Floating minds and flirting eyes

Riddle: Swings by his thigh/a thing most magical/below the belt/beneath the folds/of his clothes it hangs/a hole in its end,/stiff-set and stout/it swivels about./Leveling the head/of this hanging tool,/its wielder hoists his hem/above his knee;/it is his will to fill/a well-known hole/that it fits fully/when at full length./He's oft filled it before/Now he fills it again./What is it?

When minds tend to float, we are provoked into flirting - not necessarily, man with woman or woman with man. It can even be, and often is, thought with thought.

However, floating and flirting thoughts are fleeting by nature; and is hardly harmful. I am sure many of my readers would have let their minds float to sundry thoughts in search of an answer to the riddle above. The answer of course is very simple, and straightforward: It is 'A Key'.

Riddle

This sly little riddle distracts one with a sexual analogy, but the key phrase "it swivels about" is a clue that the apparent answer is not the right one. Proof that, when one lets the mind drift, and as a result does not remain focused; the reality is not perceptible; nor perceivable; or evident.

Riddle: Voiceless it cries,/Wingless it flutters,/Toothless it bites,/Mouthless it mutters./What is it?

Here the reader is able to remain focused, and hence, the answer is more obvious: It is 'The wind'. Given that the two riddles are essentially different in nature - the former, encouraging the mind to wander; and the latter, enabling it to remain focused; what is it that triggers the mind one way or the other.

What makes the mind to float and flirt? In other words, why does the mind wander? According to Prof Daniel M. Wegner of the University of Virginia, "The mind wanders. Ideally, it does not wander so far that it forgets it is reading this. But consciousness does have an inevitable drift, changing its contents moment by moment.

"The focus seems to move relentlessly, shimmering and fidgeting no matter how hard we may try to concentrate on a thought, preserve an image, or otherwise freeze the instant.

"Not only does it seem quite impossible to -hold a particular thought or percept fully in mind for an indefinite period, it also seems futile to attempt to keep consciousness away from a chosen target by fixing our minds on something else. Consciousness simply cannot hold itself still." Thus, it seems mind wandering is a natural phenomenon - unless of course, we have trained in the art of concentration, such as through meditation.

Mind wandering is similar to, but not the same thing as daydreaming. Daydreaming refers to any stray thoughts, fantasies, or stories one might imagine: such as winning the lottery, or becoming a famous movie star. We are conscious of doing it.

The term mind wandering is more specific. When we are doing one task and then fade into thinking about something not related to that task, we refer to it as mind wandering. There are, in fact, two kinds of mind wandering: mind wandering when you are aware that you are thinking about something else; and, mind wandering without awareness.

The second kind is called "zoning out." Mind wandering can be a good or bad thing, depending upon the circumstance. For instance, when it allows one to keep important goals in mind while attending to other things, it is good. Much of the time when our mind wanders, we are 'zoning out' and are not aware of it.

That is when it can be bad; for then, we become unproductive. Researchers, however, say a wandering mind may be important to setting goals, making discoveries, and living a balanced life.

I am going to do my best to hold your attention until the very last word of this column. Actually, I know it is futile. Along the way, your mind will wander off, then return, then drift away again. Mind wandering is not necessarily the sign of a boring column.

It is just, one of the things that make us human; and I am assuming that we Sri Lankans are all human - irrespective of the behaviour of those who habitually spend time in the building in the midst of the Diyawanna Oya, who make us think otherwise. Hence, having a floating mind is natural.

However, apart from a floating mind, we are endowed by nature, by genetic inheritance, with flirting eyes - a more than speciality of the Lankans, a delicacy in fact.

Flirting is a basic instinct, part of human nature.

This is not surprising: if we did not initiate contact and express interest in members of the opposite sex, we would not progress to reproduction, and the human species would become extinct.

We Sri Lankans will never come to that stage, given the fact that we have increased our population two and a half fold since independence. Perhaps, it is the only worthwhile progress achieved -that too, through the initiative of the masses and not the asses.

Flirting is the very foundation of our civilisation. Think what might have happened if Kueni did not possess such trait.

Where would we go to find the lion race? For us, flirting is much more than just a bit of fun: it is a universal and essential aspect of our interaction. Flirting must have been a part of our culture from the time of even before Ravana.

Intelligence

According to some evolutionary psychologists, the large human brain - our superior intelligence, complex language, everything that distinguishes us from animals - is the equivalent of the peacock's tail: a courtship device evolved to attract and retain sexual partners; and our achievements in everything from art to rocket science may be merely a side effect of the essential ability to charm. If that be so, the wonder of wonders is that some Sri Lankans manage to do this flirting even though they act as though, and therefore seem, not to possess any brain.

Light-hearted flirtation is both harmless and enjoyable. However, like every other human activity, flirting is governed by a complex set of unwritten laws of etiquette.

These rules dictate where, when, with whom and in what manner we flirt. We generally obey these unofficial laws instinctively, without being conscious of doing so. But, not for Sri Lankans are such laws.

When even constitutionally valid written laws are not adhered to, and gain no respect from us, what say of unwritten laws of etiquette. Our flirting eyes lead us into a free for all, anytime anywhere, kind of situation.

In fact, chatting up a widow at her husband's funeral, for example, would be thought of as nothing inappropriate, and would not be cause for serious distress or anger.

We show no respect, nor exercise a degree of caution with people who are married or attached.

This applies more to men than to women. So much so, I believe the original Casanova must have originated from good old Lanka.Unlike what many people tend to think, Casanova is not actually a fictional word. Instead, Don Juan is. Casanova really is the name of a person, whereas Don Juan is actually just a legend.

The word Casanova originally stemmed from the name of one man - Gian Giacamo Girolamo Casanova who lived from 1725 to 1798. Casanova was well known for his ability to use his good looks, his guile and his charm to seduce women into doing what he wanted them to do, and becoming involved with him. He sometimes used even aggression to gain the control and trust of many women. The word has evolved to mean a man who is amorously and gallantly attentive to women; or a promiscuous man; a philanderer.

Fate

As is the case with Kueni, just imagine what might have been the fate of Lanka if Ravana had the traits of Casanova.

He could have seduced Seetha, instead of abducting her, and thus avoided the invasion by Rama and his horde of monkeys. But then, nations like men have its own destiny. Our destiny seems to be: the masses, for ever choosing asses.

See you this day next week. Until then, keep thinking; keep laughing. Life is mostly about these two activities.

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