As silence pervades the lonesome room that I inhabit now.... I am in a state of dilemma.... the sound of this clock, piercing through all the mind numbing silence and reaching me, is really over whelming.... I have always believed that I am the loneliest when I can hear the sound of this clock.... I try my best to drown it in the din of everyday life.... but the chime of time has to win eventually..... The second side of my dilemma is that although I loathe listening to this clock... I cant even wish for it to stop... If time stops now then how do I get to the morning?
It is said that life is full of choices...... even when you feel that you are left with no choice but to do something, you still have the choice of not doing it.... but there are times when these choices are just the options making up a dilemma.... for the uninitiated, Dilemma is a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives (thank you, dictionary.com... I owe you one more!).
What does one do in case of a dilemma?.... choose the milder poison and die an excruciating death or choose to take the quicker way to heaven (or hell, conditions apply)..... What choice is there when we are left with none?.... These are some of the questions we ask during a life time..... a life time in which, even before finding the answers, we overcome many dilemmas....
The classic example being me..... I am left to choose between hearing the noise of time or to get stuck in an eternity of silence.... and I am procrastinating by typing this blog...... a blog which is devoid of any purpose, rhyme or reason.... maybe its just a futile attempt to confuse the sound of time in the clanging of the keyboard.... Oh! the futility of mankind.... it takes a lifetime to accept the concept of death.... life would have been so easier otherwise....
The Deserve-Desire face-off
Life, eventually, is the time we spend while going from one plan to another... a plan of how we are going to live our lives..... and the purpose of this plan is, usually, to satiate our desires..... I'll not take the holier-than-thou high ground and say that I'm an odd one out.... I am not... even this act of typing out a blog is planned in order to vent out my views.... so that new ones might come in..... but I've realized that we tend to ignore a small detail in our quest to quench the desire..... Deserve.... Do we ever even give a thought to determine whether we actually deserve what we desire?
There is a chain of events which precedes and supersedes this..... Most often, we have no idea as to what we deserve.... Nor are we quite clear about what we desire (and if we desire it at all!).... But we try our best to achieve it, nonetheless.... if we fail; we lose hope, we despair, we make cynics out of ourselves, we give ourselves a sense of false hope or finally, just make up our mind to try again.... If we succeed; we celebrate, we rejoice, we proclaim and then we realize the fickleness of this success..... fickle because it leaves us soon..... leaves us because we never deserved it in the first place...... we come back to square one...... I wonder how things would have changed, had we known what we deserved, in the first place.....
Whenever we measure something, there is an element of error involved.... this error either has to be controlled, nullified or embedded into the design..... even when we are measuring the value of what we deserve, the element of error exists...... this error is.... Over-estimation and Under-estimation.... we either think more of ourselves than our true self.... or we think less..... both these scenarios involve a lot of pain and dejection..... and both need to be avoided..... So where do we go from here?..... the answer lies in objectivity...... dont look at yourself in the mirror and see yourself..... see yourself in the mirror and see someone else..... look at yourself in the third person and ask yourself..... "Does this guy/girl really deserve what he is asking for?"...... The answer, depending on the extent of objectivity involved, holds the key to evaluating one's self worth....
Every man is a fraction.... The numerator being, what he is.... and the denominator being, what he thinks he is........ lets strive to give ourselves the answer..... 1
There is a chain of events which precedes and supersedes this..... Most often, we have no idea as to what we deserve.... Nor are we quite clear about what we desire (and if we desire it at all!).... But we try our best to achieve it, nonetheless.... if we fail; we lose hope, we despair, we make cynics out of ourselves, we give ourselves a sense of false hope or finally, just make up our mind to try again.... If we succeed; we celebrate, we rejoice, we proclaim and then we realize the fickleness of this success..... fickle because it leaves us soon..... leaves us because we never deserved it in the first place...... we come back to square one...... I wonder how things would have changed, had we known what we deserved, in the first place.....
Whenever we measure something, there is an element of error involved.... this error either has to be controlled, nullified or embedded into the design..... even when we are measuring the value of what we deserve, the element of error exists...... this error is.... Over-estimation and Under-estimation.... we either think more of ourselves than our true self.... or we think less..... both these scenarios involve a lot of pain and dejection..... and both need to be avoided..... So where do we go from here?..... the answer lies in objectivity...... dont look at yourself in the mirror and see yourself..... see yourself in the mirror and see someone else..... look at yourself in the third person and ask yourself..... "Does this guy/girl really deserve what he is asking for?"...... The answer, depending on the extent of objectivity involved, holds the key to evaluating one's self worth....
Every man is a fraction.... The numerator being, what he is.... and the denominator being, what he thinks he is........ lets strive to give ourselves the answer..... 1
A stitch in time....
All great ideas come at times when you are either away from the computer or when you are too bored to type or even write it down.... Almost everyday at about 5:30-6 am, I get ideas about what my next post should be about... But when the mind becomes active, the body slips into hibernation... After some time I just give myself an empty promise that I'll somehow remember this idea when I come online later that day..... Many days have gone that way.... so, essentially, I think of posts everyday... but I write them intermittently..... that is the problem with intermittence, they are so inexplicably unexplainable!!... How on earth am I to prove that I had something in my mind when there is nothing on paper?
Contrary to this, one can always attribute thoughts or ideas to actions which have already been performed.... so if, the bus that you were initially planning to board, meets with an accident then you can give credit to your heightened effectiveness of the sixth sense....dead people dont have such privileges...
We grow up listening to proverbs and wise words (or wise-cracks, depending on whether you understand them or not!)..... we all know "Think before you act".... but our actions are selectively permeable to words.... so we invariably end up spending more time in thinking and less in execution.... a good beginning is half the battle won.... but therein lies the catch, its only HALF THE BATTLE WON.... who remembers the person who climbed half way to Mt. Everest?.... Lets think, Lets act... and lets not be selectively permeable to what is accepted to be good...
Contrary to this, one can always attribute thoughts or ideas to actions which have already been performed.... so if, the bus that you were initially planning to board, meets with an accident then you can give credit to your heightened effectiveness of the sixth sense....dead people dont have such privileges...
We grow up listening to proverbs and wise words (or wise-cracks, depending on whether you understand them or not!)..... we all know "Think before you act".... but our actions are selectively permeable to words.... so we invariably end up spending more time in thinking and less in execution.... a good beginning is half the battle won.... but therein lies the catch, its only HALF THE BATTLE WON.... who remembers the person who climbed half way to Mt. Everest?.... Lets think, Lets act... and lets not be selectively permeable to what is accepted to be good...
In the long run...
I believe that Life shows its reflection in all walks of life...... a crumpled flower shows how life exists in giving fragrance to the hand that crushes it..... babies show how simple; life can be in the absence of knowledge... and the equity market shows how things even out in the long run...
It is common knowledge in the equity industry that the only person who wins in a continuous bout of trading, is the broker.... not the trader..... so common sense propagates the idea of staying invested for a longer period of time.... historically, the equity market has showed a return of 15-20%, even on investments which were forgotten about for 5 years or so!!...... The same holds true for life too....
Life is an investment and we stay invested by using the currency of work...... so my advice is, stay invested and reap returns...... The saying "good things come to those who wait" is all but misleading..... good things come to those who work and dont wait for results..... When Bhagvad Gita says "karmanye waadi karasye, maa phaleshu kadachana" (do your deed and dont expect any returns), it is not actually proliferating the virtue of philanthropy..... what it actually means to say is that "do your work and but dont run after your returns..... money follows those who dont follow it".....
The day we start looking at monetary benefits as a side effect of hard work and not its means and ends...... that day, we will prosper... in the truest meaning of that term....
It is common knowledge in the equity industry that the only person who wins in a continuous bout of trading, is the broker.... not the trader..... so common sense propagates the idea of staying invested for a longer period of time.... historically, the equity market has showed a return of 15-20%, even on investments which were forgotten about for 5 years or so!!...... The same holds true for life too....
Life is an investment and we stay invested by using the currency of work...... so my advice is, stay invested and reap returns...... The saying "good things come to those who wait" is all but misleading..... good things come to those who work and dont wait for results..... When Bhagvad Gita says "karmanye waadi karasye, maa phaleshu kadachana" (do your deed and dont expect any returns), it is not actually proliferating the virtue of philanthropy..... what it actually means to say is that "do your work and but dont run after your returns..... money follows those who dont follow it".....
The day we start looking at monetary benefits as a side effect of hard work and not its means and ends...... that day, we will prosper... in the truest meaning of that term....
Parallel Tracks
Travelling in Indian railways is always an enlightening experience; especially for those endowed with the ability to discern the extraordinary from the ordinary. The other day I travelled a distance of 400 km on Indian railways and learnt things which I would never have learnt (nor would I have been interested in learning). Here are some excerpts.
It is said that time is the biggest leveller of them all. A wonderful dialogue from an even more wonderful movie goes something like "After the game is over, both the king and the pawn go back into the same box". But come to think of it, so is railways. You can hardly select the religion, caste or even, gender of the passenger sitting next to you. But I really feel that the gender option should be customizable (what say Mr. L.P. Yadav?). On a given day, at a given time, all the people going to the same destination are equals... with equal right to claim seat, eat, breathe, drink and enjoy the journey.
It is a well known fact that much of modern intellectuality has brewed in the coffee pots of various coffee house. Friends, philosophers and comrades discussed everything under the sun. Railways is the new age coffee house. Here, the future of local state governments are discussed and also whether saas-bahu serials must continue or not (and contrary to popular misconception, it is never a one sided debate!)... As long as the person next to you, doesn't have any personal enmity with you, you might get away with any topic!
I for example learnt the interesting aspect of an otherwise staid world of textile marketing, the Haj pilgrimage, the contract system and how the loopholes in them are taken advantage of. I hereby propose to include a frequent long distance train journey in all MBA curriculum. And I suppose everyone on this side of Vastrapur, Ahmedabad will agree with me....
It is said that time is the biggest leveller of them all. A wonderful dialogue from an even more wonderful movie goes something like "After the game is over, both the king and the pawn go back into the same box". But come to think of it, so is railways. You can hardly select the religion, caste or even, gender of the passenger sitting next to you. But I really feel that the gender option should be customizable (what say Mr. L.P. Yadav?). On a given day, at a given time, all the people going to the same destination are equals... with equal right to claim seat, eat, breathe, drink and enjoy the journey.
It is a well known fact that much of modern intellectuality has brewed in the coffee pots of various coffee house. Friends, philosophers and comrades discussed everything under the sun. Railways is the new age coffee house. Here, the future of local state governments are discussed and also whether saas-bahu serials must continue or not (and contrary to popular misconception, it is never a one sided debate!)... As long as the person next to you, doesn't have any personal enmity with you, you might get away with any topic!
I for example learnt the interesting aspect of an otherwise staid world of textile marketing, the Haj pilgrimage, the contract system and how the loopholes in them are taken advantage of. I hereby propose to include a frequent long distance train journey in all MBA curriculum. And I suppose everyone on this side of Vastrapur, Ahmedabad will agree with me....
V...
Virtues tend to leave a bitter aftertaste and vices are, by default, addictive. That is the sad fact of life. Truth is bitter, truth is blunt, truth has the potential to make enemies out of friends. Whereas, a little bit of false flattery has a good chance of getting u that elusive promotion. Bitter gourd, in spite of all the goodness that it is purported to give, is still..... well...... Bitter. Sugar is by default; sweet. If all things good, taste bad and if all things bad, taste good; then it makes one wonder..... Why did my parents, siblings, peers, teachers, uncles and aunties and distant cousins, go to such extents to teach me what is good and what is bad? and why was I taught to do the good and shun from evil?..... Why did they install version 1.1 of Morality software when they knew about its obsolescence and gradual substitution by version 1.2?
A child comes into this earth like a clean slate.... in the beginning of life, things are just told... never explained.... in the words of law, everything is based on rules and not articles.... And then, we start to question.... and all hell breaks loose... We learn through a tedious process of unlearning.... makes one wonder..... why go through all this fracas? why not say the truth from the very beginning?
The answer according to me lies in simple statement which has always stuck to me "we all live in a constant hope"...... a father teaching his child not to lie knows that he, himself, is lying.... but he lives in a constant hope.... he is hoping against hope that the world will miraculously change for his kid and what he is being taught now, will help him in future..... All good things are taught to us in a hope that its obsolescence will be reversed.... so the next time, someone tries to show you what is good and what is bad.... take it with a pinch of salt.... but take it, nonetheless.... who are we to underestimate the potency of hope?
A child comes into this earth like a clean slate.... in the beginning of life, things are just told... never explained.... in the words of law, everything is based on rules and not articles.... And then, we start to question.... and all hell breaks loose... We learn through a tedious process of unlearning.... makes one wonder..... why go through all this fracas? why not say the truth from the very beginning?
The answer according to me lies in simple statement which has always stuck to me "we all live in a constant hope"...... a father teaching his child not to lie knows that he, himself, is lying.... but he lives in a constant hope.... he is hoping against hope that the world will miraculously change for his kid and what he is being taught now, will help him in future..... All good things are taught to us in a hope that its obsolescence will be reversed.... so the next time, someone tries to show you what is good and what is bad.... take it with a pinch of salt.... but take it, nonetheless.... who are we to underestimate the potency of hope?
of Giants and dwarfs...
The greatness of an event, a person or a monument is best understood keeping in mind the period of its occurrence. It is relatively easier, today, to stir the fundamentals of conscience and to erect a pseudo-army to fight a plausible cause... given the fact that one can reach the masses through sms, orkut and emails among others..... This is what makes Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi a Mahatma Gandhi..... He stirred the conscience of millions and fought an empire bigger than the Goliath himself..and all this, in the absence of any amenity except perhaps a telegram or a seat in the third class compartment of the railways... Hence, when we conveniently try to imagine the greatness of a person like Mr. Gandhi, we make the mistake of imagining its occurrence in today's circumstances..
Lets have a more recent and popular example. We love comparison. The greatness of a person is only as much as who he/she is compared to. Hence, Lord Ram is a hero because he defeated Ravana.... Likewise, in order to gauge the superstardom of Shah Rukh Khan, we have to compare him with Amitabh Bachchan.... But truly speaking, what is the comparison?... isn't it like comparing between apples and oranges?... What Mr. Bachchan did in 1970s may not be replicated by SRK... and the opposite is true as well... Is it really a necessity that for making our line longer, we make the other lines look shorter?...
We emulated the flight of birds in our aeroplanes.... the martial arts borrows liberally from the antics of a monkey or a snake..... but we have still not been able to emulate symbiosis.... We help our friend in studies but make sure that he doesn't score as much as us... we help to only that extent that which makes a discernible effect.... here, I have to clarify that I speak for the average, not for the exceptions.... A worthy exception to this law, according to me, are two people..... Fathers and Professors.... I have never seen, heard or read about an incident where a father was not happy when his son starts earning more than him.... In fact, it could well be the happiest day for a father when a son (or daughter) gets a starting salary more than what he might be earning after decades of experience.... the same holds true for professors too.... A professor earning Rs. 4-5 lacs per annum is only too happy to see his student go on to earn in multiples of that figure.... If only these instances were an average rather than an exception...
David Ogilvy, famously said, In an organization if each one of you hire a person who is less qualified than you, then you end up becoming an organization of dwarfs..... but if each one of you hires a person who is better than yourself, then you are an organization of Giants..... So, it is really up to us, do we want our future generation to inherit a nation of dwarfs or a nation of Giants....
Lets have a more recent and popular example. We love comparison. The greatness of a person is only as much as who he/she is compared to. Hence, Lord Ram is a hero because he defeated Ravana.... Likewise, in order to gauge the superstardom of Shah Rukh Khan, we have to compare him with Amitabh Bachchan.... But truly speaking, what is the comparison?... isn't it like comparing between apples and oranges?... What Mr. Bachchan did in 1970s may not be replicated by SRK... and the opposite is true as well... Is it really a necessity that for making our line longer, we make the other lines look shorter?...
We emulated the flight of birds in our aeroplanes.... the martial arts borrows liberally from the antics of a monkey or a snake..... but we have still not been able to emulate symbiosis.... We help our friend in studies but make sure that he doesn't score as much as us... we help to only that extent that which makes a discernible effect.... here, I have to clarify that I speak for the average, not for the exceptions.... A worthy exception to this law, according to me, are two people..... Fathers and Professors.... I have never seen, heard or read about an incident where a father was not happy when his son starts earning more than him.... In fact, it could well be the happiest day for a father when a son (or daughter) gets a starting salary more than what he might be earning after decades of experience.... the same holds true for professors too.... A professor earning Rs. 4-5 lacs per annum is only too happy to see his student go on to earn in multiples of that figure.... If only these instances were an average rather than an exception...
David Ogilvy, famously said, In an organization if each one of you hire a person who is less qualified than you, then you end up becoming an organization of dwarfs..... but if each one of you hires a person who is better than yourself, then you are an organization of Giants..... So, it is really up to us, do we want our future generation to inherit a nation of dwarfs or a nation of Giants....
I rest my case....... maybe not....
One of my professors always advises us not to give prime importance to the placement salary while opting for a job. He says "Money will follow you when you learn not to follow it".... All my life I've been on a lookout competitions where I might get some fame, fortune (?) and that elusive certificate or a citation..... Strangely, most of my merits have come in the last year of my college life... I present here, the transcript of my speech at a debate held the previous week. My first ever debate.
The topic was "Should industrialization and growth be promoted at the cost of Environment?"
____________________________________________________________
“My Name is Krishnamurthi Kumar. I am a student of Faculty of Management Studies. And I will be speaking AGAINST the motion.
Breaking News: Yesterday (18th October, 2007), I was watching the news, actively for a change, and came to know that we have our first set of refugees. Not from a terrorist attack or an earthquake, but from climate change. Yes, the people of Sagar Island in West Bengal have lost their homes because the waters of the Bay of Bengal decided to pay them a visit.
Before I contribute to this debate, I must admit two things. I am a student of management so I must admit that an industrialized nation or a developed economy is going to help me much more, at least financially. Why I say this is so that all of you may understand that I know the gravity of the words I speak. The other thing I would like to admit is that I, myself, have never planted a tree.
But we are not here to discuss what we did or did not do. The topic here is not that whether “Should we have promoted industrialization and growth at the cost of environment?” The topic of discussion today is “Should Industrialization and growth be promoted at the cost of environment?” So from the way I look at it, there is a future element embedded in this topic.
While we are talking about future, lets start with the past, India has come a long way from being an agrarian economy, one which depends on the soil, to the first instance of being called the next developed economy, one which depends on what is actually built on that soil. But somewhere down the line, we forgot the matrix on which this whole development was taking place. As the building grew higher and higher, we forgot the foundation on which this building stands.
But to say that we forgot to conserve the environment wont be entirely true. We must remember that saving the environment and all its constituents was always a part of our culture. I am sure anyone who has read the history books would remember the “Chipko Movement”. So what went wrong? I say, Apathy. But to understand how that happened we must look at things in context.
30-40 years back, when India started its process of industrialization, it faced a very unique problem. It lacked the process, the patent and the technical knowledge but had lots of natural resources. So it compensated its absence of technology with the excess of resources. But can we give this same excuse today? No! Today if one wants, one can go that extra mile in order to do something for the environment. It could be something as simple as switching to CFL tubes instead of light bulbs or turning up the temperature of the AC to the ambient temperature of 24°C instead of that cosy 19°C. Even small acts like these can go a long way in conserving the environment.
That was about the past and the present, now let’s take a look at the future. Nature gives us two options. Either we take Preventive measures or nature will take Corrective measures. Now its up to us to decide whether we want rampant growth or sustained development.
Those in the audience who still believe that Industrialization should be promoted at ANY cost; I offer you my best wishes. Try explaining this to those villagers who lost their homes in Sagar Island. Thank you!”
__________________________________________________________
P.S: For the record, I WON THE FIRST PRIZE!!!!
The topic was "Should industrialization and growth be promoted at the cost of Environment?"
____________________________________________________________
“My Name is Krishnamurthi Kumar. I am a student of Faculty of Management Studies. And I will be speaking AGAINST the motion.
Breaking News: Yesterday (18th October, 2007), I was watching the news, actively for a change, and came to know that we have our first set of refugees. Not from a terrorist attack or an earthquake, but from climate change. Yes, the people of Sagar Island in West Bengal have lost their homes because the waters of the Bay of Bengal decided to pay them a visit.
Before I contribute to this debate, I must admit two things. I am a student of management so I must admit that an industrialized nation or a developed economy is going to help me much more, at least financially. Why I say this is so that all of you may understand that I know the gravity of the words I speak. The other thing I would like to admit is that I, myself, have never planted a tree.
But we are not here to discuss what we did or did not do. The topic here is not that whether “Should we have promoted industrialization and growth at the cost of environment?” The topic of discussion today is “Should Industrialization and growth be promoted at the cost of environment?” So from the way I look at it, there is a future element embedded in this topic.
While we are talking about future, lets start with the past, India has come a long way from being an agrarian economy, one which depends on the soil, to the first instance of being called the next developed economy, one which depends on what is actually built on that soil. But somewhere down the line, we forgot the matrix on which this whole development was taking place. As the building grew higher and higher, we forgot the foundation on which this building stands.
But to say that we forgot to conserve the environment wont be entirely true. We must remember that saving the environment and all its constituents was always a part of our culture. I am sure anyone who has read the history books would remember the “Chipko Movement”. So what went wrong? I say, Apathy. But to understand how that happened we must look at things in context.
30-40 years back, when India started its process of industrialization, it faced a very unique problem. It lacked the process, the patent and the technical knowledge but had lots of natural resources. So it compensated its absence of technology with the excess of resources. But can we give this same excuse today? No! Today if one wants, one can go that extra mile in order to do something for the environment. It could be something as simple as switching to CFL tubes instead of light bulbs or turning up the temperature of the AC to the ambient temperature of 24°C instead of that cosy 19°C. Even small acts like these can go a long way in conserving the environment.
That was about the past and the present, now let’s take a look at the future. Nature gives us two options. Either we take Preventive measures or nature will take Corrective measures. Now its up to us to decide whether we want rampant growth or sustained development.
Those in the audience who still believe that Industrialization should be promoted at ANY cost; I offer you my best wishes. Try explaining this to those villagers who lost their homes in Sagar Island. Thank you!”
__________________________________________________________
P.S: For the record, I WON THE FIRST PRIZE!!!!
I guess 'breathing' is a good enough title....
Realizations occur in odd, various ways... a quiet distant relative of mine had come to my place today.... I had met him for the first time in my life.... Things started of slow.... but I did recognize certain mannerisms very native to my father's side of the family from the very beginning... but the actual show started post lunch.... and what a session it was!!...... certain excerpts, inferences and learning....
First of all, Are we breathing?? according to one school of thought (which is quite persuasive, i must add), we are not..... That's right.... what we thought that we were doing all our lives is something that we have never done..... let me try and explain how..... right now you must be sitting, right?? How can you say that "I am sitting"?..... you can say that you are sitting only because you had the option of standing, sleeping, kneeling, squatting etc.... and yet, you CHOSE to sit..... so you can argue that "I am sitting" only because you are capable of doing otherwise too... similarly, you can say that "I am going outside the room" because you can decide to do otherwise too and stay put in the room..... so if some one kicks you out of the room, its only but natural for you to say that "I am not going out, I am being forced to go out"..... So, keeping this logic in mind.... lets answer once again..... Am I breathing?..... can i decide to do otherwise? can i stop breathing?..... unless you are quite suicidal by nature, i guess the answer is no.... so what we are doing is basically allowing the air to go in and out..... Food for thought, isn't it?.... think about it.... I know that I am..... because, I know that I can do otherwise and not think about it!!
First of all, Are we breathing?? according to one school of thought (which is quite persuasive, i must add), we are not..... That's right.... what we thought that we were doing all our lives is something that we have never done..... let me try and explain how..... right now you must be sitting, right?? How can you say that "I am sitting"?..... you can say that you are sitting only because you had the option of standing, sleeping, kneeling, squatting etc.... and yet, you CHOSE to sit..... so you can argue that "I am sitting" only because you are capable of doing otherwise too... similarly, you can say that "I am going outside the room" because you can decide to do otherwise too and stay put in the room..... so if some one kicks you out of the room, its only but natural for you to say that "I am not going out, I am being forced to go out"..... So, keeping this logic in mind.... lets answer once again..... Am I breathing?..... can i decide to do otherwise? can i stop breathing?..... unless you are quite suicidal by nature, i guess the answer is no.... so what we are doing is basically allowing the air to go in and out..... Food for thought, isn't it?.... think about it.... I know that I am..... because, I know that I can do otherwise and not think about it!!
The purple thread...
All my life, I have believed that I've been born to do things different.... Never knew that its conveniently termed as being a freak of nature.... it is said that we are all unique but some are more unique than others.... I've been that way.... since childhood, I was too South Indian to be a Gujarati and too Gujarati to be a South Indian... too linguistically gifted to deny my roots, too numerically challenged, to live up to it..... I've always looked different to other people... but never felt anything inside.... I had almost resigned to the fact that I am an anomaly of nature... a piece of jigsaw puzzle that has no place to fit....
But then, just the other day, I was watching Boston Legal (a series I love so deeply, that I don't follow it too often.) In one episode, the character of David Spader says
"Epictetus compared people who “fit in” to the white threads of a toga. Indistinguishable. He wanted to be the purple thread. “That small part which is bright, and makes all the rest appear graceful and beautiful. Why then” he asked, “do you tell me to make myself like the many? And if I do, how shall I still be purple?”
Its ironic how all our questions get answered when we stop searching.... I wish i could stop searching the answers for all my questions....
But then, just the other day, I was watching Boston Legal (a series I love so deeply, that I don't follow it too often.) In one episode, the character of David Spader says
"Epictetus compared people who “fit in” to the white threads of a toga. Indistinguishable. He wanted to be the purple thread. “That small part which is bright, and makes all the rest appear graceful and beautiful. Why then” he asked, “do you tell me to make myself like the many? And if I do, how shall I still be purple?”
Its ironic how all our questions get answered when we stop searching.... I wish i could stop searching the answers for all my questions....
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star....
Let me put it straight.... "We've stopped gazing at the stars"...... It may seem like a simple enough statement but the ramifications are immense.
Have we ever thought.... What was the need for the ancient star gazers to make complex calculations about the distance of the Sun from the earth?... Wasn't his existence on earth, filled with enough hardships, so as to dissuade him from undertaking such tedious exercises?..... The learned amongst us may answer using terms like Motivation, Need for achievement and self-actualization. But I'd simply say, they had the time and the inclination to look up at the sky..... simply put, they were star gazers, because they looked up at the stars....
Today, when we look up the stars, we may end up marveling a man-made sattelite instead.... but then again, there is no dearth of stars on earth.... People who have achieved what others couldn't even dream.... People who have taken human capabilities to the edges of possibilities and sometimes even beyond..... People from all walks of life.... Business, social works, entertainment, theology, philosophy and sometimes, even something as mundane as public administration.... choose any walk of life and you might find a plethora of stars making up the "Walk of fame"......
Media has made it all the more easy for us to take a closer look at these stars.... Media works as a long range telescope that brings us closer to the stars....sometimes, too close for comfort....... We see people winning awards, being gifted some of the costliest cars around.... buying some of the best indulgences, money can buy..... if we want to, all this can really influence us.... even to the point of positive influence.... motivation...... but that is where the catch lies.... IF we want to... The trouble is, we are more worried about the potholes on the road than the stars in the sky..... we are more worried about the garment selection process of the pretty-young-thing across the building, than the endless sky that makes a quiet background to that building......
We need to look up more often..... we are all, finally, a bunch of frogs in a well.... the difference between us is probably that some are looking at the abyss below, some are looking at the darkness around... while some are looking at the skies above..... it is a different story whether we'll be able to get out or not.... but at least we'd have lived a different life....
Have we ever thought.... What was the need for the ancient star gazers to make complex calculations about the distance of the Sun from the earth?... Wasn't his existence on earth, filled with enough hardships, so as to dissuade him from undertaking such tedious exercises?..... The learned amongst us may answer using terms like Motivation, Need for achievement and self-actualization. But I'd simply say, they had the time and the inclination to look up at the sky..... simply put, they were star gazers, because they looked up at the stars....
Today, when we look up the stars, we may end up marveling a man-made sattelite instead.... but then again, there is no dearth of stars on earth.... People who have achieved what others couldn't even dream.... People who have taken human capabilities to the edges of possibilities and sometimes even beyond..... People from all walks of life.... Business, social works, entertainment, theology, philosophy and sometimes, even something as mundane as public administration.... choose any walk of life and you might find a plethora of stars making up the "Walk of fame"......
Media has made it all the more easy for us to take a closer look at these stars.... Media works as a long range telescope that brings us closer to the stars....sometimes, too close for comfort....... We see people winning awards, being gifted some of the costliest cars around.... buying some of the best indulgences, money can buy..... if we want to, all this can really influence us.... even to the point of positive influence.... motivation...... but that is where the catch lies.... IF we want to... The trouble is, we are more worried about the potholes on the road than the stars in the sky..... we are more worried about the garment selection process of the pretty-young-thing across the building, than the endless sky that makes a quiet background to that building......
We need to look up more often..... we are all, finally, a bunch of frogs in a well.... the difference between us is probably that some are looking at the abyss below, some are looking at the darkness around... while some are looking at the skies above..... it is a different story whether we'll be able to get out or not.... but at least we'd have lived a different life....
A Puerile Dream
One day, a little hand will grasp my finger,
and will introduce me to my adult dream.
But until that time, I'll be a child,
frolicking without worries, in time's stream.
She'll make me realize that what I thought, right; is wrong.
she'll make me realize that what I thought weak; is strong.
She'll make me realize that a 'happening place' is not necessarily where people throng.
She'll make me realize that my biggest wish,
is not worth her one cry of avarice.
she'll make me realize that a simple smile,
can make me want any daunting task, to be reprised.
I'll realize that a penny saved today,
will realize one of her dreams tomorrow.
I'll realize that the day she leaves,
will bring me my greatest moment of sorrow.
One day, a little hand will grasp my finger,
and will teach me a new meaning of life itself...
but till that time, this waking dream,
will inspire me to survive.
Angels on earth....
This past week saw the successful completion of a day dreaded by many Indian men.... that's right, Rakshabandhan!!.... The occasion has been a tumultuous one for me too... but for different reasons....
It is an unstated postulate that we all crave for something that we don't have (the inverse of which is that, we don't realize the true worth of what we have)..... So, just for the fact that I was not endowed with one, I had this yearning for a sister.. (all those guys who find this despicable.... press alt+left arrow)........ and and and...... one more sad unstated postulate is that, if you really wanna have something/someone, you have to prove that you don't need it/him/her..... so the loan always goes to the person who proves that he doesn't need it..... the Boy always goes behind the girl who neglects his very existence....and vice versa...... so for some strange reason, all the girls in school used to be gung ho about "catching" the most famous studs.... whereas the geeks were left to fend for themselves (case in point, being me)..... So I still remember all those years when my packet of pens used to return home in its original state (giving pens to sisters was a fad during those days.... ah! those cheap cheap times!!!)..... soon, I found better..... how should i put this.... hmmmmmm...... usage??..... of an image of a girl (perverted, of course!....good ol' days!).... and hence, alleviated my urge to get citizenship in sister-dom.....
Ah!!... But that's where the second postulate came into force..... Just try to imagine this.... (not for the weak hearted)....... I found all my sisters during my college days!!!!!..... yeah, I can understand the goosebumps you are having right now.....But, its been a happy experience for me..... I hope I don't get some fatwa for saying this, but I truly feel that sisters are the guiding angel for all us men..... specially elder sisters..... they are motherly, but from the same generation.... they are friends, but with no strings attached.... they are your confidante, who can, of course blackmail you every once in a while (you win some, you lose some!)..... They are everything that you want a woman to be..... with an added benefit of having none of the traits you wouldn't want in women... They are like the litmus paper who teach you how to react to women; before the more important ones come into your lives... They are always there for you (whether, you like it or not!)... and it is one of the very few relations that does not change during the course of a life time.. sadly, it is also one of the relationships which is under a perennial threat of being taken for granted....
Hence, I hope every man who reads this post looks at his sister in a more caring way... and every woman who reads this.... feels that much more special about being a woman.... God Bless you all..... So that you may bless us back.....
It is an unstated postulate that we all crave for something that we don't have (the inverse of which is that, we don't realize the true worth of what we have)..... So, just for the fact that I was not endowed with one, I had this yearning for a sister.. (all those guys who find this despicable.... press alt+left arrow)........ and and and...... one more sad unstated postulate is that, if you really wanna have something/someone, you have to prove that you don't need it/him/her..... so the loan always goes to the person who proves that he doesn't need it..... the Boy always goes behind the girl who neglects his very existence....and vice versa...... so for some strange reason, all the girls in school used to be gung ho about "catching" the most famous studs.... whereas the geeks were left to fend for themselves (case in point, being me)..... So I still remember all those years when my packet of pens used to return home in its original state (giving pens to sisters was a fad during those days.... ah! those cheap cheap times!!!)..... soon, I found better..... how should i put this.... hmmmmmm...... usage??..... of an image of a girl (perverted, of course!....good ol' days!).... and hence, alleviated my urge to get citizenship in sister-dom.....
Ah!!... But that's where the second postulate came into force..... Just try to imagine this.... (not for the weak hearted)....... I found all my sisters during my college days!!!!!..... yeah, I can understand the goosebumps you are having right now.....But, its been a happy experience for me..... I hope I don't get some fatwa for saying this, but I truly feel that sisters are the guiding angel for all us men..... specially elder sisters..... they are motherly, but from the same generation.... they are friends, but with no strings attached.... they are your confidante, who can, of course blackmail you every once in a while (you win some, you lose some!)..... They are everything that you want a woman to be..... with an added benefit of having none of the traits you wouldn't want in women... They are like the litmus paper who teach you how to react to women; before the more important ones come into your lives... They are always there for you (whether, you like it or not!)... and it is one of the very few relations that does not change during the course of a life time.. sadly, it is also one of the relationships which is under a perennial threat of being taken for granted....
Hence, I hope every man who reads this post looks at his sister in a more caring way... and every woman who reads this.... feels that much more special about being a woman.... God Bless you all..... So that you may bless us back.....
"Ok.....so I wrote what u wanted, didi.....
Can I please have my bike keys back now?"
The rearview mirror
Every once in a while, we do the inevitable gesture of looking back at our past. And we are confounded with a myriad tirade of emotions. We are either glad that things were not as bad as they seemed, or sad that they were not so good after all. We are either happy that the tumultuous ugly-duckling phase of our life is over, or we lament over its continuance. We are either happy that our past played a pivotal role in shaping our future, or we are sad for pretty much the same thing.
I did something similar in the past 2 hours. I went through the old neglected sectors of my hard disk (ah! I miss those primitive days of a simple, humble shoe-box!) And I came up with some really puerile stuff. Here is a poem I wrote in the beginning of my first year of graduation. (I used to flatter myself by calling them poems... I hope you allow me to live in my sweet ignorance.) The poem is about the truth of college life.
I did something similar in the past 2 hours. I went through the old neglected sectors of my hard disk (ah! I miss those primitive days of a simple, humble shoe-box!) And I came up with some really puerile stuff. Here is a poem I wrote in the beginning of my first year of graduation. (I used to flatter myself by calling them poems... I hope you allow me to live in my sweet ignorance.) The poem is about the truth of college life.
It’s a transition encompassed, in a step through a gate:
A transition from a time when ignorance was a virtue.
When a modest past merges with an extravagant uncertain future,
To give meaning and form to words like aim, dreams and expectations.
The media’s mirage slowly crumbles, as reality floats before the eye,
To prove that all that was heard from “experience” was, after all, just a lie.
No maidens or angelic incarnations. No comedic sidekicks to while away loose time.
No song and dance at the drop of a hat. All considered to be an integral part of being sublime.
The “extravagant uncertain future” slowly dissolves so that only “uncertain” is true.
And the notion that life would start with a step through a gate, was just a case where mind misconstrued.
The transition after all was just a change of costume. The gate by its side had a moat.
And the freedom that the soul wanted to rejoice, was the freedom of a hapless scapegoat.
A transition from a time when ignorance was a virtue.
When a modest past merges with an extravagant uncertain future,
To give meaning and form to words like aim, dreams and expectations.
The media’s mirage slowly crumbles, as reality floats before the eye,
To prove that all that was heard from “experience” was, after all, just a lie.
No maidens or angelic incarnations. No comedic sidekicks to while away loose time.
No song and dance at the drop of a hat. All considered to be an integral part of being sublime.
The “extravagant uncertain future” slowly dissolves so that only “uncertain” is true.
And the notion that life would start with a step through a gate, was just a case where mind misconstrued.
The transition after all was just a change of costume. The gate by its side had a moat.
And the freedom that the soul wanted to rejoice, was the freedom of a hapless scapegoat.
______________________________________________________
Such is the irony of life..... I still find this poem to be true..... lets give it some more years to cure... maybe it'll taste better.... maybe....
In conversation with...
Its 4 in the morning and I've not slept a wink.. some guys are crashing in at my place for the night... so I got ample practice of being lonely in a group... It is so difficult to have a conversation nowadays.. People crammed into a single room can't come up with a memorable conversation... Let alone warring nations or burning factions... It is as if we all live a private life in a public sphere.. A wi-fi hotspot where many people are starting their messengers to chat with people whom they wouldn't have even seen.... but they just cant talk to people around them...
Sometimes i feel that it is a misconception that advances in communications, has brought people together... It has just become more convenient for people to ignore others... you meet some long lost friend and if you are in no mood to socialize.... you just blurt out... "you are on Orkut, right?... I'll catch you there."..... A yahoo messenger comes with a convenient invisible mode.... some people carried two phones till now.... so that they may segregate.... now that process has been simplified by new range of phones which accept both GSM as well as CDMA sim cards..... there was a time when even a phone call was considered an impersonal form of communication.... nowadays, even that is a rarity.... people send their apologies, appreciations and brickbats through the SMS.... Rather, take me as an example, instead of asking the people around me to strike up a new conversation; I am lamenting about it in a blog..
Thus wrote T.S. Eliot in "choruses from the rock".....
Sometimes i feel that it is a misconception that advances in communications, has brought people together... It has just become more convenient for people to ignore others... you meet some long lost friend and if you are in no mood to socialize.... you just blurt out... "you are on Orkut, right?... I'll catch you there."..... A yahoo messenger comes with a convenient invisible mode.... some people carried two phones till now.... so that they may segregate.... now that process has been simplified by new range of phones which accept both GSM as well as CDMA sim cards..... there was a time when even a phone call was considered an impersonal form of communication.... nowadays, even that is a rarity.... people send their apologies, appreciations and brickbats through the SMS.... Rather, take me as an example, instead of asking the people around me to strike up a new conversation; I am lamenting about it in a blog..
Thus wrote T.S. Eliot in "choruses from the rock".....
Where is the life we have lost in living?
where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
The cycles of heaven in twenty centuries
bring us farther from God and nearer to the dust.
Schadenfreude
Dictionary.com defines Schadenfreude as
scha·den·freu·de /ˈʃɑdnËŒfrɔɪdÉ™/ Pronunciation[shahd-n-froi-duh]
–noun
satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
[Origin: 1890–95; < G, equiv. to Schaden harm + Freude joy]
I don't know about the rest of the world, but I definite say that India is reeling under a severe bout of Schadenfreude. A ten year old girl is allegedly eve-teased by a group of under aged boys driving an SUV, to top it off, they actually hit her and then drag her body for many meters. But what does the media report? Not those juvenile delinquents. They go on and on about the trauma of the little girl, actually showing the footage of her suffering in the hospital room. Who do we blame for this?...... in my earlier post, I squarely blamed the media.... but this time, I think its Schadenfreude.
Because, as the definition of Say's law goes in John Maynard Keynes's "The General theory of employment, interest and money"..... "Supply finds its own demand"..... if we discount for a minute, the possibility that these 'media' are reporting these sickening reports in an even more sickening manner just because they are mentally ill, then we can only conclude that these people are actually minting money on this. There are people out there who actually watch and digest this bull shit (pardon my french, i couldn't think of an appropriate term). People actually enjoy it when Sanjay Dutt's daughter is being called and asked "so did you tell your father that you are going to stick by him till the end?". People actually enjoy it so much that these media people actually spend money on a ISD call, for a question which even Rakhi Sawant might answer! In fact, I am surprised as to why Rakhi Sawant was not asked about her views regarding the decision in the the Sanjay Dutt case. But i'm sure that now that this idea is being floated on the internet by yours truly, some nincompoop assistant of an equally imbecile news producer will find and get Ms. Sawant's precious sound bites.
I hope you enjoy the telecast, as and when it happens. I am sure I will. Schadenfreude is a disease which is going to stay for a long time to come. I might as well enjoy it.
scha·den·freu·de /ˈʃɑdnËŒfrɔɪdÉ™/ Pronunciation[shahd-n-froi-duh]
–noun
satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
[Origin: 1890–95; < G, equiv. to Schaden harm + Freude joy]
I don't know about the rest of the world, but I definite say that India is reeling under a severe bout of Schadenfreude. A ten year old girl is allegedly eve-teased by a group of under aged boys driving an SUV, to top it off, they actually hit her and then drag her body for many meters. But what does the media report? Not those juvenile delinquents. They go on and on about the trauma of the little girl, actually showing the footage of her suffering in the hospital room. Who do we blame for this?...... in my earlier post, I squarely blamed the media.... but this time, I think its Schadenfreude.
Because, as the definition of Say's law goes in John Maynard Keynes's "The General theory of employment, interest and money"..... "Supply finds its own demand"..... if we discount for a minute, the possibility that these 'media' are reporting these sickening reports in an even more sickening manner just because they are mentally ill, then we can only conclude that these people are actually minting money on this. There are people out there who actually watch and digest this bull shit (pardon my french, i couldn't think of an appropriate term). People actually enjoy it when Sanjay Dutt's daughter is being called and asked "so did you tell your father that you are going to stick by him till the end?". People actually enjoy it so much that these media people actually spend money on a ISD call, for a question which even Rakhi Sawant might answer! In fact, I am surprised as to why Rakhi Sawant was not asked about her views regarding the decision in the the Sanjay Dutt case. But i'm sure that now that this idea is being floated on the internet by yours truly, some nincompoop assistant of an equally imbecile news producer will find and get Ms. Sawant's precious sound bites.
I hope you enjoy the telecast, as and when it happens. I am sure I will. Schadenfreude is a disease which is going to stay for a long time to come. I might as well enjoy it.
confusing, life
I did something odd today. I went up one of the fly-overs of my town (one of the 3 fly-overs, almost a relic. People often forget that its a fly-over!) I stood by the side, took out my I-pod and started a nice slow song. After sometime, I realized something. My mind was in a state of confusion because what it was hearing was slow and smooth but what it saw and felt was anything but that. And queerly enough, I enjoyed this state of cognitive dissonance.
But we do this more often then we think we do it. Many times we restrict ourselves from becoming too happy, reminding ourselves that this moment of happiness will be short lived. And that it will be followed by misery which seems to be more or less, inevitable. Misery is necessary evil. Many times when we say something that we really wish for, we add "touch wood". In both these instances, we confuse happiness by giving the miseries, the dues it never asks for.
We try our best to confuse life. Because, we believe that in the time that life loses in confusion, we really live.
But we do this more often then we think we do it. Many times we restrict ourselves from becoming too happy, reminding ourselves that this moment of happiness will be short lived. And that it will be followed by misery which seems to be more or less, inevitable. Misery is necessary evil. Many times when we say something that we really wish for, we add "touch wood". In both these instances, we confuse happiness by giving the miseries, the dues it never asks for.
We try our best to confuse life. Because, we believe that in the time that life loses in confusion, we really live.
The News is dead..... Long live the News
Any Indian having the tenacity to watch the news channels nowadays will know that the news, as we knew it, is dead. In the city of corruption and the footpath of populism, News has died unnoticed. The saddest part is that not many are even condemning this death (although some people are having "sleepless nights" over the predicament of the arrested terror suspects in UK and Australia!)
Yesterday, a 7 floor building collapsed in Borivali (W) of Mumbai. And the prime concern of all the news channels was, whom to be blamed for this act. Today morning, the news was.... "20 feared dead in Mumbai building collapse"......"200 feared dead in the plane crash in Brazil"...... "Amitabh Bachchan is no longer a farmer".......Yes, my dear brothers and sisters! that Mr. Bachchan is not a farmer anymore, is a matter of grave national importance today. That in some obscure village in Haryana, a Baba is able to do what any street magician could, is a matter of grave national importance today. That Ms. (or Mrs..... who cares) Rakhi Sawant wants to talk to a couple of conjoint twins, is a matter of grave national importance today.
The Press (pardon me for using the term but a more appropriate term has not been coined yet) has conveniently turned the definition of news. So much so that, after a point of time, we have even stopped complaining about it. It is like a daily soap for us now. So in the language of popular journalism today, "Who is to be blamed for this murder of News?"..... The answer is unfortunately, all of us. It is a vicious circle, you see. First, we asked so they provided. Now, they provide and we have learnt to consume.
The press is devoid of any discretion, soul or ethics today. They know what to report but not how to report it. They know where to start, but not where to end. In the land of the popular press, a defendant is guilty unless proven otherwise. And sometimes, he is guilty, even if proven otherwise. The press has its own parallel judiciary going on. The poor is always correct, just and victimised. The rich is always wrong, corrupt and the oppressor. Road rage and road accidents are not deemed news-worthy so long as a rich drunk kid is not involved in it. News, today is not that a rape has been committed. The news today is how the rape was committed. If possible, they may even reconstruct the whole scene.
The solution? Stop these 24 x 7 news channels. It is quite alright if they show the news only once in a couple of hours. Put on some movies or some TV serials in the mean time. Make the press responsible for what they publish or show. If they make a mistake or a wrong judgement then make them pay for it. Make them accountable. Let the press, not be the only one to ask questions. Make them answer too.
That's all for now, I just got the news that the News is about to be cremated in a municipality cremation ground. Without a post mortem of course, because that could make the whole sociaty stink. So the least that I can do is pay my last respects.
Be in touch
It is said that during World War II, when there was a severe shortage of medication for the newborn children, the nurses were advised to just hold the child from time to time. It was believed that just a self assuring touch of a person would motivate the child to live through its toughest time. And it really did work. Today, in an age where everything needs to be named fancy in order to be accepted, we know of it as "touch therapy". Its a pity that we dont practice it that often.
Why do we believe that just because a child has grown on to become an adult, s/he doesn't need the self assurance of that touch any more? Haven't we ever noticed that sometimes, the best way to calm down a friend is to just give him or her a hug? If not a hug, even a tap on the shoulder or a soft rub on the back of the palm? I believe that all we need to get through some of the toughest moments of our life, is an assurance that we are not alone in this..... that there is someone to catch hold of us..... or at least to look at us as we go down in the battle of life... to cry for us or sigh for us as we die..
So go ahead... spread the touch.... irrespective of race, religion, age or gender..... You never know how easy you've made life, for the one you love or for the one you care..
Why do we believe that just because a child has grown on to become an adult, s/he doesn't need the self assurance of that touch any more? Haven't we ever noticed that sometimes, the best way to calm down a friend is to just give him or her a hug? If not a hug, even a tap on the shoulder or a soft rub on the back of the palm? I believe that all we need to get through some of the toughest moments of our life, is an assurance that we are not alone in this..... that there is someone to catch hold of us..... or at least to look at us as we go down in the battle of life... to cry for us or sigh for us as we die..
So go ahead... spread the touch.... irrespective of race, religion, age or gender..... You never know how easy you've made life, for the one you love or for the one you care..
Looking through the window from the hell above
Since ages, Man has always been inspired by animals and organisms much smaller than him. An ant shows hard work, a spider shows perseverance, so on and so forth. Its like amidst all the worries, weaknesses, girl friends' birthdays and mother-in-laws, we get some time to look down towards these humble and simpler creatures, and we get inspired by the way they carry on with life. I have a completely different theory to this. You see, these animals survive through all those tumultuous experiences only because they do not have an option. A worker ant cannot go on strike saying that the load is too heavy, the spider cant say that it'll not weave the web because its so darn frustrating. They go on with their lives, because they don't have an option. As far as I know (which is, by the way, quite less), Man is the only animal who has tenacity to commit suicide. Only man is stupid enough to give away a life for which any other animal on earth would die for. And basically, most the options and preconditions that make our lives seem so difficult, come from this. We just give ourselves a lot of options. These options sometimes make man, an irrational animal. For instance: I have now been given an arduous task of choosing between two equally lucrative internship options. And I am so confused that yesterday I thought, I wish I'd just fail in one of the interviews. If I'm left with only one option, maybe my life will be easier. Is this rational? (Ok, that was a rhetoric question)
So once in a while, its always so much more liberating to just have an out of body experience. To leave the confines of skin and society and just soar up in the sky. Then just looking at one's life from the skies above. I'm sure the sight will be as inspiring a the sight of an ant on the ground. Which brings me to the topic of this blog. Why call it a window from hell? Because I too suffer from the syndrome which is gripping the whole of humanity. The Sour Grapes Syndrome. I know that I'll have to come down someday. So let me buckle up and call it hell from the very beginning. That softens the fall, a little.
So once in a while, its always so much more liberating to just have an out of body experience. To leave the confines of skin and society and just soar up in the sky. Then just looking at one's life from the skies above. I'm sure the sight will be as inspiring a the sight of an ant on the ground. Which brings me to the topic of this blog. Why call it a window from hell? Because I too suffer from the syndrome which is gripping the whole of humanity. The Sour Grapes Syndrome. I know that I'll have to come down someday. So let me buckle up and call it hell from the very beginning. That softens the fall, a little.
The neighbourhood IT provision store
I went to a local IT fair today. What I saw, sadly, didn't surprise me. It was just like any neighbourhood grocery store or a local vegetable market. People hawking their "High Quality" "imported" "state of the art" machines...(Made in China... I rest my case)... A market where quality is no longer a differentiating factor..... a market where the primary motive is to grab eyeballs.... because the goods are basically of same nature and stature (Good or bad, you decide).... It is a sad way for technology to die... a death not from neglect... but from too much attention.... IT has become an ugly two letter word nowadays.... Now, I know that IT really stands for Information Technology (was that the 15th question?)..... but you know.... IT seems to be so talked about that people today know what it is but don't know what it stands for. IT stands for propagation of Information through the use of technology. So, keeping in mind my wonderful concept of baby steps... lets first define Information
–noun
1. knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance; news: information concerning a crime.
2. knowledge gained through study, communication, research, instruction, etc.; factual data: His wealth of general information is amazing.
1. knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance; news: information concerning a crime.
2. knowledge gained through study, communication, research, instruction, etc.; factual data: His wealth of general information is amazing.
The underlying concept in both these definitions (Long live, Dictionary.com) is the word Knowledge..... I don't know how you define knowledge.... but I'm sure that you'll also agree that today, Knowledge is just one of minor by product of the larger process of Information..... Today, Information means ability to pirate some software, rip some songs, realize some of the wildest "fantasies" known (or even unknown) to man..... where is knowledge?...... try to Google it... I'm sure you'll find it in the midst of some porn sites..... Sadly, Information today is going to where everyone came from....
I think I lost something...
Major Edward A. Murphy, Jr. was a development engineer in the Rocket Sled experiments being conducted by US Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base in the later part of 1940s..... But we don't know him for that.... we know him for the famous "Murphy's Laws"..... A series of sayings or mis-sayings which are inadvertently attributed to his genius.....
It all started with "whatever can go wrong, will go wrong"....... then the series grew..... Everyone likes passing out wisecracks.... its like passing gas.... you just cant hold it in..... but when its out, this almost always results in an embarrassing situation.... so we start looking at the next available fat guy around us... And there is always a fat guy around!!!.....thats the case with wisecracks too... they have a tendency to boomerang....... so people conveniently, donate their illegitimate sayings to the parentage of poor old Murphy!!...... one such gem is "You'll always find what you are looking for, at the least expected place you expected it to be"....... so the documents you need are always the last one in the stack.... the coin will always roll to such a deep crevice beneath the refrigerator, that you feel that you'll reach China if you go a little further!!......We can generalize this to the people in our lives too.....
We always find the people we need, at the least expected place, at the least expected time and under the least expected situation...... it could be the nerd you see on the first bench of the class... it could be the bully, whom you may have only seen through the web of your fingers covering your face in trepidation..... you may find a hero in your Dad.... or your best friend in your mom.... you may find long life support in your no-good siblings.....
But there are certain rules to this.....You cannot preconceive the inevitable by looking first at the place you least expected.... because....... A) you never know your least expected place till you actually come across it... and B) because wisecracks stop working when people become wise!.......... So we are supposed to go on looking...... and hoping that the place we see next... is the place we least expected.
It all started with "whatever can go wrong, will go wrong"....... then the series grew..... Everyone likes passing out wisecracks.... its like passing gas.... you just cant hold it in..... but when its out, this almost always results in an embarrassing situation.... so we start looking at the next available fat guy around us... And there is always a fat guy around!!!.....thats the case with wisecracks too... they have a tendency to boomerang....... so people conveniently, donate their illegitimate sayings to the parentage of poor old Murphy!!...... one such gem is "You'll always find what you are looking for, at the least expected place you expected it to be"....... so the documents you need are always the last one in the stack.... the coin will always roll to such a deep crevice beneath the refrigerator, that you feel that you'll reach China if you go a little further!!......We can generalize this to the people in our lives too.....
We always find the people we need, at the least expected place, at the least expected time and under the least expected situation...... it could be the nerd you see on the first bench of the class... it could be the bully, whom you may have only seen through the web of your fingers covering your face in trepidation..... you may find a hero in your Dad.... or your best friend in your mom.... you may find long life support in your no-good siblings.....
But there are certain rules to this.....You cannot preconceive the inevitable by looking first at the place you least expected.... because....... A) you never know your least expected place till you actually come across it... and B) because wisecracks stop working when people become wise!.......... So we are supposed to go on looking...... and hoping that the place we see next... is the place we least expected.
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