Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Mistakes Repeated

What are your answers to these questions:

Can you book the board room in your office for some kind of meeting on your own?

Does the idea of ‘job-grades’ offend you?

While on a business travel, have you been sent in an ‘executive’ class seat? Which class does you manager take during business flights? (If not your immediate manager, then consider your manager’s manager).

Have you noticed a different colored badge of another employee who’s stuck to your organization longer than you have? Why do you have a different colored badge than his?

Why can’t you park your vehicle at the ‘reserved’ slots? (Why, even if you are physically challenged).

Does a guy of a higher job-grade travel more than you do to come to work? Yes? No? Not sure? Why then can he claim more petrol expenses than you can?

Have you taken ‘mandatory’ polls and ‘trainings’? Who mandated them?

If you think that the above mentioned discriminations are justified, then you’ve Just accepted the caste system of the modern world. I’m sure you’d bombard me with numerous ‘+’ points about this modern system, and how different it is, but remember, the differences will vanish if only you take your research a few thousand years back in Indian history.

We've learnt nothing from the classical Caste system. So let's go on, repeat its mistakes. Our descendants are going to hate us for that, just as we hate the creators of the caste system.

(so much more to write in too little a space...)

Monday, September 29, 2008

The Offender

Sam was not like this, but wonder what happened to him…
Here are some excerpts from his recent life...

"He was rude to his friends, often told them things they didn’t like."

"James got divorced after his wife learnt that he was a doper. Thanks to Sam."

"Sam’s own girlfriend broke up with him after seeing the signs that he’s so ‘calculative’."

"He was not a team player, and easily managed to offend people around by saying something that they did not like".

"Sure, his manager didn’t like it after Sam protested the rejection of his ideas for a ‘better workplace’. The manager chose to remain silent over his demands".

"He was charged with a fine of $200 for over speeding by 5 mph, but he corrected the judge saying it was in fact 8 mph".

"His neighbors hated him as he used to tell them that he hated them with all his heart".

"He lost his job. No one is hiring him now. Wonder what they saw in his résumé…"

Many such incidents about Sam, but none from the month before and the months before that. This is the month when Sam decided to do two things – 1) Not to tell lies anymore, and 2) Not to speak of anything unless asked about.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

The Gaze

I was waiting for John, my friend, as we were going to F1-race today. Just then I met this person. He was so familiar, yet he looked like a stranger. It was clear to me what he was thinking even as he stole his eyes away from me, but he quickly learnt what I was thinking, and forcefully steadied his gaze into my eyes - Like a shield. I believe that one needs to have a clear conscience to genuinely look into someone else’s eyes. I felt happy about myself for being able to do it. He knew it too, that’s why he was not able to look into mine. I pitied him, for he was feeling bad about something he did; or rather, something that he should have done, but did not.

I had no solution for the state that he was in, for he lived in the past, and hoped for the future, while I, lived in the present. His misery was his hope that he could fix things one day, while for me, things are good as they are, as they were, and as they will be. My gaze was hurting him. So I did the least I could do for him – To relieve him of my gaze. He looked relieved, and he looked aside, perhaps over my shoulder. So much was spoken, yet not a word uttered! I sure knew him too much...

Just then I heard someone knocking the door. John stepped in and called out. “Hey, you, we are getting late, and if you’re done with the
mirror, can we start now?”

Nostalgia

Laughter was all around as he cracked just cracked a joke over his own silliness. Silly that he was to many, he managed to bring smiles on faces of even those who thought he’s not. Stealing his steps aside from the still laughing faces and unaware eyes, he looked into them one last time. A leaf fell down on this shoulder from the tree it long belonged to. It is time. With the laughter still ringing in his ears, his steps started on unseen path, on the journey, to the unknown. He looked at his marching feet, little did he know that they shall never face these faces, ever again.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The Fulfilling Emptiness :)

The house was empty until I moved in to fill it. I’m inclined to think that I left an emptiness somewhere else. Little did I know that this empty space I came to fill in would eventually empty me. Surprisingly, I am feeling good about it!

During this transition, the depths of the relationships I had made and the sullen-looking emptiness fought a bitter battle. But when the chaos settled, silence lost its form, growing loud, yet never unpleasant. When emptiness filled me, there remained no past, and no future. There’s now just that very moment I’m living in. The joy of experiencing ‘right now’ became clear to me just like fog clearing away to reveal dew drops in the dawn.

…right now, at least one of my many long-lost friends is thinking about me… And right now, I know that he is! If not now, then perhaps 1 minute ago, or maybe an hour ago, or even a day ago; but he did spend a second for me… And in this very moment, I am acknowledging it.

…right now, that person is existing… somewhere that I cannot see, but that person sure does exist right in this very fraction of second. His heart is beating without fail, he is breathing, and perhaps doing something that makes him him.



Mind1: What is he/she doing right now?
Mind2: Perhaps he/she is smiling right now.
Mind1: For what? For whom? How’s he/she feeling about it? What is the subject?
Mind2: Perhaps he/she has just stood up to walk.
Mind1: Where to? Anything important?
Mind2: Perhaps he/she is fighting with abc.
Mind1: Over what? How bad is it?
Mind2: He/she is not doing anything.
Mind1: Can’t be. How can you not do anything? Even sleeping is like doing something! Is he/she not even thinking? Only a dead person is not doing anything. Not even breathing. And I refuse to think that he/she is dead. So what is he/she doing right now?

When I considered the last line, my mind raced all over again thinking of the possible things that are being done now by that person. And when I considered thinking of more than 1 person’s possible activities at that very fraction of time, it became just too much for me to imagine.

The questions of Mind1 are a result of the fact that I am curious by nature, and the other fact that I have known that person in the past. It is an undeniable fact that you are doing one thing or the other at all times (though we prefer to call it by various names). You are reading this right now, and perhaps I am thinking of you and am also thinking that you are reading this…


In reality, I don't know what you are doing right now. But this emptiness has shown to me the depths of how much I have known you. I'm sure more than often, what I think you are doing is absolutely right. Think about it...

Can you think what I am doing right now? – This very moment of finishing reading this passage?? Come on.. you can do it...

Sunday, September 14, 2008

The One Moment I Lived

It beats me to see how one can sleep during a flight. To me, it is one of the best experiences one can live to see; a privilege of being a human. On board flight 676 from DFW to Orlando, Florida, this thought passed my mind. One moment, I looked out of the window, the other moment, I turned back to see people dozing.

In the wake of the impending hurricane Gustav, the flight cruised over the calm clouds revealing the thin violet-blue bubble below, through which I could see the civilization settled within their many boxed shelters and elaborate roads snaking throughout. In the twilight, the nature was displaying its inescapable magnificence.

Looking up straight ahead was our very sun, peeping from behind seemingly unoccupied clouds, casting brilliant rays of light, displaying its dazzling and golden presence. It was the ruler of this place; glorious. Just at a tilt of vision through the bubble to the land below, on the right, I beheld a thousand tiny specks of lights, being put on by people welcoming the nightfall. One the left, everything was still well lit by the sunshine. Yet, it was so much more bright up here over the clouds. It was an unforgettable moment where the elements of light were displaying all the moods of a day, bright, twilight, and dark – All in the same view out of the little window of the dutiful air plane.

Unpretentious seemed the calm of nature, as it was just a matter of time when its many conspiracies would be unleashed somewhere over the horizon. But right then, it was hard to comprehend the fullness of the wrath this calmness could bring upon. The ones below seemed yet so feeble, awaiting the inevitable, growing old and anxious with every beat of heart, and every swing of pendulum, being prepared.

Wonder what it was doing at such an unearthly place – that one gust of wind that hit our plane. Turbulence. I came out of my trance and turned lazily away from the window. Only a few souls awake, rest were still oblivious of the existence outside. Perhaps they were scared to look out, maybe they were too bored looking at the same thing over and over again, or perhaps there was a long night awaiting them. I would never know which way they went, but I had devoured the moment, becoming one of the few, who had met the sun, the sky, the land, the light, from that very place in the sky, from that window, on that day, in that hour, in that very fraction.

Never ever will that moment be repeated till eternity, for the clouds would have marched ahead with its brethrens-of-that-day scattered all over the unknown, my fellow passengers changed, the same window seat with stained glass lost, the flight routes changed, or even my own youth, lost in time. That moment will never come to exist ever again.

I’m thankful that I was awake, for the rendezvous with the beauty outside will live for ever in the depths of my heart...

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Excuse Me?!!

Actions speak louder than words. You have heard this before, and are content thinking you have seen this being practiced. I am here to present to you a slightly different perspective of this phrase. What we know is this: If you only make claims of your actions, rather than making the actions no one is going to buy this. If you make something happen, and then speak about it (or not speak at all), the idea is understood instantly by the receiver.

What we usually don’t realize is that the actions are not always visible things. Like you need not build a Taj Mahal to show how much you love someone. If you try, then perhaps you’ll be on you deathbed when it gets completed, resulting in a glorious defeat of your purpose. Neither do expensive gifts nor greeting cards help.

So what helps then? The answer is surprisingly inside you. Nature has built in us, a wonderful system that can transmit and receive subliminal messages(Wikipedia). It is a tried and tested method, and works every time, with everyone. No exceptions (unless you are talking to a certified dead man). These methods are often known to be misused, but it does not rule out the fact that we constantly receive powerful messages sub-consciously. Let me present it to you with simple examples/proof.

Mr. Cesar Millan – The 'Dog Whisperer'. One of the most admired personalities, for his work on canine dynamics. The Dog Whisperer episodes are aired everyday at noon on NGC, where Cesar goes about solving his clients' problems with their pet dogs. An excellent show, with a very practical approach! The issues with pet dogs, he states, is not due to the dogs, but due to the humans who owns them. Almost everyday, on the show, you could see dogs disobeying their owners.

Cesar's usual solution is: Don’t just throw words at dogs, they don’t understand them, but really mean what you say, and the dog will follow. Cast a mental projection. It happens every time. Whatever kind of energy you project mentally, the dog reacts/adapts to that energy. Words are useless. Humans, too are capable of understanding subliminal messages, and the fact it that these messages are more powerful than the equivalent word used to describe them.

The mental projection of your ‘state of mind’ is what you are really speaking, and not the words you use at any given moment. Hypnotists use this technique. Psychologists have written volumes on it. Yet, we seldom comprehend/use these techniques for a better life for ourself and the ones around us. It is really simple! Just own a pet dog! :)

In Thailand, Buddhist monks run a tiger conservation project, where they rescue tigers, and grow them as pets (see tigertemple). Wow! With a little googling, you’ll find that the techniques followed by these monks are similar to Cesar’s. ‘Calm submission through mental projections’. With humans, our intent is not ‘calm submission’ but understanding the reasons for the ‘misunderstandings’. You sure want to know everything that you have spoken to the other person.

A certain Mr. X loves a girl, but he claims that he doesn’t. The girl doesn’t love him. Mr. X’s words claim that he has nothing to do with her, but one way or other he ends up messing things up even more with her. His actions speak. She receives it and reacts instinctively (or perhaps consciously), but he doesn’t get it. Mr. X seriously believes in the ‘actions speak louder’ stuff, and often boasts his professional successes due to it.

What he doesn’t realize is that he is so messed up man!! I mean, how can you not understand English if you claim to be a professor of English? He often blames people of inconsistencies in their actions and words (‘frank feedback’ he claims), but he doesn’t ever listen people’s ‘frank-feedback’ about his inconsistencies.

Mr. X, sure remains a major customer at the Stupidity-Super-Sale-Centre, and he consistently manages to make a grand mess of things by speaking about things that deserve better communication without words rather than the lesser method of verbalization.

Space is less, and topic huge. Some more for later...

Saturday, September 06, 2008

The Search for Normalcy

The natural state of our minds is to remain happy, cheerful, joyful. We strive constantly towards this state. We look for happiness, a smile, a joyful state around us, sometimes consciously and sometimes subconsciously. We, ourselves induce elements in our lives that wreck this normalcy, and then we go about bringing it back; we like to be busy doing something at all times.

Do you know someone who has a good sense of humor? And someone who is high on energy (yet mentally balanced) most of the time? Do you know someone who you think looks innocent? You like to hang around with these people because they make you smile (at least for that moment).

The feeling of feeling good need not be explained. It cannot be explained. It is unbelievably familiar to you. You laugh, or smile, or at least there’s a twinkle in your eyes when that feeling comes across. Being angry or depressed does not feel good. You know it doesn’t. This instinct, which, even in the absence of a medium called language, is understood by everyone. A new born must suckle. Fire burns. Food is good. Same way you know what feels good and what not. Of course then there is all this 'human intelligence' on top of it, but that's where the problem lies. Intelligence is acquired, instinct is ingrained.

So you continue to search for happiness, joy, peace, normalcy without knowing that that is the quest of each and everyone of us.
Have you entered a room full of people and immediately felt ‘This place is so messed up’, you would have wanted to wrap things up and leave at the earliest possible opportunity. On the other hand, there would have been days when you just entered a room full of people, and felt ‘this place is so cool’. You just feel good being in the room. And once you’ve felt good, you just want to be there for as long as you can.

If you are a person people like to hang around with, then there is something you manage to project as a 'normal state of life'. Happiness, contentedness, or perhaps a simple smile. They want to be with you for the energy you manage to project around. Words are feeble, but mental projections of the jovial energy are unmistakably undeceivable. They are received by one and all. You make them happy! A feat achieved without uttering a word or spending a penny!!

For this joy alone, many a people withstand all your whimsical, and perhaps nonsensical ways. They hope that you will give them the sense of good feeling some day again. Little do they realize that they need not wait for you. Same is true for you and for me. 'My happiness', is mine for god's sake. How can you or anyone else control it? It is precious to me, and precious things are not usually given in other's hands just like that. Problem is we try to have everything else in our hand, but give up our happiness in others'.

Next time you are angry, or depressed, I have only one thing to say – That is not your normal state of being, and nature has equipped you with instinct and intelligence to figure out ways of understanding this and getting over it in miraculous time. Go, go now and claim your happiness, your normalcy!

Happy smiling! :)

Thursday, September 04, 2008

A Lost Friend

You took the bait. You always do. Can you tell me when I am being genuine, and when I am not? I'm sure you can figure it out, but neither you'll speak of it, nor will I. You know of my decietful pretenses, the bait, yet you take it. You're a smart bait taker!

Sometime ago, looking out of my balcony on a fine Sunday evening, I noticed the kids in the neighborhood playing. Two kids from the neighborhood were playing together. Anil and Bhaskar. The parents of these two kids seldom passed a day without some kind of altercation. It was a ritual they seem to take pride in.

After all, they earned their rights by buying their respective houses, and any kind of intrusion (be it in the form of sound waves, however insignificant they may be) was not encouraged. In this setup, tolerance was considered extremism. You could get an entirely different perspective of the joys of having such a neighbour if you get to speak to them. Quite unique. Lucid!

The two kids, on the other hand, used to play together at any opportunity of their Argus-eyed parents' absence, and they seemed to really enjoy it. Anil was (or seemed to be) an introvert, while Bhaskar was a guy of infinite energy. It was usually Bhaskar, who would devise quick solutions when they were about to be caught red handed, for a quick escape from their parents. But as kids they were, the grown-ups managed to catch them quite often, either playing cricket, or Ludo, and once, I-Spy. The punishments (as far as I am aware of it) was that his dad would not speak to him for days in a stretch, and would mostly attack his psyche in a subtle form. It was indirect, but was extremely powerful.

So it went that way. For sometime. But Bhaskar, as he was, adapted, and conjured an excellent solution to his situation. What he used to do was, that at the moment he was about to be caught playing with Anil, he would quickly start a fight. Usually by pinching Anil on his arm, and used to stand for him to react. Anil, usually shocked to see such a sudden behaviour from Bhaskar, would hesitate for a moment, then would vent out his frustration by hitting Bhaskar on his arm and run away. Sometimes, they would enter some major physical assault, till their parents came to their rescue. Keeping their parents busy later was an easy task. Anil was smart, and quickly understood what is going on. I'm sure, Bhaskar's quest did not end just there, but right there, I beheld ommon sense knitting together the common cause.

We grown-ups behave just as Anil and Bhaskar and their parents did. Very often, we go out of our ways to just keep everyone around us, around us - Just like what Bhaskar did. That's an outcome of adaptation. We devise strange ways to keep someone close to us, and sometimes to keep someone else at bay. In the case of Bhaskar and Anil, their parents took the bait and not Anil, while Anil was the one abused. A cleverly crafted way to keep their parents at bay, yet the kids close to each other. The key was the mutual trust between the two kids. Had Anil taken the bait, their lives would have turned around to perhaps, different directions.

The despair comes when the bait is taken by the one it is thrown towards but unintended - Being Bhaskar, hoping you to be the Anil. You'd know the reasons if you think like Anil did - Just for a moment. Unless you wear Anil's glasses, you will take the bait, you'll still know that you did, and you'll have your doubts about me.

I'm sure you've played Bhaskar too at some point of time in your life. Think how you felt when that 'Anil' didn't turn up the next day thinking you're a moron.

I think you've taken the bait, and you always do, though I still am inclined to hope that you have not. Or have I taken the bait? Did you throw something at me

hoping I'd not take it? I'm looking around for signs. The signs if you are hiding something from me, yet hoping I'd see it.

Are you looking out for my reasons too my friend?