, stimulated, haunted as he says it and then he starts to write so that it can form a bridge to his mind and sensitivity and the world. I think by the world he means himself.

Since I completed the graphic book series Locke and Key and the TV Series, one thing has constantly haunted me, Berger showed me the path.

So what is that attracts us to these kinds of stories which are full of fantastical events, that can cause the annihilation fo the human race or the world… because the world basically if we look at a deeper level is for humans. The idea is that every story that I have encountered in past years about the total annihilation of the human race talks about only one thing –

the fear of the human race. Insecurity to be very frank.

We as humans are very insecure about our position in the universe. About our place in the grand scheme. We know a lot. Have accumulated a lot of information but that rather than signifying our place amidst this chaos had led us to wander in this deep mystery.

As the historical significance talks, we became the top predator of the food chain in just 10000 years. Unlike other species of living beings, which took millions of years and so they became adjusted to this. But we as humans were not able to do that. this is the reason we are always fearful about our survival… we always are nervous that we will be replaced by something more powerful.

Now as we have conquered almost everything in this world- disease, science, all ohter animals but what more? What can cause us harm – Dinosaurs? We did it in Jurassic Park. Aliens, we have seen lots of movies and books where aliens come and attack us… and then we save our ass. Magical creatures which have tremendous powers but we still defeat us.

What all these ‘enemies’ of humans have in common is that they have tremendous powers against us- powers which are kind of mystery to us – Aliens have scientific advancements that we have not thought have, and magic has always been a mystery to us…

And second thing which these enemies have in common is that they are ugly in a sense– they create this sense of fear in us. Why this? I have been asking this question and it seems we never show ‘beauty’ as harming us. It is always the bad-looking demons.

But then we make everything right… we make things right and everything returns to normal. All these stories are coming out of response to our fear of the unknown and potential enemies whom we can’t control. That is why the multiverse.

Also : Notes on TAR | Cate Blanchett | EkChaupal