My newest interpretation of this song - and this may sound strange - is that it is sort of a tribute to monstrosity in general, to pure indifference, whether this is manifested as nothingness, Cthulhu, entropy, or some other godlike force. It is fascinating and terrifying at the same time ("Monstrous, prodigious, indifferent..."). Also, encountering the limits of one's own competence might feel like an infinite void. From this one could infer that the only infinite power in life is nothingness. Thus, "nothing is all, all is contradiction", as they already sang on Catch 33.
Lethargica is starkly different from all the other songs on the album because it is almost strangely neutral in its tone towards its subject matter. I'm not sensing any bitterness or anger at an all-powerful nothingness, even though, of course, the song is cathartic. All I hear is an honest description of nothingness/monstrosity and its impact upon us, which is all that can be asked for. It's a strangely relaxing song, too (probably due to its hypnotic rhythms).
My newest interpretation of this song - and this may sound strange - is that it is sort of a tribute to monstrosity in general, to pure indifference, whether this is manifested as nothingness, Cthulhu, entropy, or some other godlike force. It is fascinating and terrifying at the same time ("Monstrous, prodigious, indifferent..."). Also, encountering the limits of one's own competence might feel like an infinite void. From this one could infer that the only infinite power in life is nothingness. Thus, "nothing is all, all is contradiction", as they already sang on Catch 33.
This is the "schizoreality warp" (again from Catch 33) that people refuse to accept, and because of this, they live in fantasies/simulacra of empowerment - a subject matter discussed extensively on obZen (the album). A pretense to the importance of self, meaning, or structured existence in general. Actually, in one way, the title of the album could refer to the delusional attempts at harmony in life against the infinite force of chaos/void. So on one level the album could be interpreted as exhibiting different mindsets and coping strategies when faced with this. Since most people can't handle the truth (to use a cliché), they live in the aforementioned illusions of permanence, structure, and harmony, regardless of the means to achieve and sustain them, and at any cost. Thus, perverted harmony, thus, obZen. A self-defeating logic, a catch 33, an impossibility at the heart of existence.
Lethargica is starkly different from all the other songs on the album because it is almost strangely neutral in its tone towards its subject matter. I'm not sensing any bitterness or anger at an all-powerful nothingness, even though, of course, the song is cathartic. All I hear is an honest description of nothingness/monstrosity and its impact upon us, which is all that can be asked for. It's a strangely relaxing song, too (probably due to its hypnotic rhythms).