CBH - Trilogue 5

The Conscience (C), The Brain (B), The Heart (H)

B :I want to go into infinite suspension. Just feel suspended and float and float.

H : Simple. Go get drunk or swallow some drugs … or self-inject. You will feel hayal and hazy.

B : Ya … slowly get addicted to it and eventually die a slow and disgraceful death. Very funny!

H : No la! I did not mean it that way. Just having a jibe at you la. What’s your problem?

B : You know … I am a brain. The more you make me learn. The more you make me read. The better I can think. The better I can rationlise. The better for my being.

H : True. The better you, the better I feel. Less stress. More steady my beat.

B : But no my friend. I degenerate. You degenerate. And we rot.

H : Why do you speak like that? What’s going on?

B : My person … lately he has been mixing around some politicians. I am being surrounded by politicians’ brains.

H : And what can be wrong with that?

B : What can be wrong with that…! These types of brains … they do not want to think straight. They do not want to think fair and just.

A voice:-

“Not that they do not want to. It is just that they cannot. That is how their brains have been educated from their young school days.”

B & H : Who was that?

C: I la. The Conscience. See! Even you fellows overlook me.

B&H : Sorry my friend. Sorry.

C : Don’t be. It is too late anyway.

B : What do you mean?

H : Ya … what do you mean?

C : Hear me out. The brains of today … be they be in professionals, workers, ordinary folks, politicians … more in politicians it seems.

B : You mean people at all levels?

C : Ya … at all levels; workers, clerks, managers, directors, ministers..

H : Ministers!

C : Ya. It is more glaring in them.

B : Go on.

C : Reflect my friends. Reflect - you as a brain - how much were you made to learn about history. About literature. You as a heart - how much were you made to feel about events in history. Events in literature.

B : You are on to something. Go on….

C : History. Literature. Both are all about people. About human beings. About characters.

B : Got it. About how people behave. History and literature is all about human behaviour.

C : Correct. Correct. Correct. About behaviour of parents, lovers, leaders, judges and so on …

B : So what is missing?

C : Their brains … not that they do not want to think. They cannot think!! Think!

H : So what is missing?

C : Their brains have missed a sense of history. They have missed the wisdom of literature. They do not know. They have not read … and understood … the history of countries and people.

H : Example…

B : China. India. Arabia. Europe. Mao. Ghandhi. Caliph Umar. Hitler. O’ and many, many more.

C : Yes. Many, many, covering hundreds of years.

H : Ya. I can feel it. But tell me. All those countries and all those characters. They belong to different races and religions

C : There you go again. Race and religion. Different communities. Different race.

H : And different parties?

C : O’ stop this rubbish.

B&H : Rubbish!

C : Yes. Rubbish because you have made your heads into dustbins and you have dumped in all this political rubbish.

H : Brain. You think so?

B : Ya, I think so. I think we need to go back to simple basics. Learn all over again the simple values and virtues.

H : Ya … like basically we are born to die. In between, live with honesty, modesty, sincerity, love … my … my …. how much we have lost.

B : Ya. Surrounded by the politics of party and power.

H : That we seem to love the party more than the country.

B : And with selfish motives.

C : Here! here! You are giving me a good flush and a fresh transfusion. With others watching, I believe the flush out and transfusion will complete.

B&H : Good for you, me and our country.

C : Bless be to God!

THE CONSCIENCE (C), THE BRAIN (B), THE HEART (H)

Trilogue 4

B: I feel one kind …..

H: Why my friend?

B: Sometimes I feel stupid. Sometimes a bit confused. Not able to think which is right & which is not right.

H: Ah … what is right is kanan; what is not right is left … kiri.

B: Ha-ha-ha funny....

H: Seriously, what is the problem?

B: My person … this person whose brain I am …

H: Yeah … and I am his heart. What about him?

B: Recently on the 8th of March, his sister told him she wants to get married.

H: Yes. So what’s the problem?

B: That’s the problem. She wants to marry the guy from a family whose father is the owner of a rival business.

H: You mean a competitor!

B: Ya … his family and her family are in the agriculture business and they compete with each other.

H: But business is a competition to win customers. Is it not? So what is the problem?

B: That’s the problem! The brother tells his sister that she can marry the guy but on condition he must not work for his family! He can work anywhere else but not in his family. This is where sometimes I feel stupid … sometimes confused.

H: Why?

B: Look … he is a rational guy. Let him work where he chooses. That’s his freedom of choice.

H: Correct. So what is your point?

B: The point. If he marries her and works for her family, his family will break their relationship.

H: You mean chase him out! Disown him!! Hmm .. sounds like what you told me are happening in some state governments.

B: Yes. Now what shall I, as his brain, tell him. To break with his girl or marry her, work with her family and be disowned by his family?

H: Yeah … I understand. On one side family relationship and emotional attachment. Blood relationship on the other side. Love marriage and work. I would want both. Family and work.

B: I also. What shall I say?

A voice : “Ask me la?”

B&H: Who is that?

C: Me … la. Sahabat 'Conscience'. Nowadays, I myself do not know where you all place me.

B&H: Sorry, sorry. Sometimes we are so taken by this world …we freeze you. Tell us, what do you say…

C: Simple. By marrying him, she is happy and settled. By marrying her and working for her family, he is happy, settled and they are secure. Like it or not …both families are now bonded. It is now a family business. Build on and move on. Both families benefit.

B: Ayaah …. I did not think rationally. You are right my friend.

H: Sorry la my friend. I allowed emotions to blur your rational thinking.

C: So you two guys, let us leave our person whose body contains all three of us alone. He will decide and act.

B: If he allows me, I will rationally tell him to follow a win-win approach.

H: I will make him hear both parties with feelings.

C: That would be a great help … and he will come to a sensible and constructive decision. Leaves me clear.

CBH - Trilogue 3

THE CONSCIENCE (C), THE BRAIN (B), THE HEART (H)

CBH - Trilogue 3

B :Why did I make that perception and went into a pre-judgment?

H :You are at times like that. You are just so ‘rational’. Have a heart man!
B : Ya, ya. You are all heart ….. at times you are just too sentimental … too romantic…..over romantic. No wonder you influence us to watch those silly Tamil movies!

H : Woi .. woi … watch our language! Tamil movies are not for intellects like you, it is for the poor mass. They choose to watch … escape! You are not compelled to watch.

B : That’s my weakness. I allow you to influence me to watch the trash … I myself am surprised.

H : Come on man. I never force.

C : Hmm …. may I come in between. What is this … Tamil movies … trash…

B : O’ nothing serious. Just that I was telling him why I sometimes rush into misjudgment.

H : Ya … thinks without a heart.

C : What happened?

H :Ya, what happened? I also did not ask and jumped on you.

B : That is what I called perception and misjudgment.

C : Go on … tell us your story.

B : The other day I went to the mosque for Friday prayers. Saw this guy seated a few paces to my left. He was well dressed … the expensive looking baju, equally expensive looking samping over his trousers .. rather pouchy … that huge ring on his finger looking out from a rather huge setting.

H : So .. ?

B : So, I saw him as one of the few we see who walk in with that air of “you know who I am?” arrogance into a ‘teh tarik’ restaurant with a few similar looking fellows.

H : Ya … the little Napoleons we see here and there … so what?

B : Then, to top it up this guy was reading some SMS on his mobile.

C : Anything wrong in that?

B : But of course … we are all seated in a mosque waiting for the sermon from the Imam to begin. And this fellow….

C : Why did it jerk you. It is between him and Allah.

H : Ya… you just focus on Allah la … why do you allow distraction!

B : Come on man … there is a conduct of behaviour when in the House of God!

C : Go on …

B : Anyway, the Bilal called the azan.. and a kindly looking elder walked up to this well dressed person and showed him to the rostrum.

C : Go on …

H : Aah I can feel what is coming.

B : Ya Heart. my perception shifted. He is the one who is going to deliver the sermon.

H : How was his sermon?

B : Very good. He was eloquent, fluent in Arabic … Bahasa … why … he even said a couple of facts in English.

C : How did you feel?

H : You felt bad I suppose.

B : Not really … I felt humble … I felt I was hasty to perceive and pre-judge.

H : You mean you gave no role for me ….you exercised your feeling rather ‘intellectually’ without a heart … feeling.

B : You can say that. Hello, Mr. Conscience, was it you at work? Ahh?

C : Well … what do you think? I am your conscience … and you were in a mosque.. the house of Allah.

B&H : Ya … Praise be to God.