Of Palavers and Siestas

Continuing after the interlude..

Let us go with my definition of palaver for a start: "A idle conversation on a topic of some mild seriousness that is prolonged enough to go through 7 endings."

Serious discussions in life wash out in comparison to the Palavers one has throughout life. The idle chatter, in person, or on phone, when both people are in sync and no ego/bravado is involved is the highest form of communication that has been ever been achieved.

The topic doesn't even matter; it is a way of the soul to wind itself down. The peace and tranquility that follow become transcendent in nature. And quite ironically, it is conversations such as these that steers the mind to discoveries of the human nature and the implications buried in one's own actions.

On Equals

There is no true palaver between complete equals or complete unequals. This is because there is either nothing to talk about or one person becomes the lecturer (wrongly thinking that tis' their burden to pass down timeless wisdom.) It dies the moment preaching starts.

When there is no performative face put on, no audience to please, no hierarchy push-down to continuously drive the talks - that is sweet spot for it. Modernity has turned every conversation into a hierarchy based conversation - for adults atleast - which breaks anything trust based before it has a chance to live.

For true Palaver to exist there has to be usually some kind of imbalance, not of the kind you measure on scales, more of the kind that shifts depending on the way you look. But enough on this though, I do not want to drag on the semantics.

Siestas Are Not Power Naps

Routinely carrying out anything eventually converges to a chronic stress injury of sorts, whether it is work, formal study or any of its kin. The way out is not periodic breaks of sleeping and resting on a couch. That is not what a true siesta is; A true siesta is more along the lines of having time you own. Where one is unburdened by routine and schedules.

Because when you are following a script, even the quite moments become a work of sorts. Have you ever heard about the person saying unemployment feels better than any vacation they have been too (Assuming it was self-willing)?And this leads to the next point..

I am not delusional about people having to work jobs. It is a sad fact of life. The 9-5 bit.

Though that does not make it any less of a stress-over-time to one's physical/mental health.

(People ten thousand years ago had to do physical labour of no more than 4-6 hours on usual days - they gave more preference to leisure, as non-conforming as their idea of it may seem to many today - today we work more than hunter gatherers did despite our comforts - Siestas were a fact of life then; not optional luxuries).

Back to the regularly scheduled program: A true siesta is free of such time based impositions. It is when you are truly free from obligations that you really get to meet your true self. A time off that actually means something to the soul. An experience some got to have, fortunately or otherwise during the pandemic layoffs. It is also similar to the type of fun that one has when one goes on an unexpected flaneuring as planning ruins one-half of most outings.

Balance Is Of Two Kinds

A persons thoughts and life is not supposed to be balanced between these two. Not some of this and some of that like scales of justice balancing out.

Similarly having too much of the isolation on one hand leads to pathological paranoia that mutates further into some other sicknesses of the mind and too much of the 'tawk' cheapens it and leads to some twisted form of emotional dependency and degenerate back-biting.

The Balance is supposed to be an oscillation between the two; with intervals random and natural. Let the world decide along with you.

A Good Palaver Soothes and the Occasional-yet-Prolonged Siesta Invigorates a Mind

Sharpening a knife is an over used metaphor but there is a second part to it called deburring/stropping i.e. polishing it and straightening it up. A Palaver, without ego brushing that needs to be mulled over in the rested mind, is what makes a Siesta. I  can not make it simpler than this.

Finding the right person is just spectacular to have these long palavers with - with the added blessing of time enough.

A friend, a Partner, who have you. Finding them is a one in 10,000 shot though because the more educated a society gets, the less erudition there is in proportion to the ratio. Filtering was perhaps easier in times past. I have had this luck multiple times; life changes and people 'rotate'. Along side this being blessed with unstressed time that I have had in order to live what I write now. For that I thank fortune et ma mere.

Thankyou for reading! Valete!