In the Hot Unconscious

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 30; the thirtieth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

It was close to sun set. The waves came and went maintaining a regular rhythm like the melodies of a musical instrument. The orange hues of the setting sun blended with the bright blue of the water and golden yellow of the sand to produce a whole palette of different colors. Children played blissfully on the sand. Lovers walked hand in hand enjoying the comfort of each other’s touch and that of the gentle sea breeze. As I stood there gazing I felt one with the sea, the breeze, the sands and the sun.

Darkness was slowly consuming the sun savoring it bit by bit. The sea kept reaching out with its tendrils in search of an unsuspecting victim to draw into its depth. The children running around aimlessly reminded me of the purposeless rat races in the world. From a distance a foul stench wafted by. Probably the carcass of a dead gull lay rotting somewhere. The meaningless to and fro motion of the sea reminded of the purposelessness of human existence.

Both the above paragraphs describe the same scene. But the glasses through which they are seen are totally different. Most nature poets and writers of travelogue tend to take the first approach. Normal scenery is romanticized and raised to a high pedestal. A person who might have found the scene pretty mundane when experienced by himself may find it much more elevating when reading the accounts of such writers. But then there are also cynics who take the opposite approach and can make even a beautiful experience dark and gloomy for the reader. Charles Foster takes the second approach in his book ’In the hot unconscious’

This book is an account of the author’s journey through India and his spiritual journey accompanying the physical journey. The example of the sea is relevant in the context of this book as well.  The book begins and ends by sea shores in Southern India. The author tries to find a fusion between the practical Western religion and the mystical Eastern religion though this account. So he starts off by talking about the journey of Saint Thomas to India through the southern seas , the first meeting of the two religions. He reflects how paradoxical it was that the most rational of Jesus’ followers was sent to mystical India rather than the more mystic ones. That is the thread that runs throughout the book – the need for the dry Western religion to find relief in a few drops of Eastern mysticism on one hand and the need for the free flowing Eastern religion to find some solid ground in the practicality of Western religion.

This book is not a typical travelogue. The focus in more on Foster’s reflection and his conversations with the people he meets, often on philosophical topics. The general tone of the narrative is entirely cynical and he does not express a high regard for the people he encounters. Even the vivid description of the places focuses on aspects such a blood, sweat, death, feces, urine, vermin and the like. Most of his metaphors are also quite dark in nature. His portrayal of India reminds one of the movie ‘Slum Dog Millionaire’ in most aspects. But it should be said to his credit that his sarcasm is not limited to India and Hinduism alone. It extends liberally to Christianity and Western world as well. The two Gurus he meets in his travels are both new age Western Gurus who have come to India to create cults based on their own versions of Hinduism.

From a philosophical perspective darkness and cynicism has its own merits. In a round world there can be no wrong direction. Whichever way you take if you travel long enough you will get eventually get to your destination. Same is true of spiritual journey as well I guess. You can take a positive approach or a negative approach. Stories speak of Ravana attaining salvation through hatred of Rama the same way Rama's devotees attained it through love of Rama. There is a similar story of an enemy of Buddha as well.

 There is an element of humor also in the dark narrative and some people may like to ignore the metaphysical aspects and just enjoy it as a dark comedy. But it is nowhere near the laughter riot of a ‘Catcher in the rye’ or a ‘Catch 22’ in this respect.

If one finds my review confusing, I have served my purpose well for that is what the book seeks to achieve as well. So I have succeeded in giving a flavor of the book. The book meanders all around the place without any definitive direction and Foster concludes that Eastern religion is all about being confused. This is also reflected in the Zen Kaons and other quotations of a similar nature at the start of every chapter. Readers who like absurdism, dark humor and to get confused in general can give the book a try. 

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Credits Image - Shades of Orange by Harsha Chittar Courtesy - Curious Dino Photography via www.blogaton.in