You're gonna get burnt

            What exactly is pure harmony?  To me, harmony comes at a time when everything fits perfectly in place, when all is settled, and peace takes over.  In his short story, “The Harmony of the Spheres”, author Salman Rushdie explores the concepts of harmony and madness.  Rushdie writes about Eliot Crane and his battle with schizophrenia, and how it ultimately affects those around him. 

            Like many artists, Eliot Crane has a very different view on reality.  Many people find this intriguing, especially the narrator of the story, Mr. Khan.  Even against the advice of those around him, Khan continues to befriend and associate himself with the likes of Eliot Crane.  One would definitely see this as an unwise, risky move, as Khan exposes himself with mass amounts of danger being around Crane, who is not only a danger to himself but to those around him.  There is definitely no harmony with Crane, who finds no peace being schizophrenic, and ultimately living two different lives.  How can balance be achieved when one does not know which person they are going to be for the day?

            Initially, in the life of Mr. Khan, there is a sort of peace and self-balance.  His life makes sense; and he doesn’t seem to have any huge problems facing him on a constant basis.  When around Crane, I’m sure that Khan’s life looks pretty ideal, which is maybe why Khan enjoys Crane’s presence so much, a source of affirmation.  However, Crane is eventually consumed by his chemical imbalance, and ends up shooting himself.  After his death, Khan goes through Crane’s papers, which reveal exactly how poorly Crane felt about everyone in his life.  More importantly, Khan discovers that his wife was intimately involved with Crane.  This demolishes the spheres of Khan’s heart, and collapses his harmony.

            When trying to achieve and maintain peace and harmony, it is pretty much hit or miss.  Your life makes sense, there is balance, and you are happy, or it is all mixed up, a mess, and you are unhappy.  There are certainly different routes one can take to help lead the best possible life.  For starters, listen to some of the old clichés, like “Be weary of the company you keep”, because “If you play with fire, you’re gonna get burnt.”