“The Unbearable Lightness of Being”: when a friend recommended this book by Milan Kundera, I found the title very intriguing and open to interpretation. “What a wonderful phrase,” I thought to myself, if we could edit it and feel ‘the lightness of being.’ Set in Prague during the communist Russian invasion, this book, with its hedonistic protagonist, rejigs your cemented ideals. So, my friend called up saying that she was sending the book across, which was making her question her strong notions of fidelity, nationalism, and even love. I was now very interested in the book because it managed to churn my idealistic friend’s ideology, especially about fidelity. I was keen to read it.
At this point I presume that more of you are inclined to read the blog further. There is nothing juicy about reading on the subject of “fidelity” per se; rather, it’s the ease of entertaining someone else’s idea, alien to our conditioning or acceptability, that makes it that much more alluring to read. As readers, we only agree with or discard theories, beliefs, or promises. But as an author, the onus is to investigate, rationalize, and re-examine your every thought and belief before putting pen to paper.