#theFridayFeature — Oscar Wilde
“Those whom the gods love grow young.”
- Oscar Wilde
A few days prior, misjudging me as knowledgeable and wise, a friend asked me the reason behind the naming of the world renowned Hollywood Awards. Without blinking an eye I blurted out “obviously in the memory of Oscar Wilde.” Naively sure that I was accurately aware, I never bothered to check. My dear friend met his misjudgement when he fell flat on his face attempting to outshine himself than the rest post which my web browser, for the first time since its inception, saw the infamous name being typed in the search box. The dust trodden Oscar Wilde collection stepped out of my cupboard and after a prolonged gap witnessed my face. It didn’t take time for the realization to strike that my tiny blog deserved a tiny mention of this largely intellectual, intriguing and enigmatic persona. This, is my tiny tribute…
I often wonder — why is it so that all these inspiring individuals who contributed in shaping and making this world a better place were in fact troubled persons — troubled by their identity, individuality, perceptions of the society and innumerable other worries.
Oscar Wilde today is a widely respected phenomenon, who was so even back then. But being a widely renowned thinker, philosopher and writer does not necessarily exempt you from the conventional commandments. The 20th Century’s First Pop Celebrity, too, was expected to comply by the many conundrums.
“Sometimes I think the artistic life is a long and lovely suicide,
and am sorry that it is so.”
- Oscar Wilde
On his career, when life had rewarded him all he could wish for, Oscar Wilde faced a trial. The law of the land placed him in the courts. And his crime happened to be one which is still, even today, considered a crime, an abnormality by most. Citizens were offended because Oscar Wilde began taking interest in men more than women. He was a married man with kids, but was born to break rules. I believe he came to discover his homosexuality much later in life. He was punished for knowing himself better by people who didn’t even know who they themselves are.
Homosexuality is not something which can be cured. Similar to an introvert, being a homosexual is not a disease. Not being normal does not mean being wrong. So if anyone in your circle, your friend, cousin, sister, brother, son, daughter happens to be gay, give yourself a break and spare the poor guy. It wasn’t their choice anyways.
If this is how the society that we live in is, why are all governed by a dire obsession to be party to it?
“Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.”
- Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde was an individual who was way ahead of his time, for which applauded and attacked at the same time. People failed to see that all his actions were a part and parcel of the genius that he possessed within. The genius came not from his work, but his persona — the way he was.
His work is proof of the infinite vision for it lives on even today and is relevant in today’s times as well. Oscar Wilde hoped for a better world — a better world based on his experiences and perceptions which he had built in his own vast mind. All his life, he created work in an attempt to influence people to craft the world he wished to achieve. May that be on the want of eternal beauty, the articulation of lying as an art, the place of individualism in a socialist environment or on the importance of being earnest — he left us wisdom useful almost a century later.
Expectations are the root cause to all heartache, aren’t they?
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
- Oscar Wilde
- Oscar Wilde
Thank You Oscar for being an immense inspiration to me and millions of others. May your soul rest in peace.
“There are only two tragedies in life:
one is not getting what one wants and
the other is getting it.”
- Oscar Wilde
Well, that’s all for today.
Keep reading, keep sharing and never stop believing!
“Imagination was given to man to compensate for what he is not, and a sense of humour was provided to console him for what he is.”
- Oscar Wilde
