On peace of mind.

I have the tendency of being especially fond of some pieces of literature, music or films that dig pretty deep into the dark side of things, of our inner fears, our inner repressed sexual instincts and feelings of self worth.

Accidentally (or not ;)) I had a week-end that blended re-reading "Lunes de fiel" by Pascal Bruckner with watching Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut". In between the exploration of the insane journey from love to masochism and mental torture and that of a seemingly lucid trip into the decays of sexuality I came across the question: why am I fond of these books, movies, and songs after all?

They say that “Ignorance is the night of the mind, a night without moon or star” (Confucius) and I was so afraid of the dark, the night inside and the night outside ever since I can remember. So, long ago, I decided that the only means of finding peace is to get to know, see, understand and fear no more the night within and around me.

There are plenty of explorations that occurred, plenty of experiments and self inflicted pain at times by I know for sure that my peace now is not the quietness of ignorance but the very core of calmness amidst all storms and dark clouds that might be around.

For I believe that to know peace, you must have seen the torments and to know the light you must have been in the dark. For I believe that to make choices you must know both sides of the coin and to keep you choices you must have your eyes open and your mind sharp. For no state of facts is a static everlasting equilibrium but a dynamic system that we must balance at all times by making our choices again, and again, and again.

On Eyes Wide Shut: "If you have ever thought of what role sex plays in your relationship, and what love and commitment really mean, you will understand this film. If you have ever considered what the difference between love and sex is, you will understand this film. If you have ever truly felt lust, you will understand this film. Be prepared to think."

On "Lunes de fiel" the movie by Roman Polansky based on Pascal Bruckner's book: "Look beyond the titillation. In the end, this is a story about the boundaries of love and how easy we can flip between the two emotions. Sadism and masochism, and how seemingly ordinary people can be drawn into fetishes. [...] Love, hate, bitterness and laughter co-exist in this odd tale filled with excellent character studies. I rather enjoyed the study of human failure, of the symbiosis of love and hate that can exist in passion and both repressed and exuberant sexuality."