TLDR;
This YouTube video features a collection of philosophical short stories and poems exploring themes of madness, truth, societal norms, and the search for meaning. The speaker shares personal reflections and allegorical tales that question conventional wisdom and celebrate individuality.
- The video explores the speaker's journey to embracing madness as a form of freedom and security.
- It questions the nature of truth and the importance of solitude in self-discovery.
- The stories critique societal expectations and the suppression of individuality.
- The video touches on themes of love, loss, and the search for meaning in a world of conformity.
How I Became Crazy [0:04]
The speaker recounts how he became "crazy" after his face masks, representing fake identities, were stolen. Running faceless through the streets, he was met with laughter and fear. When the sun touched his bare face for the first time, he felt love and no longer needed the masks. He thanked the thieves, finding freedom in his madness, which provided both the freedom of being alone and the security of not being understood.
The Holy Mountain [2:08]
The speaker describes a series of encounters with God on a holy mountain, spanning thousands of years. Initially, he approaches God as a servant, then as a creation, and finally as a son, but receives no response. Only when he sees himself and God as interconnected, like a root and a flower growing together, does God respond, absorbing him. Upon descending the mountain, he realizes God is everywhere.
Pretense is Just a Garment [4:18]
The speaker explains that his outward appearance is a pretense, a garment to protect himself and others. The true self lives in silence and remains distant. He doesn't want others to believe his words or actions, as they are merely reflections of their own thoughts and desires. He prefers solitude, especially in understanding the ocean, and wants to remain alone in the dark.
Ascend to Your Heaven, I Descend to My Hell [6:23]
The speaker contrasts his path with that of others, stating that when others ascend to heaven, he descends to hell. He cherishes his hell and doesn't want others to see it, as the fire would burn their eyes. He acknowledges that others love truth, beauty, and goodness, but he laughs at their love in his heart, preferring to laugh alone.
You Are Not My Friend [7:39]
The speaker admits to being crazy but hiding his madness, wanting to be crazy alone. He states that others are not his friends, but struggles to explain why. Though their paths differ, they walk together hand in hand.
The Bijuka [8:36]
The speaker recounts a conversation with a Bijuka (scarecrow) who finds pleasure in scaring others. The Bijuka claims that only those filled with straw can understand this joy. A year later, the speaker finds crows nesting under the Bijuka's hat, now a thinker.
The Sleepwalking Woman and Her Daughter [9:41]
In the speaker's birthplace, a mother and daughter are found sleepwalking in their garden. They express resentment and animosity towards each other, revealing hidden conflicts. Upon waking, they revert to loving roles, highlighting the contrast between their subconscious and conscious feelings.
The Wise Dog and the Cats [11:00]
A wise dog observes cats praying for a rain of rats. The dog laughs, knowing that prayers and faith typically bring a rain of bones, not mice, based on his and his ancestors' experiences.
The Two Hermits [12:13]
Two hermits who worship God and love each other decide to separate due to an evil ghost entering the heart of the elder ascetic. They argue over their only possession, an earthen pot. The elder ascetic insists on dividing it, but when the younger suggests breaking it, the elder becomes angry and accuses him of cowardice.
The Valley Full of Sleep [14:23]
A man with a valley full of sleep is asked by Jesus' mother for a needle to stitch her son's clothes. Instead of giving her the needle, he engages her in a long discussion on giving and taking, intending for her to share it with her son.
The Seven Forms [15:10]
The speaker's seven forms, representing different aspects of himself, gather and begin to rebel against their roles. These forms include the crazy man, the happy version, the one in love, the embodiment of dark fire, the thinker, the laborer, and the one who does nothing. The seventh form questions whether it should protest, leading the others to embrace the new morning in sadness.
The Thief and the Weaver [18:39]
A one-eyed thief seeks justice from a weaver after losing his eye in the weaver's shop. The prince decides that one of the weaver's eyes should be put out. The weaver suggests taking the eye of his neighbor, a cobbler, as he doesn't need both eyes for his work, leading to a twisted form of justice.
The Fox and the Camel [20:14]
A fox, seeing his reflection at sunrise, declares he will eat a camel. After searching all morning, he lowers his expectations, stating even a mouse would suffice, illustrating the adjustment of ambitions based on reality.
The Well in the City of Desolation [20:44]
In a distant city, a witch poisons the well, causing madness to anyone who drinks from it, except the king and his officer. The people, considering the king mad, want to remove him. The king then drinks from the well, along with his officer, restoring their sanity and filling the city with joy.
The Weaver, the Woodcutter, and the Ploughman [22:30]
A weaver, a woodcutter, and a ploughman meet at a liquor shop, each celebrating their earnings from death-related services. They spend lavishly, bringing joy to the shop owner and his wife, who wish for such prosperity every day so their son wouldn't have to work in the shop.
The Angel and the Devil [24:15]
The speaker recounts discovering a new pleasure, which attracts an angel and a devil who argue over its morality, one calling it a crime and the other praising it as good work.
The Language of the World [24:46]
The speaker reflects on his early life, where he expressed his true feelings but was misunderstood because he spoke the language of the world he came from. Even as a baby, he criticized his cradle and the taste of milk, and later questioned religious and astrological predictions, but no one understood him until he forgot that language himself.
The Pomegranate Seeds [27:22]
The speaker overhears pomegranate seeds discussing their futures. One dreams of becoming a big tree, while others express doubt and uncertainty. Unable to bear the cacophony of voices, the speaker leaves for the quieter company of vines.
The Lion and the Bird [29:14]
The speaker's father keeps a lion and a bird in cages. The bird, which doesn't know how to sing, greets the lion every morning as "prisoner brother."
The Ants on the Nose [29:42]
Three ants on a sleeping man's nose discuss their surroundings. One ant claims they are on the nose of a supreme, infinite ant. The others laugh, but the man moves, scratching his nose and crushing the ants.
The Gravedigger [31:11]
While burying an old soul, the speaker is told by the gravedigger that he is the most liked because he comes and goes laughing, unlike others who cry.
The Woman on the White Steps [31:50]
The speaker recalls seeing a woman on the white steps of a temple, sitting between two men, one with a pale face and the other with a red face.
The City of Religious People [32:12]
The speaker searches for a city where everyone believes in religion. Upon finding it, he discovers that all the inhabitants have only one eye and one hand, having removed the other to avoid sin, based on a literal interpretation of religious text. The speaker leaves, unable to conform to this extreme interpretation.
The Good God and the Bad God [35:43]
The good God and the bad God meet. The bad God is upset because people mistake him for the good God, treating him with kindness. The good God responds that people also mistake him for the bad God. The bad God leaves in anger, calling humans stupid.
Defeat, My Defeat [36:40]
The speaker personifies defeat, valuing it more than victories and worldly honor. Defeat reveals youthfulness, the ability to run fast, and the happiness of being disliked and misunderstood. It is a shining sword and shield, teaching that to rule is to become a slave and to be understood is to become the same.
I Am Like You, O Night [39:09]
The speaker compares himself to the night, embracing darkness, silence, and solitude. He contrasts himself with those who still seek companionship or are burdened by pain and longing. He identifies with the night's harshness, passion, and the weight of history, ultimately questioning if the listener can truly be like him.
I Saw a Face [42:48]
The speaker describes seeing various faces, some with hidden ugliness beneath a shine, others with beauty revealed upon removing the shine. He sees old faces with nothing and smooth faces with everything written on them, claiming to see the real by crossing the net made by his eyes.
My Soul and I Went to Bathe in the Big Ocean [43:42]
The speaker and his soul search for a hidden place to bathe in the ocean, encountering various individuals: one throwing salt, another sugar, one returning dead fish to the water, one making shadows, one filling sea foam in a bowl, and one listening to the sea with his back turned. Each is deemed unsuitable. Finally, they find a man with his head buried in the sand, but the soul warns that he is the most dangerous because he sees the truth, leading them to abandon their search.
Crucify Me [47:16]
The speaker asks to be crucified, and the people oblige. Hanging between the ground and sky, he is questioned about his motives. He responds that he was thirsty for their blood, that his wounds might speak, and that he sought the big sky. He leaves like others who have been crucified, stating that they must be crucified with more people between the big earth and sky.
The Blind Man [49:32]
The speaker encounters a blind man, considered the wisest in the country, who claims to be a knower of stars. The blind man says he sees all the suns, moons, and stars within himself.
My Brother, Mountain and Sister Ocean [50:21]
The speaker describes being between his brother, the mountain, and his sister, the ocean, united in loneliness. Their love is deep, strong, and strange, surpassing the ocean's water, the mountain's strength, and the speaker's madness. They remain young and restless, longing for connection.
The Grass Leaf and the Autumn Leaf [51:40]
A grass leaf complains about the noise of a falling autumn leaf, which disrupts its winter dreams. The autumn leaf scorns the grass leaf's grounded existence. In spring, the autumn leaf becomes a grass leaf and repeats the same complaint when autumn returns.
The Eye, the Ear, the Hand, and the Snake [53:20]
The eye sees a beautiful mountain hidden in the blue mist, but the ear cannot hear it, the hand cannot feel it, and the snake cannot smell it. The others dismiss the eye's perception, suggesting something is wrong with the eye itself.
The Two Wise Men [54:13]
In the city of Afkar, two wise men who hate each other's understanding argue about the existence of God. One evening, the non-believer prays for forgiveness in the temple, while the believer burns his holy books, becoming a non-believer himself.
When My Grief Was Born [55:24]
The speaker describes nurturing his grief with love, which grew strong and beautiful, bringing a strange happiness. He and his sorrow loved each other and the world, their language sweet, their songs deep, and their presence admired. But when his sorrow died, he was left alone, his words heavy, his songs unheard, and his presence unnoticed.
When My Happiness Was Born [57:42]
The speaker shouts from the roof about the birth of his happiness, but no one comes to see it. He and his happiness remain alone, and his happiness turns pale and dies of loneliness. He only remembers his dead happiness when he remembers his dead sorrow.
God of the Forgotten People [59:03]
The speaker addresses the God of the forgotten people, lamenting his existence among a perfect race where everything is complete, clean, and orderly. He feels shattered and incomplete, questioning why he is among them, a green seed of unfulfilled desire, a crazy storm, a stray piece of a burnt world.