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Franz Kafka said: "Life's splendour forever lies in wait about
each one of us in all its fullness, but veiled from view, deep down, invisible,
far off. It is there though; not hostile, not reluctant, not deaf, If you summon
it by the right word, by its right name, it will come." For a person whose short
stories and novels such as The Trial and The Castle concern extremely troubled
individuals in a nightmarishly impersonal world, That's a pretty tough vision to
develop, much less hold to and nurture. Especially since the Austrian writer
also suffered from clinical depression and social anxiety throughout his entire
life, living through migraines and insomnia and ultimately dying of
tuberculosis.
What's the bet most of us in such a real life Kafkaesque
situation would rapidly tend towards becoming cynics bereft of hope ? After all
, who in their right minds thinks of the sweet uses of adversity ? We would,
instead, quickly begin to see the world through grease tainted glasses and
conclude there was no relief, no respite, no release from such unmitigated
anguish. But Kafka, even though he was indifferent to formal religion, was
influenced by Hasidism, a Jewish mystic movement which places a high value in
transcendent, spiritual experience. It also maintains that all worldly matter is
imbued with a divine spark, and considers negative character traits a hindrance
in one's ability to achieve a bonding with this divinity.
All this made Kafka wonder if there wasn't a joy
lurking somewhere in existence. In fact, it made him sure there was. Thus
although the outward appearance of his work is the portrayal of an enigmatic
absurd reality in which the protagonist is seen as lonely, perplexed and
threatened, there is a deeper unseen magnificence around the person. This
understanding elevated his writing from the merely mundane to the miraculous.
It's a hidden majesty that can manifest itself with
the right directive. Some beckon it with prayer, others through meditation and
some via transpersonal achievement and work. But like Zen, it's not at all
essential to actually summon it by any name or right word. For Kafka it was not
even obligatory to do anything at all. "It is not necessary that you leave the
house, "he wrote. "Remain at your table and listen. Do not even listen, only
wait. Do not even wait, be wholly still and alone. The world will present itself
to you for its unmasking, it can do not other, in ecstasy it will writhe at your
feet." |
