Life Is Not Only Newton, It's Also Milton

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 16 January 2024 “Life is not only Newton, it is also Milton.” ― Wasif Ali Wasif Urdu literature also has a tradition of Maqoola or Masal (Qaul-e-Hakim in Arabic, aphorisms in English and Subhashit in Sanskrit), though it's not very common or popular. The man who popularised this genre in Urdu through his prolific writings was Wasif Ali Wasif whose 95th Birth Anniversary falls on January 15. By the way, he shares his birthday as well as birth year with the redoubtable Dr Martin Luther King Jr. whose quotes, speeches and aphorisms are read and quoted across the world and whose non-violence and pacifism got him the sobriquet of American Gandhi. Coming back to Wasif Ali Wasif's famous adage, "Life is not only Newton, it's also Milton," is an example of quasi-word play using Newton and Milton as a rhyme and contrast in approaches and outlooks. The famous mathematician and man of science Newton is pitted against the great John Milton who wrote Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. Mathematics and Calculus are rather dry subjects, whereas poetry appeals to the heart and makes us humane. While it's good, even great, to be interested in scientific pursuits, one must also take interest in artistic and aesthetic subjects. That strikes a balance and lends a meaning as well as purpose to life. Life is a combination of contrasts and contradictions. Even a great scientific mind like Albert Einstein had profound interest in the western classical music. He loved to listen to Sebastian Bach, Beethoven and Chopin's compositions. He'd immerse himself into the bowels of Theory of Relativity listening to the ethereal symphonies of Beethoven. "Science and symphonies are the same," Einstein would always say. The great man also took genuine interest in women and called them 'crystallized poetry'! He indulged in extra-marital affairs. The mathematician Ada Lovelace and the physicist James Clerk Maxwell were both accomplished poets who wrote rhymes about rainbows and verse about scientific societies. By the way, Ada Lovelace was the estranged daughter of the Romantic poet Lord Byron, who, shortly after his daughter’s birth, was exiled to Greece amid rumours of incest. Conversely, the poet John Keats was a licensed surgeon! The point is: Life must be enjoyed in totality. Enjoy all its shades, hues and colours. Life has myriad facets. Don't be a nerd and live like a monk. Only the muddle-headed morons become monks. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/life-newton-milton/d/131525 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism