2. What am I doing?

Got eyes to view the beautiful world and I am just looking at the loopholes
Got ears to listen to the tune of life and I am turning my ears on to gossips
Got speech to spread the word of God and I am just hurting folks by my words
Got nose to smell the fragrance and I am craving to smell the atrocities around
Got body to serve the needy and I end up serving it the whole day
Got mind to think and spread wonderful thoughts and I am cluttering it with all the dirt
Alas! I talk about purifying the soul, however overlooking at the functional glitches mentioned above

1. Culture.

Last week, I came across a day long session on Cross Culture Sensitivity that had an objective of creating awareness of different cultures across the globe and the imperative do’s / don’ts to avoid embarrassments, gain confidence, smoothen conversations and eventually build stronger relations and acquire business benefits.

It was an edifying session with a lot of practical insights. The outcome was a self-implementing decision of following the “rules” as and when the situation arises.

A little bit of further analysis resulted in some self-induced thoughts. The way the culture varies across the globe, it does vary within a huge country like India. However, this was also touched upon during the session. Further, every individual also has his own specific way of life.

Connecting the above statement to the definition of Culture (Culture is nothing but a way of life), I felt that every individual has a self-culture which is over and above as well as a little more specific to the generic culture followed.

For instance, as a part of Indian culture, I love Cricket. Beyond, I love a specific player which is again common. Further down, I like to watch cricket on my TV screen with friends. This is kinda getting specific. Afar below, I liking to sip in something and taking a particular seat and a meticulous angle of viewing the screen now becomes very specific to Dilip’s nature and his definition of entertainment (or may be happiness or comfort of anything that is craved for).

While I visit places and meet people, I do take care of the cultural aspect and respect each individual relating his / her behavior to the culture they follow.

The question to me is – Can I also follow the same with each individual I encounter in my life, thinking that his / her nature & behavior is nothing but the culture that is liked by him / her?

PS: If the answer is yes, in my opinion it has to be backed up with complete willingness and peace within.

3. Haal-Behaal.

Paristhitiyon pe hasnaa chahta hun aur rona bhi
par ye sab sochta rahaa to zindagi sirf babaal hai
Is se to khud ko mana ke khush rehna me bhalaai hai
Kyonki, mere se to kai jyaada, laakhon log behaal hai

sab kuch galat mere saath ki kyon hota hai
kyon mere karmo ki hi tedhi chaal hai
par kya main apne baahar bhi jhaank ke dekhta hun?
Amir-Garib, lagbhag sabhi, 'Sukun' ke bina kangaal hai

2. Time-waste.

Disclaimer: This blog is nothing but a time-waste; hence treat this disclaimer as a caveat :-)

There was this guy Aman, who would do nothing in life. He would just let the day pass and was very much satisfied with what was going on in life.

He had a very close friend Vikas, who would work hard, study and had high aspirations of earning money, power, esteem et al.

Vikas would always tell Aman – “Dude, you are just wasting your time. Do something, become something, set targets in your life like I did and plan for a great life ahead”.

Aman would just stay quiet, listen but never react. He never felt the need to react. He would smile and say – Ok.

Aman’s life was just a routine with daily chores and nothing else. On the other hand Vikas had already initiated the struggle by studying hard, scoring first-rate grades and excelling in all the things that he did. He would slog hard to achieve the impossible. He put in a lot of efforts as he always believed – Success is not a cup of tea. He didn’t even find the time to drink tea peacefully as the ambitions of having a seven course meal were riding on his back and making him run to the fastest that was possibly impossible.

Nothing much to quote about Aman’s life as it was still like the Sun’s routine. Here, Vikas, in his definition was leading ahead day by day. On each accomplishment, small or big, he would come to Aman and flaunt about it. At the end, he would add a comment – “Dude, you are just wasting your time and blah blah”.

Vikas turned out to be a software engineer and then a financial analyst. He had already invested a lot of time, money and efforts by now. He got an exceptional job. Still, he felt – something was missing as this is not the place yet where no one has reached. There were thousands, if not millions, of his age at the same stage. He always thought he would have earned enough esteem by the time he would finish his studies and get into a white-collar industry. When he realized that there are thousands in the race, he strived towards going ahead of all to earn the esteem he would crave for. Meanwhile, he also focused on earning Money as that was also one of the factors he would crave for with an aspiration to lead a luxurious life.

Aman was following the Sun. His parents asked him to get married. He did so.

Vikas’s parents were also persuading him to get married and settle down. Vikas was upfront in answering them by saying – First I shall settle down and then get married.

Besides money, Vikas earned a lot of things like – pressures, deadlines, stress, and exploitation. On each step, he failed to grab the carrots he was offered. He always thought that the carrot is not far-off. Still, he made a lot of money but now the pressure and stress had started hating money as money was always ahead of them. Hence, they decided to play a game and put money behind in the race. They generated some disease in Vikas’s body and as a result of which doctor’s started eating up a lot of Vikas’s money that he would always save for the future luxuries. Deterioration of health wasn’t acceptable as Body was the medium of earning Money, Power, Esteem and beyond.

Aman and Vikas would hardly talk but whenever they would, Vikas was still the same and so was Aman.

By now, Vikas had already passed the marriage age and also the charm. He was still running for the seven course meal while Aman was blissfully relishing the 3-meal-a-day routine.

Aman was simply wasting his time and Vikas, his life.

1. Place.

I would always feel that I love the city I live in. I still feel so. However, off-late I have realized that it's not the place I love it's what the place makes me feel I love or hate about... I know it's a random post and probably leading no where... The flow is also quite different than usual... Also, in one of my earlier post also I have hinted about the reasons for the attachments about the place...

The title is 'place' but the focus is out of place. bad joke! I really feel awesome when I think about home when away. The question is why I don't feel the same when I am very much here. I know that to write the answer is simple but to comprehend it is not so.

Well, having said this I just want to continue falling in love all over again with this place, people, thoughts, feelings, likes, life et al. I know 'continue falling in love all over again' is an abstract phrase but it is.

I am thinking whether I am writing just for the heck of it. The prompt reply is - NO. I am writing cos I feel like. It's been long I have received this feeling from within, rather have realized that this feeling is waiting to be expressed.

Don't want to conclude anything, don't want to sum up a thing, just want to continue living this life as good as this random post.

Too much yet none
All but less than some
Everything but still few
Old and stale, yet new

I did enjoy writing this and will cherish reading it over again and again. I don't care if you did enjoy or no. I might sound careless but to be candid, I am carefree :)

1. Questions.

The question is not what do I need to do for quenching my thirst, the question is - what do I need to do to avert it forever?

The question is not what do I need to do for satisfy my hunger, the question is - what do I need to do to get rid off it forever?

The question is not what do I need to earn money, the question is - what do I need to be happy in a money-less state?

The question is not what do I need to maintain my pride and esteem, the quesion is - what do I need to transcend from the craving related to the same?

2. Presence.

At times, I feel why does my mind dwell so much in future, most of the times and if not, in past? Seldom it’s is in present, aware and awake.

Although, I have seen that no matter what I have lived through my life and will continue to live till the end of it. Somehow, everything is managed and this is true not only for me but I believe, most of us. Of course there are hard times and soft times but that depends on many factors. Certainly, oscillating between the tenses won’t help.

For instance, I keep on thinking – What if I lose the current source of income? I feel, the immediate reply could be – I would find another one. Well, it might not look as simple still is it not the appropriate answer anyways? The answerless state won’t help for sure and thinking on elaborated replies won’t either.

I am not saying that there is no action required for these thoughts / queries. The mere action is the immediate reply and the planning, if required. As another example, my mind is constantly grumbling about being stagnant and looking for a change. This thought is disturbing me a lot. Now, I can start a series of questions and get the replies and act upon.

1) What makes me feel stagnant? – A. I want to explore something new and hence current profession is making me feel stagnant.
2) What do I want to explore? – A. I want to explore my passion
3) What is my passion? – A. My passion is to do some business
4) What type of Business? – A. I want to open a retail shop
5) What do I want to sell? – A. I want to sell garments
6) Have I started on Preliminary Investigation and Feasibility Study? – A. No
7) Do I want to start? – A. Yes
8) Please go ahead and do so. As and when I go ahead, I will get more questions and subsequent replies
9) If the answer to 7) is No, then please don’t waste time and either concentrate on the current profession or quit job, sit idle and leave it on destiny. Choice is mine :)

Planning and Action go hand in hand. Planning without Action is like daydreaming and hence chances are high that everything turns futile. It simply results in more and more dwelling in future, followed by accumulation of frustration and the ultimately “state of despair” occurs which leads nowhere.

Well, was I in present (aware and awake) while composing this article? Although I composed at one go, I fail to answer myself. What a travesty!