(no subject)
so i figured most of THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING
i think the political discussion is mostly discussing the context and adds to the heaviness and the need for lightness.
I know what the meaning of life is. At least I'd like to think so. I'd like to believe that some of my thoughts can give answers about "why we are here". I am totally willing to acknowledge my limitations. However I can't even begin to put a finger on what my ideas answer specifically about life. Milan Kundra narrowed down some philosophies that explore the essence of being. At first I really hated this book and his abstract philosophies that I thought were meant to defend his infidelities I clearly didn’t relate to. The characters are really crazy and there's a ton of sex. Just when I started thinking of Kundra as a pervert, I began to understand how the character's behavior created parallels between two worlds; light and heavy. The extreme characterization creates a larger contrast between lightness and heaviness. However, it wasn't till two hundred pages into the book when Kundra explained the connection between his work and his wife that forces him to explore the "unbearable lightness of being" to escape the politics that surround him.
Early on in the book Kundera mentions Nieztches's idea of eternal return and the "heaviest of burdens" (pg. 5). He relates this idea of heaviness to Tomas's relationship with Teresa. There is something real and truthful about the heavy burden he carries for the compassion he shows to Teresa. With the compassion he lives with her misfortunes, pain, happiness and joy. Each emotion is codependent of the other. This reminds me of developing one's pallot. Without suffering through a terrible meal with somone, an individual may never understand the happiness of a truly delicious meal. This heaviness and truth that he finds in his relationship with his wife would never be realized if it weren't for his experience with the lightness he tries to create in his life.
Tomas's sexcapades with many women are related to the lightness that he discusses at the beginning of the book. Further into the story he elaborates on his perspective of his own affairs. "He was not obsessed with women; he was obsessed with what in each of them is unimaginablem obsessed, in other words, with the one-million part that makes a woman disimialr to others of her sex"(pg 215). The women were sex objects excluded from his "sphere of love" and "poetic memory". Tomas and his lovers didn't want happiness. They seeked the lightness of pleasure without the heaviness of happiness.
The burden of committment to the instiutions in his life become very difficult, and help explain his infidelities. On one hand Tomas has a strong comittment to his work and his wife. Part of his devotion to his work involves seeing many "bodies" in which he fixes. Part of his descipline and fidelity to his job is directly related to his need to escape into the lightness from the heavyness of his relationship with his wife. However, as he becomes more politcally involved he abandons his "vow of fidelity" to his job as well when he becomes a window washer. The more intense the politics get, the more Tomas needs to escape into the "unbearable lightness of being". Though certainly when both of them move away, he realizes how difficult it will be to get his fix of lightness living outside of prague, away from all the drama.
Everyone seems to have their weaknesses as well as their escapes. For some an escape may be piece of chocolate or a favorite reality television show. There is also many elements that are strengths within ourselves that make up the more heavy and truthful part of my life. Though these aspects are at opposite sides of a spectrum, they still make up part of our being. Like I said, I didn't care for the characters at first. However as I grew to understand the messages and parallels of being, the more I learned to love the ideas instead of the characters.
Lightness as an escape his infidelities
Fedelity and heavyness in work. seeing many patients/ bodies part of his fidelity to his work.
infidelity lightness escaping from work and the heavyness and truth found in his life (wife work, politics)
unbearable lightness of being allows him to escape the threat of death as his name became mor wrappped up in politics.
i think the political discussion is mostly discussing the context and adds to the heaviness and the need for lightness.
I know what the meaning of life is. At least I'd like to think so. I'd like to believe that some of my thoughts can give answers about "why we are here". I am totally willing to acknowledge my limitations. However I can't even begin to put a finger on what my ideas answer specifically about life. Milan Kundra narrowed down some philosophies that explore the essence of being. At first I really hated this book and his abstract philosophies that I thought were meant to defend his infidelities I clearly didn’t relate to. The characters are really crazy and there's a ton of sex. Just when I started thinking of Kundra as a pervert, I began to understand how the character's behavior created parallels between two worlds; light and heavy. The extreme characterization creates a larger contrast between lightness and heaviness. However, it wasn't till two hundred pages into the book when Kundra explained the connection between his work and his wife that forces him to explore the "unbearable lightness of being" to escape the politics that surround him.
Early on in the book Kundera mentions Nieztches's idea of eternal return and the "heaviest of burdens" (pg. 5). He relates this idea of heaviness to Tomas's relationship with Teresa. There is something real and truthful about the heavy burden he carries for the compassion he shows to Teresa. With the compassion he lives with her misfortunes, pain, happiness and joy. Each emotion is codependent of the other. This reminds me of developing one's pallot. Without suffering through a terrible meal with somone, an individual may never understand the happiness of a truly delicious meal. This heaviness and truth that he finds in his relationship with his wife would never be realized if it weren't for his experience with the lightness he tries to create in his life.
Tomas's sexcapades with many women are related to the lightness that he discusses at the beginning of the book. Further into the story he elaborates on his perspective of his own affairs. "He was not obsessed with women; he was obsessed with what in each of them is unimaginablem obsessed, in other words, with the one-million part that makes a woman disimialr to others of her sex"(pg 215). The women were sex objects excluded from his "sphere of love" and "poetic memory". Tomas and his lovers didn't want happiness. They seeked the lightness of pleasure without the heaviness of happiness.
The burden of committment to the instiutions in his life become very difficult, and help explain his infidelities. On one hand Tomas has a strong comittment to his work and his wife. Part of his devotion to his work involves seeing many "bodies" in which he fixes. Part of his descipline and fidelity to his job is directly related to his need to escape into the lightness from the heavyness of his relationship with his wife. However, as he becomes more politcally involved he abandons his "vow of fidelity" to his job as well when he becomes a window washer. The more intense the politics get, the more Tomas needs to escape into the "unbearable lightness of being". Though certainly when both of them move away, he realizes how difficult it will be to get his fix of lightness living outside of prague, away from all the drama.
Everyone seems to have their weaknesses as well as their escapes. For some an escape may be piece of chocolate or a favorite reality television show. There is also many elements that are strengths within ourselves that make up the more heavy and truthful part of my life. Though these aspects are at opposite sides of a spectrum, they still make up part of our being. Like I said, I didn't care for the characters at first. However as I grew to understand the messages and parallels of being, the more I learned to love the ideas instead of the characters.
Lightness as an escape his infidelities
Fedelity and heavyness in work. seeing many patients/ bodies part of his fidelity to his work.
infidelity lightness escaping from work and the heavyness and truth found in his life (wife work, politics)
unbearable lightness of being allows him to escape the threat of death as his name became mor wrappped up in politics.