pride... and prejudice...

pride: one who knows that he knows not much, knows it all!

EGO - is the worst trait that we naturally possess, and gets us into trouble most of the times... from underconfident introverts to outrageously confident extroverts, this 'ego' plays such a strong role in shaping all our lives day in and day out... too less of it prevents us from learning, and too much of it prevents us from realizing that its a learning process...

'change' is inevitable... probably the only constant principle (other than absolute energy, absolute mass, etc) in the continuously observant world that we live in... a chinese proverb says: 'the moment you stop learning to adapt with these changes, its almost like swimming against the flow of the river'... humility from a societal perspective (which again is comprised of people) would have prevented great men of honor and wisdom like Babbage, Galileo, Bell, Socrates, etc etc to be so mistreated for being who they were, and doing what they did... its only basic nature to refuse to accept a 'change' process... but it becomes all the more critical to acknowledge this fact so as to make the most out of this 'change' process...

prejudice: a sad state of mind when one refuses to put one's self in another's shoes

there are not many things that make my heart grow sad... when i see people possess this dreaded quality, its one of those few moments that i sink to my knees... when i read about things like the royal family in britain, or about the often-celebrated world of celebrities, for instance, i realize that prejudice could hurt not only when its in its negative sense, but also indirectly through its positive portrayals... i mean, COME ON! all accepted one may have ancestors who used to be in a so-called ROYAL status in the society, i wish people had to earn their way through their deeds and not through their mere births... there's a tamil-saying which means to an equivalent english explaination: a mother of a child is TRULY proud of her kid when he/she earns a repute of honor and wisdom through actions of such value!

being judgemental - while many might argue that it is inevitable, either initially or eventually, every time, i truly believe that it is possible to stay without having to be so, no matter what, and no matter how long... especially if it has to do with being so in a negative way! putting one's self in another person's shoes is probably the easiest solution whenever there is a temptation to lean toward this attitude... it takes a REAL realization to understand that every action is driven by what is called a 'reason'...

talking about 'the reason', a song by a band called hoobastank comes to my mind...

such sweet lyrics, here it goes:

I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you

And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new and the reason is you

I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears

Thats why i need you to hearI've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new and the reason is You

I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new and the reason is you

I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do And the reason is you

today...

today i will NOT:

judge anyone, no matter what...
do anything expecting any returns...
have expectations...
complain...
be part of any gossip...
look down upon another person no matter what...
look away from someone who needs help...

today i will:

be thankful for what i am, where i am, and how i am...
think about, and be thankful to my parents...
give my 100% into everything that i do...
watch what i say, and be considerate...
make someone's day by merely being there when the need comes...
have a positive attitude and spread it around...
be humble...
break the habit and do something new and out of the routine...
get organized...
reflect on myself, and plan a revision of thoughts and actions, working toward a greater good...

impressionable perspectives...

one of the most important lessons that a western living has taught me, is 'being a self-starter and being self-dependant for most things'... while there could be many arguements to this depending on the environmental conditions related to being-dependant-on-others as to why it is better in certain situations considering the greater good, it sure is still is a set of excuses created to defend something done without any realization whatsoever...

if the last paragraph was a bit unclear in terms of expressing my point of view on menial labour, and conditions in which they happen, i'd like to elaborate more here... while growing up in one of the more conservative cities in a normally conservative country (as it is progressively being westernized in idealogies and practise, and maybe it will transform eventually), getting help for everyday chores was just considered normal... this would not just reduce the amount of menial work that one had to do, but also was a stream for potential employment opportunities, in a country with a huge population and a very low annual per capita income, even in cities... maybe because i was too young, or maybe because i did not even know how bright the sun could be at the other end of the planet, i had not even thought about these things when i was in those tender formative years... before explaining further, i'd also like to mention that i do not claim either of these two sides of the coin to be a better one, but just trying to think about the pros and cons of either side...

a core reason why the average energy level, in a country such as India, is so high, is undoubtedly the fact that people are so well bonded and connected to each other... all said and done about family troubles, political corrupt, or infrastructural deficiencies or population-density-explosion, or whatever else, there are so many positives that exist that i personally feel fortunate to have gained so much out of... this includes qualities like family values, honest virtues, fundamental principles in being a good citizen, focus on primary education (although there could be a million debates on sub-aspects of this), and the list goes on...

a few lessons from the western world (not the hyped up western culture in the east, by people who have no idea about the life of an average person in the west), like having to be a self-starter, having to take care of one's personal requirements to keep pace with the rest of the world, having to maintain an inter-personal relationship with friends, acquaintences and business network contacts, and having the enthusiasm, zeal and hunger for more... when coupled with the simple core concepts from the eastern world of living, its becomes a sweet algorithm to implement and practise...

taking the positives from both worlds is definitely one of the most beautiful of things, and it sure gives one a lot of pleasure in enjoying everyday moments... however, the most important point being: the flip side where negatives from both ends of the world are taken and put into practise, could be the worst thing to do!

from being static... to being stable...

Picture on the left: 'The Sky Is My Home'
(Source: My World Beyond Stars)

"An idle mind is the root of all devils"

There was a recent speech given by Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Inc., and Pixar Animations, at a graduation ceremony in Stanford University. He spoke about three stories for inspiring young minds, fresh and heading out of College life. Here is a link to it if you want to read the full aricle. By far, it has been one of the most inspiring speeches for me so far.

There is so much to life beyond what people think. And it is often found to be too short and too wanting for things we crave for. When we do the things that we do, as everyday chores, we often fail to understand that on a periodic basis we need to do several things that we only end up thinking 'could have, should have, would have if and only'.

So, what is it when you hear about someone complaining about being bored, having nothing to do? It probably means that either they are lazy to find something to do, OR that they are eternal pessimists who want to reject every idea around from others as well as from their own hearts. For, they say after all, it is so easy to wake someone up if he/she is really asleep, but it is quite close to impossible to wake someone up if he/she is merely pretending to sleep...

Stability, an aspect that people often look for, when they look at somebody else. But when it comes to themselves, they know somewhere deep down that it is something quite relative, and not an absolute factor. It is always the kid next door who gets higher grades or the buddy who gets a better deal, or someone else getting something better... it almost always boils down to a comparative thing... what people fail to comprehend is the intrinsic beauty of this relative phenomenon, where one can draw such content by just comparing themselves with other people who do not possess the things that he/she possesses. For starters, if you are reading this, BE THANKFUL that you have eyes that are functional either naturally or through the help of an optometrist. Quit complaining about how wonderful someone else's eyes are, but start realizing how beautiful the world can be, when you look at it through your very own eyes, for there are people who wish they had what you have and can only pray for it in another lifetime...

Stability is also often misinterpreted by many as a mere monetary/financial factor. I really feel sorry for such people as they are only victims of the evil rules of the world... what lies in a heart is the only truth, and nothing else matters!