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Visvavatan: 100 Demilitarization Sonnets

Book by Abhijit Naskar · 14 quotes · Humanist, Humanitarian, Peace Activist

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Visvavatan: 100 Demilitarization Sonnets Quotes

“World Gospel (The Sonnet) So long as there is selfishness, There is no Christmas. So long as there is occupation, There is no Hanukkah. So long as there is cruelty, There is no Ramadan. Till we end militant atheism, There is no Humanism. Till you conquer superstition, There is no Diwali. So long as there is division, There is no Vaisakhi. So long as there is inequality, There is no Fourth of July. Till we abolish hate from earth, At half mast all flags must fly.”

“Letter to My Soldiers I am only the beginning - the beginning of a new kind of humans - humans who belong to not one culture, but many cultures - humans who speak not one language, but many languages - humans who study scriptures and science with equal enthusiasm, yet pledge allegiance to neither, and know how to use both in the benefit of humanity - humans who aim for neither belief nor disbelief, but warmth and understanding - humans who are more concerned with the real hard problem of inhumanity, than the outdated hard problem of consciousness - humans who sacrifice their life treating the real hard question of hate, rather than the mythical hard question of god. I am only the beginning - the first spark, if you may - the best are yet to come.”

“I don't write on multiculturalism, I am multiculturalism. The only nationalism I care about, is tribalism ending multinationalism. Either you'll know me as a national hero of every nation, or you won't know me at all. So long as a single human calls me foreigner, I'll conclude, I've achieved nothing at all.”

“The biggest requirement of learning is to know your limits of the moment. Let me elaborate with an example. Alongside my mainstream works, I have wanted to create complete works in turkish and spanish for several years. And few years back, with my rather limited experiential understanding of both languages, I even took it upon myself to do so, but I got stuck on the very first page. Why? Because it is one thing to pen occasional gems in another language, and totally different to release an entire work in that language. I was ready at heart, but not at brain. So, instead of writing whole works in these languages, I simply made turkish and spanish a joyful addition to my mainstream work - however the original linguistic and cultural intention kept reflecting in the titles of works, such as Aşkanjali, The Gentalist, Gente Mente Adelante, Mucize Insan and so on. It was not until late 2023 that my brain finally caught up with my heart, and delivered the first complete original turkish and spanish Naskarean works to the world. Know your strongholds, they'll take you far. Know your shortfalls, they'll take you farther. Strongholds help you enhance your predominant capacities, whereas shortfalls help you unfold new possibilities - they help you unfold new vistas of human endeavor.”

“Failing to be American (The Sonnet) I've tried to rekindle the American sentiment of my early days of writing, but in vain. Once you wake up to the vastness of the world, it is impossible to revert to the tribal lane. I broke into the world scene as a westerner but, Naskar the American writer exists no longer. Today Naskar is but an Earth philosopher, There is only Naskar the Earth reformer. In the early years when I wrote on America, I used to write as an American writer. Today when I write on any nation, I write as an Earth writer. The whole world is my diary, I am the world's destiny. Try as they might to maintain prejudice, I am the line between humanity and nationality.”

“I am Multiculturalism (The Sonnet) I don't write on multiculturalism, I am multiculturalism. The only nationalism I care about, is tribalism ending multinationalism. I can't do it no more - I can't! One little language is enough no more! I gotta be the Himalayas in every language, I gotta be the Himalayas in every culture. Either you'll know me as a national hero of every nation, or you won't know me at all. So long as a single human calls me foreigner, I'll conclude, I've achieved nothing at all.”

“Stateless Sonnet Some dreams are too big for a town, Some dreams are too big for a city. My dream was too big for one country, So I stood up and engulfed humanity. I am too alive to be bound by ideology, I am too human to be bound by border. Too civilized to pledge flagly allegiance, I am the ultimate geopolitical defector. In poetry I am sufi, In philosophy I am advaitin. In duty I am scientist, In existence I am human. I am a civilized human being, I don't exist to impress governments. I'm a being with heart, brain 'n backbone, I'm the stateless force of world upliftment.”