SUBSTANCE OR SUBTEXT: it helps to know the difference

Substance is the core matter around us, the undeniable, unshakable things that exist in all their glory or unglory (is that even a word?) - for example a chair would be substance, so would a person.

Subtext are the labels we attach to substance, our opinions, our feelings and thoughts that we associate with substances around us. For instance, the chair (substance) may be refered to as a comfy lounge chair, or that ugly dump your husband insists on having that you can't wait to get rid of (and believe me you have tried spilling drinks on it, giving it a good beating in the hope the leather would split, all to no avail!). They both are the same substances, both are chairs, but we choose to see them differently based on their merits or demerits as seen by us.

We do they same with people, give them subtexts based on our associations with them. We label them and choose to talk about them entirely in subtexts because thats how we see them- completely ignoring or oblivious to the fact that  it is really only our opinion of them, which incidently, could be uninformed, misplaced or misjudged. And why do we do that? Because its infinitely more interesting, makes for a good narrative. We also do it because we don't want to acknowledge the substance behind the subtext, the substance perhaps is no diffrenet from us, its too close to home and that makes us a tad uncomfortable. Its easier to hide behind subtexts then to acknowledge the substance. But we do need to know where to draw the line on subtexts or to atleast attempt to understand the difference. Was it Democritus who said, " All that exists is atoms and space, eveything else is opinion"?  I couldn't agree more.   

And talking of chairs, here's a few not-so-conventional ones!

BEAUTY OF BARE BRICKWORK

Over the years spanning architectural design, a lot has been said and written about bare brickwork walls in interiors - rural, rustic, contemplated negligence, industrial -  and its prevalence in domestic interiors is nothing new - brickwork and artisans of bricklaying were highly sought and indeed travelled far and wide for their appointments as recent as last century. Back then bricklaying wasn't just relegated to being rural and rustic, some of the finest buildings were designed and built using beautiful brick and stone works -but like all forms of art that require hard labour of love, patience and precision, sadly its a dying art - I cannot imagine any young adult taking it up as a form of livelihood today.

One of the things I love about the villa we are fortunate enough to call our home in Abu Dhabi is its long entrance foyer with bare stonewalls. Granted it is reconstituted stone (ground stone, pigmented with colour and shaped into different sized bricks) but the effect is just as amazing.  I particularly love the effect at night when the ceiling spot lights are on - the light bounces off the uneven stones creating shadows and mystery along the long foyer and just beyond, through the clear sliding doors the shimmering water of the pool reflects on stones giving them a beautiful serene aqua hue. I know I will miss this villa if we move from this place - which is a dreaded possibility in the near future. It's funny how you start seeing everything with renewed vigor as soon as you know it won't be there for long - same for people in our lives, we take them for granted way too much, I think - always disillusioned into believing they will be there forever. Every day lived well and every person in our lives is truly a blessing. If only we knew how to appreciate it when we have it, wouldn't we be eternally happy?

Post Script (8 hours later) - After writing this blog I went to Dubai to get a few things my daughter needed for her school production next week. Driving back (its an hour long drive from Abu Dhabi ) this song by Passenger came on the radio "you only know you been high when you are feeling low, only miss the sun when it starts to snow, only need the light when its burning low, only know you love her when you let her go..." and I thought to myself, how bizarre - that was exactly my train of thought this morning when I was writing the blog! so I had to share this song - such a lovely, potent message, don't you agree?