Monday, February 2, 2015

Essentially... we're all Alone


An acquaintance told me that if you do not have a Facebook account, you may as well be dead. If you do not harness social media to connect with people and sell your ideas, you may as well be doomed to a life of oblivion and obscurity from where even sewer rats may disown you.

From when has it become important for self development that we need constant approval. It's true that we human beings are not cut out to be fundamentally alone and research proves that those who lead lonely lives die earlier than others, our bodies give up on us when we do not produce happy hormones and would you believe it, there's some experiment which shows that some part of our brain can detect human connection, even if the rest of our senses cannot.

Most likely because we yearn and crave for that connection and love the recognition and the fuss. I know people who cannot be alone, at all. It's almost like they have no individual identity, as if they dont trust themselves with themselves. Fact is the sooner we accept that we are essentially alone, our lives may be more peaceful and hassle free. Why do we believe that the formula for a happy life is if we have X, Y and Z which to different people mean different things, an attentive spouse, children, a house, material posssesions, the list is endless. Yet most who have either a portion of this or most of it, still crave for other people's attention.

I'm qouting Hunter S. Thompson:

“We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and -- in spite of True Romance magazines -- we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely -- at least, not all the time -- but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don't see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness."

Let's stop makin Alone a bad word and instead celebrate it, the truth is, you're looking at your best Friend.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Ain't it simple...


Sing songs with lyrics perfect
that dance a slow waltz melodious and sweet
as they skip over heartbeats
faint and strong, young and old, high and low, abundant and poor

Bring gifts to the table
of gold and platinum, diamonds that glitter
cars that streak faster than the wind
gadgets yet nascent in the busy market

Contrive the perfect holiday plan
skim on the beaches in panama
revel in the carnival in Rio
dance through the night at Summerfest

Make the right moves
the gestures that impress and acts with finesse
the roses, the perfumes, the fresh demands of haute couture
and whisper words of perfect cadence

Yet... your tangent is way off scope
your rivulets run into a stream thats dry
the micro grooves you draw, have to tell you- are on a broken vinyl record
the smile you seek is a conterfiet charlatan

I hear you wail in anguish and agony
of best laid plans... miserably awry
you toil to make the right moves
and flounder in lost confusion

What went wrong... where did you fail
how could you not make a dent
you were so sure about your toil
how can they not see the effort

The heart seeks no grand gestures
nor yearns for palaces of jewels
or baubles that others hanker
nor objects of ingenuity

A gentle touch
a smile
a soft whisper
a glance

All you need is genuine kindness, the rest is fluff.





Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Lean... away


We're currently doing a rigorous Lean exercise at my workplace and when I look at the concepts, I think how apt and applicable it is to life as well.

In our personal lives, sometimes we fight hard to flog a dead horse, even though we are quite sure it wont do a Lazarus.

Maybe we could use 5 S principles to simplify our lives too?

SORT
STRAIGHTEN
SCRUB
STANDARDIZE
SUSTAIN

Sort - There is so much clutter in our minds, most of our malaise is a selfie, it's something we have created ourselves. If we could invest in some time for ourselves, to mull through the mess, we may be able to discard the unnecessary rather easily.

Straighten - Do we really need the things we believe we can't do without? Or the people? If we can decide which relationships need to be nurtured and which severed, we may find better direction.

Scrub - Honestly, this one is a must. How many negative thoughts pass our mind? The human spirit needs fodder to grow, and only positive thinking provides that salubrious impetus. Jettison the cynicism and shrug off that proverbial chip from the shoulder. Life is meant to be beautiful and not merely a cross to bear.

Standardize - How does one homogenize ones lives? To me it's making peace with all aspects in this journey, even those that we say we don't give a damn about. There are some relationships, specially the ones with parents and siblings if under strife that we need to make peace with. We can sermonize that it doesn't matter, who are we kidding. Let's begin with honesty. Honesty to and with oneself.


Sustain- The hardest. To sustain the above 4 S's and to sustain an interest, a resolution and a promise, above all to yourself. We need reinforcement and re-affirmation that the path we have chosen remains in focus. Maybe write post-it's and paste them or discuss with a trusted aide who will be your support system.


To quote Henry David Thoreau, " In the long run you hit only what you aim at. Therefore, though you should fail immediately, you had better aim at something high."

And while it is not as simple, your swan song could read... I tried...



Wednesday, January 21, 2015

FIM disease...


I need help... Have a serious case of Foot In Mouth disease.

Sigh... Does it ever happen to you that you shoot something off your gob and immediately wish you hadn't said it. I'm sure it's common with many of us but with me its a chronic condition.

The paradox being, I don't say things that need to be said to the people who it should be said to and then shoot off something to an innocent bystander, so it may seem.

Can an apology take away the hurt and the pain caused by indiscriminate spouting? From where I am standing, it is perhaps easy to say that I said sorry, now what? But to the person who has just borne the brunt of your vitriolic tongue may not be as easily healed.

What can I do then to ensure that I bite the bullet and curb the trap? Breathe more deeply, take a moment, spend time with myself, arrange my thoughts and pray hard:

Dear God, Please keep your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. Amen.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Funny thing.... memory



Read this and liked it so much... People and events are better in memory especially if it is a pleasant one!

We store memories into little compartments and while we subconciously or by choice subdue some, we let others flourish and revel in the joy of reminiscence.

Of moments that brought happiness and those nanoseconds of bliss are in reality magnified in the memory of the event than in its actual occurence.

Similar, an unpleasant and unhappy memory. The injustices we went through are blown out of propotion in our memory and we add color and life into by including things which may not even be connected.

So here I go, close my eyes and take that walk as I find layers of happiness on the asphalt of memory...

Suspend reality for a while... doesn't hurt, walk down the happy lane.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Assumptions... the mother of all eff up's


Why is it easier for people to assume negative intent than it is to assume positive intent.

Most people I know say it's smarter if you are not trusting, always question people's motives. Why?

Whenever someone does something nice or is kind, I can't help but appreciate the thought behind the gesture. But I'm told that it isn't entirely altruistic. That there is a sinister hidden motive.

Methinks such people with warped thinking must have miserable lives. If one is to believe that everything done for you has a deeper reason, how do you let happiness through your door? Aren't you closed to every moment of magic and mystery.


Quote by Charles de Lint :

“I do believe in an everyday sort of magic -- the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of moments of synchronicity; the whispered voice, the hidden presence, when we think we're alone.”

If I didn't have a curiosity and a belief in the good in people... I may as well be dead.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

So what kind of a killer are you...


Am posting one of my (many) favorite poems by Oscar Wilde.

“Yet each man kills the thing he loves,
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
Some kill their love when they are young,
And some when they are old;
Some strangle with the hands of Lust,
Some with the hands of Gold:
The kindest use a knife, because
The dead so soon grow cold.
Some love too little, some too long,
Some sell, and others buy;
Some do the deed with many tears,
And some without a sigh:
For each man kills the thing he loves,
Yet each man does not die.”


― Oscar Wilde

What a contrast from the earlier post is what methinks... but such is the fluttering of the wings called a mind.

This is the garb I wear today, will wear another morrow, who knows, it may be a star spangled banner embroidered with skeins of rich emotion or maybe a drab garment threadbare and coarse...

........... and God Bless PMS.... ;)