this day that year...

December 29, 2004... the day i posted my first article on this blogsite...

its been a great experience so far, and i only hope to continue for as long as i can, in the times to come... to start with, 2005 proved to be a year where there were great opportunities for me to go to more places, meet more people, learn more about communities, more about compassion, more about love... the wish is for the journey to continue further, in the new year to come!

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006...


a synopsis from articles i posted in 2005:

• what does one have and what does one not have?: If one possesses the knowledge of the fact that 'anything is possible if a sincere effort is put into it', then, not possessing knowledge on any subject matter is not actually not knowing it...
• points of view: while the challenge lies in constantly being able to take a neutral stance despite all temptations to form opinions, and make judgements, the tougher part is not controlling these temptations but overcoming the default way of communicating what one might think is a WELL-THOUGHT-OF judgement... so, if you ever feel that you HAVE TO let someone know about something, make sure that you do it the RIGHT way...
• lessons from nature: to be able to observe beautiful things its one thing, and to be able to observe the beauty in what one might think are ordinary things is an entirely different thing...
• the importance of courtesy: the value of education is not in all those textbooks that one may read to get through all those tests and grades, but is infact in things like these, where an educated person must be able to distinguish clearly between cultured and uncultured behaviour at a social as well as an inter-personal level...
• moments of silence: those moments of silence, when one reflects with one's self... are probably the most important moments defining someone's personality...
• the extra effort: at every step in the everyday life, it becomes so important to always do the right thing... and by doing the right thing, i mean, an action which does not affect another person in a direct or an indirect way as far as the knowledge of one's conscience is concerned...
• essentials in life: To live, To love, To learn, To leave a legacy...
• the importance of well being: this life is probably just that temporary phase of a fascinating journey, of which no one knows the absolute start or the absolute end points... all that are known, are the times that one's conscience comprehends and the times that one's psyche co-operates and co-exists with...
• the significance of being insignificant: what one must actually take to heart is that, since this world (and life) is made up of all kinds of perspectives, all kinds of cultures, all kinds of intellects, all kinds of circumstances, all kinds of experiences (good, bad and neither), this concept could easily be argued differently at different points in time by different people, living at different places!...
• oh... those wonder years: it is indeed special to cherish every single special moment around, and merely to be thankful that it happened atleast for that little bit... for, there are those who live to tell the tales, when they do not even know what you are talking about!...
• the art of negotiation: such an art associated with the philosophy of making everybody involved happy, involves a lot of situations as to what may be termed 'win-win' situations...
• what a wonderful world: Lyrics By George Weiss / Bob Thiele
• the hidden patterns in chaos theory: amidst the chaotic real world, is this calm and peaceful inner world, which longs for nothing but peace!...
• squeezing time out of 'no time': the difference between an ordinary being and a difference-maker is determined by small mental adjustments to the increasingly mechanical life-styles of an urban living...
• the thin lines between: as we take our stance on certain qualities that we possess, seldom are we aware of being caught at the thin line between two extremes... the thin line between lack of confidence and self-confidence, the thin line between self-confidence and over-confidence, the thin line between over-confidence and arrogance, are all examples of typical caught-in-betweens...
• defining the absolute sense of satisfaction: an absolute sense of satisfaction, while sought after very hard by every single person, can probably be only be achieved ONLY if one tries to correct himself/herself... to start leading a moral life...
• introspection: about me - the results of some online quizzes i took recently...
• taking a deep breath: what you do, does not matter if you do not do it the right way... how you do it, does not matter if you do not do the right thing... what you do and how you do it, does not matter, if you do not do it when it is needed the most!...
• simplicities and complexities: there is not a complex problem that does not have a simple approach, but we approach even the simplest problems with a complex approach... the need of the hour? take a simple approach, have a simple attitude, and stay positive!...
• the side of the greener grass: something to look forward to, almost every single time, even if one succeeds completely(again, a relative term)? getting the big picture is as important as attention to the inner details of things...
• finite yet infinite: it is not what it actually is... it is what you perceive it to be...
• from being static... to being stable: what lies in a heart is the only truth, and nothing else matters!...
• 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'...
• today: today i will NOTs and today i wills - today and everyday...
• pride... and prejudice: pride - one who knows that he knows not much, knows it all... prejudice - a sad state of mind when one refuses to put one's self in another's shoes... and Lyrics by - Hoobastank
• ethics: Quote By - Arthur Dobrin
• ignorance, instincts and conscience: Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment; The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance - Benjamin Franklin... Criminals are none but those who get caught for things we all do in our everyday lives - Source Anonymous
• coming back to life: Classic Lyrics - Pink Floyd
• the controllable domain: Be the change you want to see in the world - M K Gandhi
• oh... think twice: Lyrics - Phil Collins
• the chaos and the calm: while some may say they prefer the chaos, and some may say they prefer the calm, the reality remains that there could be calm within the chaos and chaos amidst the calm, and to choose those parts of what one wants, would be upto the induvidual!!!...
• 'intent for incentive' and 'the passion': 'buy a man a fish, and he'll survive a day... teach him how to fish, and he'll survive for a lifetime' ...
• so far away: Lyrics - Staind

so far away...

Lyrics: Staind

This is my life
Its not what it was before
All these feelings I’ve shared
And these are my dreams That
I’d never lived before
Somebody shake me
Cause I, I must be sleeping

Now that we're here,
It's so far away
All the struggle we thought was in vain
All the mistakes,
One life contained
They all finally start to go away
Now that we're here
its so far away
And I feel like I can face the day
I can forgive and I’m not ashamed to be the person that I am today

These are my words
That I’ve never said before
I think I’m doing ok
And this is the smile
That I’ve never shown before

Somebody shake me
Cause I, I must be sleeping

I'm so afraid of waking
Please don't shake me
Afraid of waking
Please don't shake me

'intent for incentive' and 'the passion'...

oh those countless hours... spent in front of the television... while they seemed to be lost in the calculations of our 'well-spent' time, are often only observed by a third-eye...

imagine an everage person in the coprorate world, and his/her biggest complain... 'i dont have any time'... while it may sound reasonable to agree to a certain extent based on their perspective, philosophy and thought-process behind it, it only seems a lame excuse for not being able to find a suitable answer in the long run... a related line of thought would lead us to the question 'how many of us do REALLY consider doing the things for the sake of REALLY doing them? and how many of us keep trying to do things for the sake of the incentives associated with the actions?'... a principle-oriented work-routine could be a good start... 'buy a man a fish, and he'll survive a day... teach him how to fish, and he'll survive for a lifetime...'

inspiration is almost always drawn from others, by seeing how 'other' people live... a classic example: if an MLK had looked only to draw inspiration from others, he probably would not have been the GREAT person he was... instead he chose to draw it from within as well, and serve a purpose in his lifetime, one which could only be cherished for the times to come forever...

i've seen people who work up to the specified minute and leave right when the clock strikes, and have also seen people who take projects as personal challenges and consider them as objectives in the true sense... ofcourse both extremes would be a combination of personal choices and corporate culture in organizations... the point is: at what point does one need to work for an incentive, and at what point does one work for a mere passion for something?

the 'big picture' would probably be different for different people... but lets just say that there could be some common denominators that apply to everyone like 'volunteering' for a noble cause... while many of us tend to think of it at most times, only few of us have the privilege and joy of actually getting to implement... the key is to 'think' and then to sincerely 'try' to make a difference...

the chaos and the calm...

a peaceful coexistence beetween humans are often defined by people without taking into consideration the environment, density of population, and the culture that exist in the society... often we find people living in chaotic urban environments telling you about how little they care about another human's existence... on the other hand, for someone living in a relatively quiet suburb or rural part of a country, the way of life may be more driven by how the society is structured and influenced from a bigger picture...

a classic example of the urban culture could be found in many big cities around the world... new york in the u.s., bombay in india, shangai in china, cairo in egypt, etc... ALL face a similar problem... lack of space, lack of time, lack of money, lack of human values, lack of peace... all that there remains, is ALL THAT JAZZ that come associated with the hype and the buzz surrounding it... to me personally, i dont care if i do not work at times square or dine at an exotic french restaurant, or for that matter live in an estate home in long island, new york... i would much rather prefer a place where there is 'value' to an individual in the society, not merely coming out of an economical status but out of character and out of integrity...

on the contrary, a complete opposite would be to live in the middle of country-sides either rural or suburbian, away from the maddening crowds... for people who live here, the rest of the world doesnt matter... in-fact often times they are happy and self-contented to live where they are put up, for the rest of their lives and for future generations to follow... the quiet may or may not include mixing with the nature depending on geography and an animal-life presence, but sure enough there is great simplicity amongst people who live here...

unfortunately life is not defined to be simple enough to be able to categorize everything into such simple divisions... there come these people who have been exposed to the two extremeties and often left with a choice to make, either based on professional interest or due to family circumstances or due to a personal frame of mind... in most cases, professional interests take over, and influence the decision made, as to where the destination would be, to form an identity... theoretically observing, it is quite not possible to create a permanant identity for one's self at any place whatsoever not matter what, even if a few generations in the family have managed to stay in a single place... for, all that we are, are nomads in search of bread and butter...

this thought about divisions in living environments and societies came to my mind when i was visiting a national park in texas a few years ago... we had gone there to find some peace and quiet away from city-life for vacation... a lady at a counter in one of the convenience stores there remarked 'you come here for your holidays in search of your peace, and we as small town people go to big cities like yours, to find ours...'... that remark, made me realize how perspectives are merely relative and is different from one person to another... right from day 0 till day N, the kinds of experiences we go through, form all these impressions somewhere deep in our minds, and unfortunately at some point we lose the essence of the bigger picture (of-course in search of which we all roam around restlessly in this place called earth)...

while some may say they prefer the chaos, and some may say they prefer the calm, the reality remains that there could be calm within the chaos and chaos amidst the calm, and to choose those parts of what one wants, would be upto the induvidual!!!

oh... think twice...

Lyrics: Phil Collins

She calls out to the man on the street: 'sir, can you help me? '...
It’s cold and I’ve nowhere to sleep...
Is there somewhere you can tell me? ...

He walks on, doesn’t look back...
He pretends he can’t hear her...
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street...
Seems embarrassed to be there...

Oh... think twice...
it’s another day forYou and me in paradise...

Oh... think twice...
it’s just another day for you...
You and me in paradise...

She calls out to the man on the street...
He can see she’s been crying...
She’s got blisters on the soles of her feet...
Can’t walk but she’s trying...

Oh... think twice...
Oh lord... is there nothing more anybody can do...
Oh lord... there must be something you can say...

You can tell from the lines on her face...
You can see that she’s been there...
Probably been moved on from every place...
cos she didn’t fit in there...

Oh... think twice...

the controllable domain...

"Be the change you want to see in the world"
- M K Gandhi

at the time of sunrise when you see a flock of beautiful birds headed out of their nests straight above that water-body in which the tree rests, you realize from the river-front that you are witnessing one of nature's best demonstrations of life... you, the mere mortal, are witnessing the scene right at the very moment because you 'chose' to be there, 'at that time', 'at that place'... they do not fly for their audience, neither do they fly for any other external factor... they fly for their own living, its their basic nature...

alas! if only, mankind had the will, simplicity, and the courage to live per their basic nature... this world may indeed have been a better place to live in... for, when 'he chose', he chose money... he chose lust... he chose land... what a pity that the damned box was opened, and pandora lived to only tell tales of how 'pleasantville' used to be...

however, the most crucial point would be to have a few clear realizations, in order to get out of this sunken feeling...
if there were a tertiary state for people (other than good and bad), it would have to be a lie...
the falls are meant to be, so the rise could be called what is called...
the ONLY part of this universe that one could control, is one's self...

simple things go a LONG way in making it an easier place to live in, for generations to follow... examples could be drawn out from real life situations and every moment... a personal example would be trying to control littering from a personal level, irrespective of local laws... another example would be to adopt a 'live-and-let-live' policy with fellow-men and save the so-called-protests, spending more time usefully on leading by example, in the society... sure it takes a lot of influence, media-hype and public exposure through word-of-mouth to reach out to people, but things like protests, especially in developing countries, often kills the average-person's living...

an extreme level of thinking would lead to: 'what could i do, in order to help make life better, for people whom, i can understand and realize, have lives that deserve to be more normal... and how do i start'... i often come up with a thought 'life is too short to be wasted fighting over petty things, misunderstanding people, and acting greedy... it could instead be optimized in trying to come up with a sincere effort to something extra, than what we do today!'

coming back to life...

Classic Lyrics: Pink Floyd

Where were you when I was burned and broken
While the days slipped by from my window watching

Where were you when I was hurt and helpless
Because the things you say and the things you do surround me
While you were hanging yourself on someone else's words
Dying to believe in what you heard

I was staring straight into the shining sun
Lost in thought and lost in time
While the seeds of lifeand the seeds of change were planted
Outside the rain fell dark and slow

While I pondered on this dangerous but irresistible pastime
I took a heavenly ride through our silence
I knew the moment had arrived
For killing the past and coming back to life

I took a heavenly ride through our silence
I knew the waiting had begun
And headed straight..into the shining sun

ignorance, instincts and conscience...

Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment - Benjamin Franklin

trying to identify with the right and wrong, is an endless process for each of us... however, there do seem many a things that are either outright 'right' to all or 'wrong' to all... or atleast to all who live with a conscience...

lets start by looking at these 'wrong' things, and correlate to their origin... typically they could be categorized into broad reasons... acts out of ignorance... out of instincts... out of conscience or lack of it rather...

ignorance is bliss, as some may want to perceive... but probably Benjamin Franklin also got it right when he said "The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance"... being ignorant about something may be acceptable once, or twice, but not every time... there's something fundamentally wrong if someone tries to use it as an excuse for wrong-doing...

most of us end up going through an emotion described popularly as 'regretting after'... the root-cause for this is our inability to hold ourselves back and falling into the trap set by this materialistic world, and act on instincts, in an impulsive fashion... a lot of times, we 'regret immediately after' and sometimes it takes a realization to even understand the concept...

and then, there are the set of us, who for no rhyme or reason do things completely aware of the fact that the actions are being unreasonable and evil to fellow-men and co-existence... selfishness; greed for land, lust, money; psychological disability to distinguish the needed versus desired... call it whatever, this is the most dangerous of all the causes for bad things happening in everyday lives...

"Criminals are none but those who get caught for things we all do in our everyday lives" - Anonymous

the counter-arguements often used is the 'threshold' of bad things we do every day... but then, who sets and/or defines these thresholds? law-enfoecement? administrative bodies? compliance groups? the answer is quite simple... we as individuals, set these at every stage, every second, every moment, as we do little things... the transformation must be within, to get results at a global level... "it take only a drop of poison to spoil a whole gallon of milk"... every drop counts... and being the every drop that we are, it hence becomes of significance to lead a life without ignorance, witholding and talking control of our instincts, and merely leading a life with a genuine conscience...

ethics...

A Humanist Code of Ethics (Quoted By: Arthur Dobrin)

Do no harm to the earth, she is your mother
Being is more important than having
Never promote yourself at another's expense
Hold life sacred; treat it with reverence

Allow each person the digity of his or her labor
Open your home to the wayfarer
Be ready to receive your deepest dreams;
sometimes they are the speech of unblighted conscience

Always make restitutions to the ones you have harmed
Never think less of yourself than you are
Never think that you are more than another