the new life...

lots of things I want to write about..although this shouldn’t be the time I choose to do so. anyway, inspiration always comes in forms that are unwarranted or uncalled for.. and so it is, in this case.

first, the weather report: life’s become cooler, the body enjoys it. the sleep’s deep and peaceful and drunk-like… the innards though are on Heat.. there’s torments on many fronts happening.

For starters, part 1 of life ends and part 2 begins.. in less than a month. A fortnight from now, I would’ve graduated an architect and be on my way to the Desert for the second stint at Life… quite daunting, exciting and a new prospect.. something that I look forward to, as I do with anything new.

My Father spoke to me today.. and was giving me one of his ‘philosophy’ talks.. most of what Father says makes sense. It correlates to what I believe and experience everyday. and at other levels are answers to questions that I have. But being the youth that I m (and there’s a bit of Me in it as well), I m impatient and sometimes I find his “talks” rather dragging.. but I make it a point to listen to as much of it as possible. Today, however it was short but sweet and precise. He told me, “ three words that describe life : Hardwork, Knowledge and Direction” . For “Hardwork”- he chose to give the example of bees working. He said, “80% of honey in the world is collected and processed by bees.. there wouldn’t be any honey in the world but for them.”.. for knowledge, he said, “the mind always learns, consciously and unconsciously… the search and thirst for knowledge does not fall within the framework of time and space”. I could not help but agree with that (although I m not completely assured of my agreement as far as understanding is concerned) and thirdly and lastly Direction- this one’s a tricky one and I sought to give a small extension of my own.

I do not know how many of you believe in Signs.. signs that point out many things, gives answers to otherwise very mundane and “simple” questions, gives us “Direction”… these signs exist at every corner, everywhere and more importantly inside Us… Tricky direction this is taking but let me elaborate (not too much, mind you….) firstly, these are no coincidences or things that happen “by chance”. That doesn’t go to say that there’s an inherent meaning attached to an event (s)- it is a subjective and personal experience at the end of it. Anyway, signs exist… signs give us a direction, a “calling” if you will… and I believe in them, provided I m aware of them, provided I accept them for what they are.

I have always had an inclination towards questioning some fundamentals (which I m sure many of my contemporaries have done before and many many others before me as well).. : who Am I, what am I doing here, what s My purpose, stuff like that…. trust me, not many people bother with such “queries”. They consider it an eccentric amusement and observe it as being so. That’s alright with me.. each to his own. Anyway, those who do ask such questions (or their relations) are many and fundamentally, at some level I relate to them and vice versa.

As humans, we have a responsibility: we’ve the gift of awareness; we’ve the gift of the intellect. We’ve the power to question what we feel, our emotions, our actions, our influence, etc. That’s what makes us special.. we are, in absolute terms, on the highest wrung. (“moral bystanders” would protest this point on the ground that we are worse than animals blah blah beasts, etc etc.. I mean from a theoretical or ideological point of view). We have degenerated from such noble beings ( we are truly noble- just look at our human bodies, just perfectly designed!) to creatures hunting and killing for comforts.. personal satisfaction, benefits, etc. Over the years, we have created systems within systems that has robbed us of the basic link that we share with nature. These systems have vicious traps- all aiming at enriching a materialistic life at the cost of another, be it an element of nature(environment) or a fellow human being. And we still crave to be part of this “virtual” system- our materialistic instincts still push us on. We want the latest cars, the newest brands of fashion apparels, the finest forms of entertainment (irrespective of the kind of money and energy wasted in it)..the list can go on.

Because of the way this system is growing (while degenerating), we human beings, as a race have lost the larger picture….. I m not in a very clear frame of mind to explain what this “large picture” exactly means.. let it be interpretive for now. Each one of us, being part of the larger race needs to look at the larger picture. And the root for re-beginning it is YOU (or I)… the larger picture is the Direction that we all need. Its not just an ambition to become a pilot or to win a medal… its larger than that. Its as large as the universe and bigger but it begins and ends with YOU (or I). And within this framework lies the questions that need to be asked, the introspection that needs to be mulled over, the attitude that needs to be changed- at the end of the day, whatever actions one has to go through.. the point of reference is the question, “does it tend towards the larger picture?”….

This large picture is simple..it stems from love..it stems from harmony ..it stems from acceptance and humility….all of which we are bestowed with, naturally… its all a circuit within a circuit, the Signs only point this fact out- its upto You (and I ) as to which circle we choose- the vicious or the beautiful one……