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Pensive: The Gaze Within

Pensive is the mood that incubates and abets, facilitates and manifests as pristine creativity. Loads of works, through innumerable beings, bear testimony to the efficacy of a pensive mood that births thoughts worth penning, worthy immeasurably, existing eternally, opines Shusmita, in the weekly column, exclusively for Different Truths.

After years, as the word “pensive” appeared in my mind, the mind became pensive, recollecting how it graced the mind…then

In those days, I was (and still am!) fond of compiling my very own “quotable quotes.” Once, a few quotes had taken shape and had been jotted in the diary, I courted the desire to have my own list of quotes, quite impressed and inspired by a book of quotable quotes which my grandfather had.

It was then, that I got thankfully hit by the hail of revelation, flash of inspiration, lightning of truth conveyed, enlightening — as yes, it conveyed the truth. Rather, it conveys the truth — at least for me.

Pensive came, and yet again comes, to me as: “Pen-sive.” And it elaborated its implication: “Pensive is the mood that leads to the thoughts worth penning down.”

Instead of getting pinned down by the external situations (and at times, the internal chaos and conflict, too), allowing the feelings evoked—negative or positive—to flow and get expressed has its own immeasurable benefits.

Be it positive or negative, when let loose, one loses not anything, but surely gains and regains one’s creativity—which either lay unrecognized or got laid due to suppression, repression or non-acceptance. In expression lies resurrection of that, which innately resides within and ever so silently cries for release.

Yes, release it is, and so, there are many coaching methods that advocate journaling, journaling found to facilitate catharsis. Deep wounds, lying hidden and making one pensive—one not even knowing what pains one—come out, are opened and thus, meeting with the light of acceptance, are healed.

Oh yes, let us revert to what pen-sive, conveyed to me then, this interlude being a gracious derivative of that recollection, prompted, unbeknownst!

As has been and is the experience: Feelings and thoughts take shape and words get compiled to describe them, and surge and urge for release, generally when the mind is excited (agitated too, as excited could mean agitated as well)…either joyously or sorrowfully. It is a departure from the state of calm. Though, in the state of calm, shower of revelations are received, and then, one is rendered excited and yearns to express!

Okay, let us put it in another way: When something unusual happens — and more so when one deems and hence redeems it as undesirable — one becomes pensive. Some feelings and thoughts are courted, and quoted, by the mind instantaneously. Furthermore, alike or different thoughts and feelings make their presence felt, as one enters deep into this pensive state. One looks “in,” looking for the reasons behind the appearances, the occurrences. The “risen,” from the depths of the being and recesses of the mind — thoughts, feelings, realisations and multitude of emotions—the consequent, wish to stay risen and outpour, wish expression.

When the unusual happening is a desirable one, it evokes joy, overwhelming gratitude…and that sires the desire to acknowledge and share, express the tumult of joy, melting away the inertia of inhibition and procrastination. That done, it is a release…a relief…a fulfillment…all experienced at once!

Either way, pensive is the mood that incubates and abets, facilitates and manifests as pristine creativity. Loads of works, through innumerable beings, bear testimony to the efficacy of a pensive mood that births thoughts worth penning, worthy immeasurably, existing eternally.

And pensive has led me to further “discovery” (could be called removal of unawareness in the context, too!). Almost reflexively, it leads me to ponder on the suffix, “-sive”… As pensive is acknowledged, afresh, as “the mood responsive to creativity,” the word “responsive,” as it flowed, leads me to the “sive-words”: Offensive and defensive. Subsequently, I am led to search, thanks to the Internet and Google, the implication of the suffix –sive. And this is what I found, for the suffix “-ive”… A suffix of adjectives (and nouns of adjectival origin) expressing tendency, disposition, function, connection, etc.: active; corrective; destructive; detective; passive; sportive[1]    

Indeed, so is responsive, pensive, to creation, and is responsible for leading me to this newly-led too. After years, when the mind is again rendered pen-sive by pensive, enhanced is the respect for pensive!

When pensive, the mind is neither offensive nor defensive, rather, is receptive, the insights and revelations passing through its sieves unrestricted!

Thanks, pen-sive!

[1] http://www.dictionary.com/browse/-ive
©Sushmita Mukherjee

Photo from the Internet

#Wordwise #Pensive #Mood #DifferentTruths

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Sushmita Mukherjee
Sushmita Mukherjee is a writer and a freelance editor. Before entering the arena of writing, she taught Organic Chemistry in Lady Brabourne College, Kolkata for close to eight and half years. She resigned from college in August 2012. Writing always has been her passion, and in due course, it has been realised and embraced as more than passion: calling. She has edited fifteen books and one movie script as well.

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